blog@cliffdweller

Hey, the Academy Award nominees were announced today. And for the first time, ever, I have not already seen any of the films listed in the Best Picture category.In fact, out of the top six categories (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director), I have only seen 4.Did you catch that? Out of a possible 18 or so different films, I have only seen 4. And I blame the Republicans.Here're the nominations:BEST PICTURE

• "Atonement"
• "Juno"
• "Michael Clayton"
• "No Country for Old Men"
• "There Will Be Blood"

BEST ACTRESS

• Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
• Julie Christie, "Away From Her" — Saw this one, hope she wins
• Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
• Laura Linney, "The Savages"
• Ellen Page, "Juno"

BEST ACTOR

• George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
• Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
• Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
• Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
• Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There" — saw this one, hope she wins
• Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"
• Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
• Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
• Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
• Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
• Hal Holbrook, "Into The Wild" — saw this one, hope he wins
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War" — saw this one, hope he wins, too
• Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"

BEST DIRECTOR

• Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
• Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
• Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
• Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
• Jason Reitman, "Juno"