Dreamgirls Lands Most Nominations But Snubbed for Best Picture

Dreamgirls Lands Most Nominations But Snubbed for Best Picture
By Kam Williams

How do you explain a movie getting the most Oscar nominations yet being overlooked when it comes to Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress? That’s precisely the quandary the Academy finds itself in after announcing that Dreamgirls landed eight nominations but none in any major categories.
Yes, Jennifer Hudson was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but anybody who saw the film knows that hers was really a lead role. Reached in London, Jennifer had this to say about the good news: "Thank you to the Academy! I am blown away by this honor. I feel like I have reached the impossible. This is proof that faith is powerful. Thank you!" Eddie Murphy was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but otherwise, Dreamgirls was only recognized for its Art, Costumes, Music and Sound.
Despite the apparent snub, the Academy must be credited for the overall ethnic diversity of its picks. A quarter of the acting nominations went to blacks (Hudson, Murphy, Will Smith, Forest Whitaker and Djimon Hounsou), two went to Hispanics (Penelope Cruz and Adriana Barraza), and one went to an Asian (Rinko Kikuchi). Plus, lots of other Latinos were nominated, such as director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel), and scriptwriters Guillermo Arriaga (Babel) Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) and Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men).
British actresses fared well, as usual, garnering three of the five Best Actress accolades (Kate Winslet and Dames Helen Mirren and Judi Dench). Conspicuously-absent among the nominees was Jack Nicholson who turned in another trademark, great performance in The Departed. The 79th Academy Awards will be broadcast live on Sunday, February 25th from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.


Complete List of Oscar Nominees

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio in "Blood Diamond" (Warner Bros.)
Ryan Gosling in "Half Nelson" (THINKFilm)
Peter O'Toole in "Venus" (Miramax, Filmfour and UK Council)
Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness" (Sony Pictures
Releasing)
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland" (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight)
Jackie Earle Haley in "Little Children" (New Line)
Djimon Hounsou in "Blood Diamond" (Warner Bros.)
Eddie Murphy in "Dreamgirls" (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Mark Wahlberg in "The Departed" (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz in "Volver" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal" (Fox Searchlight)
Helen Mirren in "The Queen" (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada" (20th Century Fox)
Kate Winslet in "Little Children" (New Line)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza in "Babel" (Paramount and Paramount
Vantage)
Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal" (Fox Searchlight)
Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight)
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls" (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Rinko Kikuchi in "Babel" (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)

Best animated feature film of the year
"Cars" (Buena Vista) John Lasseter
"Happy Feet" (Warner Bros.) George Miller
"Monster House" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Gil Kenan

Achievement in art direction
"Dreamgirls" (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Art Direction: John Myhre
Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
"The Good Shepherd" (Universal)
Art Direction: Jeannine Oppewall
Set Decoration: Gretchen Rau and Leslie E. Rollins
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Picturehouse)
Art Direction: Eugenio Caballero
Set Decoration: Pilar Revuelta
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (Buena Vista)
Art Direction: Rick Heinrichs
Set Decoration: Cheryl A. Carasik
"The Prestige" (Buena Vista)
Art Direction: Nathan Crowley
Set Decoration: Julie Ochipinti

Achievement in cinematography
"The Black Dahlia" (Universal) Vilmos Zsigmond
"Children of Men" (Universal) Emmanuel Lubezki
"The Illusionist" (Yari Film Group) Dick Pope
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Picturehouse) Guillermo Navarro
"The Prestige" (Buena Vista) Wally Pfister

Achievement in costume design
"Curse of the Golden Flower" (Sony Pictures Classics) Yee
Chung Man
"The Devil Wears Prada" (20th Century Fox) Patricia Field
"Dreamgirls" (DreamWorks and Paramount) Sharen Davis
"Marie Antoinette" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Milena Canonero
"The Queen" (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Consolata Boyle

Achievement in directing
"Babel" (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Alejandro
González Iñárritu
"The Departed" (Warner Bros.) Martin Scorsese
"Letters from Iwo Jima" (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood
"The Queen" (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Stephen Frears
"United 93" (Universal and StudioCanal) Paul Greengrass

Best documentary feature
"Deliver Us from Evil" (Lionsgate)
A Disarming Films Production
Amy Berg and Frank Donner
"An Inconvenient Truth" (Paramount Classics and Participant
Productions)
A Lawrence Bender/Laurie David Production
Davis Guggenheim
"Iraq in Fragments" (Typecast Releasing)
A Typecast Pictures/Daylight Factory Production
James Longley and John Sinno
"Jesus Camp" (Magnolia Pictures)
A Loki Films Production
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
"My Country, My Country" (Zeitgeist Films)
A Praxis Films Production
Laura Poitras and Jocelyn Glatzer

Best documentary short subject
"The Blood of Yingzhou District"
A Thomas Lennon Films Production
Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon
"Recycled Life"
An Iwerks/Glad Production
Leslie Iwerks and Mike Glad
"Rehearsing a Dream"
A Simon & Goodman Picture Company Production
Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
"Two Hands"
A Crazy Boat Pictures Production
Nathaniel Kahn and Susan Rose Behr

Achievement in film editing
"Babel" (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise
"Blood Diamond" (Warner Bros.)
Steven Rosenblum
"Children of Men" (Universal)
Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón
"The Departed" (Warner Bros.)
Thelma Schoonmaker
"United 93" (Universal and StudioCanal)
Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse and Richard Pearson

Best foreign language film of the year
"After the Wedding" A Zentropa Entertainments 16 Production
Denmark
"Days of Glory (Indigènes)" A Tessalit Production
Algeria
"The Lives of Others" A Wiedemann & Berg Production
Germany
"Pan's Labyrinth" A Tequila Gang/Esperanto Filmoj/Estudios
Picasso Production
Mexico
"Water" A Hamilton-Mehta Production
Canada

Achievement in makeup
"Apocalypto" (Buena Vista) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
"Click" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Kazuhiro Tsuji and Bill Corso
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Picturehouse) David Marti and Montse Ribe

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original
score)
"Babel" (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Gustavo
Santaolalla
"The Good German" (Warner Bros.) Thomas Newman
"Notes on a Scandal" (Fox Searchlight) Philip Glass
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Picturehouse) Javier Navarrete
"The Queen" (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Alexandre Desplat

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth"
(Paramount Classics and Participant Productions)
Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge
"Listen" from "Dreamgirls"
(DreamWorks and Paramount)
Music by Henry Krieger and Scott Cutler
Lyric by Anne Preven
"Love You I Do" from "Dreamgirls"
(DreamWorks and Paramount)
Music by Henry Krieger
Lyric by Siedah Garrett
"Our Town" from "Cars"
(Buena Vista)
Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Patience" from "Dreamgirls"
(DreamWorks and Paramount)
Music by Henry Krieger
Lyric by Willie Reale

Best motion picture of the year
"Babel" (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
An Anonymous Content/Zeta Film/Central Films Production
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik and Steve Golin,
Producers
"The Departed" (Warner Bros.)
A Warner Bros. Pictures Production
Nominees to be determined
"Letters from Iwo Jima" (Warner Bros.)
A DreamWorks Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures Production
Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz,
Producers
"Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight)
A Big Beach/Bona Fide Production
Nominees to be determined
"The Queen" (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
A Granada Production
Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward, Producers

Best animated short film
"The Danish Poet" (National Film Board of Canada)
A Mikrofilm and National Film Board of Canada Production
Torill Kove
"Lifted" (Buena Vista)
A Pixar Animation Studios Production
Gary Rydstrom
"The Little Matchgirl" (Buena Vista)
A Walt Disney Pictures Production
Roger Allers and Don Hahn
"Maestro" (Szimplafilm)
A Kedd Production
Geza M. Toth
"No Time for Nuts" (20th Century Fox)
A Blue Sky Studios Production
Chris Renaud and Michael Thurmeier

Best live action short film
"Binta and the Great Idea (Binta Y La Gran Idea)"
A Peliculas Pendelton and Tus Ojos Production
Javier Fesser and Luis Manso
"Éramos Pocos (One Too Many)" (Kimuak)
An Altube Filmeak Production
Borja Cobeaga
"Helmer & Son"
A Nordisk Film Production
Soren Pilmark and Kim Magnusson
"The Saviour" (Australian Film Television and Radio School)
An Australian Film Television and Radio School Production
Peter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn
"West Bank Story"
An Ari Sandel, Pascal Vaguelsy, Amy Kim, Ravi Malhotra and
Ashley Jordan Production
Ari Sandel

Achievement in sound editing
"Apocalypto" (Buena Vista)
Sean McCormack and Kami Asgar
"Blood Diamond" (Warner Bros.)
Lon Bender
"Flags of Our Fathers" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros.,
Distributed by Paramount)
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
"Letters from Iwo Jima" (Warner Bros.)
Alan Robert Murray
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (Buena Vista)
Christopher Boyes and George Watters II

Achievement in sound mixing
"Apocalypto" (Buena Vista)
Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Fernando Camara
"Blood Diamond" (Warner Bros.)
Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Ivan Sharrock
"Dreamgirls" (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer and Willie Burton
"Flags of Our Fathers" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros.,
Distributed by Paramount)
John Reitz, Dave Campbell, Gregg Rudloff and Walt Martin
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (Buena Vista)
Paul Massey, Christopher Boyes and Lee Orloff

Achievement in visual effects
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (Buena Vista)
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and Allen Hall
"Poseidon" (Warner Bros.)
Boyd Shermis, Kim Libreri, Chaz Jarrett and John Frazier
"Superman Returns" (Warner Bros.)
Mark Stetson, Neil Corbould, Richard R. Hoover and Jon Thum

Adapted screenplay
"Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious
Nation of Kazakhstan" (20th Century Fox)
Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter
Baynham & Dan Mazer
Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Peter Baynham & Anthony
Hines & Todd Phillips
"Children of Men" (Universal)
Screenplay by Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David
Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby
"The Departed" (Warner Bros.)
Screenplay by William Monahan
"Little Children" (New Line)
Screenplay by Todd Field & Tom Perrotta
"Notes on a Scandal" (Fox Searchlight)
Screenplay by Patrick Marber

Original screenplay
"Babel" (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Written by Guillermo Arriaga
"Letters from Iwo Jima" (Warner Bros.)
Screenplay by Iris Yamashita
Story by Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis
"Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight)
Written by Michael Arndt
"Pan's Labyrinth" (Picturehouse)
Written by Guillermo del Toro
"The Queen" (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)Written by Peter Morgan