Oscar nominations to be announced

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Nominations for the 80th annual Oscar Academy Awards will be announced Tuesday in Beverly Hills near downtown Los Angeles, organizers announced on Monday.

Nominations are expected to include "Atonement", "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" regarded as leading contenders for best picture honors.

The British love story "Atonement" won the Golden Globe Award as best dramatic motion picture.

"No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" were among the nominees for the top awards from the Directors Guild and Producers Guild, which have been the best predictors for the best picture nominees over the past two years, successfully foretelling nine of the 10 nominees.

Best actor contenders include Daniel Day-Lewis -- this year's Golden Globe winner for his portrayal of a driven, murderous oil man in "There Will Be Blood" and a best actor Oscar winner for the1989 film "My Left Foot."

Also regarded as best actor contenders this year are Day-Lewis's fellow Screen Actors Guild Awards nominees -- George Clooney ("Michael Clayton"); Ryan Gosling ("Lars and the Real Girl"); Emile Hirsch ("Into the Wild") and Viggo Mortensen ("Eastern Promises.")

The best actress contenders are led by Golden Globe winners Julie Christie ("Away from Her") and Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose."). Christie, a British actress who has attained legendary status, won the best actress Oscar for the 1965 film "Darling."

The nominations will be announced just after 5:30 a.m. from the academy's Beverly Hills headquarters. The early start is to accommodate the live broadcasts of the network morning talk shows in the Eastern and Central time zones.

The Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 24 at the Kodak Theatre. Officials of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have said the ceremony will be held as scheduled, despite the writers strike.

The Writers Guild of America has rejected academy requests for waivers to use writers and clips from motion pictures and past Oscar shows. The ceremony could lose its usual glamour if actors refuse to cross a picket line by writers.