The 84th Academy Award nominees!

The nominations for the 84th Academy Awards were revealed by 2011 nominee Jennifer Lawrence and Academy President Tom Sherak in Los Angeles early this morning.

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo leads the pack with 11 nominations, followed closely by French silent film The Artist (10). Steven Spielberg’s War Horse (6), sports flick Moneyball (6), and the George Clooney vehicle The Descendants trail close behind, and are joined in the Best Picture race by The Help, Midnight in Paris, The Tree of Life, and  Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

There was little love for Aussies this year, with only The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo editor Kirk Baxter and War Horse‘s sound mixer Andy Nelson receiving gongs. There is a possibility Australian producer Grant Hill will be among those recognised for The Tree of Life’s Best Picture nod, but the nominees are still being determined for that film.

Pleasant surprises: Funny people Jonah Hill (Best Supporting Actor), Kristen Wiig (Best Original Screenplay), Melissa McCarthy (Best Supporting Actress), Bret McKenzie (Best Music – Original Song) and Community’s Jim Rash (Best Adapted Screenplay) all walking away as Oscar nominees. Two nods for Iranian drama A Separation. The Tree of Life in the Best Picture and Best Director race. Gary Oldman getting his first ever (!) nom for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Unpleasant surprises: A near shut-out for Drive, including the snub of Supporting Actor Albert Brooks! No love for indie stars Tilda Swinton or Michael Shannon. And the total rejection of Melancholia, Martha Marcy May Marlene, 50/50, Win Win, Margaret and Young Adult. Uggie the dog was also unceremoniously left in the cold…

Total shockers: Box office disappointment and critical whipping boy Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close sneaking into the Best Picture field. The Adventures of Tintin shunned in the Best Animated Feature category. Transformers: Dark of the Moon scoring three (3!!) nods. Sure, they were in technical categories, but still….

The full list of nominations are below.

Best Picture

The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Alexander Payne – The Descendants
Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life

Best Actor

Demian Bichir – A Better Life
George Clooney – The Descendants
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt – Moneyball

Best Actress

Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis – The Help
Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill – Moneyball
Nick Nolte – Warrior
Christopher Plummer – Beginners
Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Berenice Bejo – The Artist
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer – The Help

Best Adapted Screenplay

Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash – The Descendants
John Logan – Hugo
George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon – The Ides of March
Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin – Moneyball
Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Original Screenplay

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids
J.C. Chandor – Margin Call
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation

Best Cinematography

The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Best Film Editing

The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball

Best Art Direction

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
War Horse

Best Costume Design

Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Best Makeup

Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady

Best Music – Original Score

The Adventures of Tintin
The Artist
Hugo
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
War Horse

Best Music – Original Song

“Man or Muppet” – The Muppets
“Real in Rio” – Rio

Best Sound Editing

Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Best Sound Mixing

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Best Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best Foreign Language Film

Bullhead
Footnote
In Darkness
Monsieur Lazhar
A Separation

Best Animated Feature Film

A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Documentary Feature

Hell and Back Again
If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Best Documentary Short Subject

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Best Short Film – Animated

Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Best Short Film – Action

Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

The 84th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal, will take place on February 26, 2012 in Los Angeles.

Discuss: Your thoughts on this year’s batch of nominees?