2007 Oscar Nomination

"Dreamgirls," the film version of the 1981 Broadway show, received a leading eight nominations, but was shut out of two of the biggest categories -- best picture and best director. The film did receive nominations for two of its performers, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, both in supporting categories.
"Babel," Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's ensemble cross-cultural tale of families in crisis, had seven nominations, though just two for its performers, both in the supporting actress category. Neither of its major stars, Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchett, earned a nomination for the film -- but Blanchett did get a nod for her work in "Notes on a Scandal."

And "The Departed," Martin Scorsese's tale of the mob and the cops in Boston, was nominated for best picture and best director, but only Mark Wahlberg earned an acting nomination, for supporting actor.

The year's sleeper hit, "Little Miss Sunshine," earned nominations for best picture, best supporting actor (Alan Arkin), best supporting actress (Abigail Breslin) and best original screenplay.

One dark horse that came out shining bright was Clint Eastwood's Japanese-language "Letters From Iwo Jima," which was nominated for best picture, best director and best screenplay. The director nomination pits Scorsese against Eastwood for the second time in three years; Eastwood prevailed in 2004, when his "Million Dollar Baby" went up against Scorsese's "The Aviator."

And though "United 93" only earned one major nomination, it was a big one: a nod for its director, Paul Greengrass.

The nominees for best picture are "The Departed," "Babel," "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Queen."

The nominees for best actor are Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("Blood Diamond"), Ryan Gosling ("Half Nelson"), Peter O'Toole ("Venus") and Will Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness").

The nominees for best actress are Helen Mirren ("The Queen"), Judi Dench ("Notes on a Scandal"), Penelope Cruz ("Volver"), Meryl Streep ("The Devil Wears Prada") and Kate Winslet ("Little Children"). Streep's nomination is her 14th; she's won two Oscars.

The nominees for best supporting actor are Murphy ("Dreamgirls"), Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine"), Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children"), Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond") and Wahlberg ("The Departed").

The nominees for best supporting actress are Hudson ("Dreamgirls"), Adriana Barraza ("Babel"), Blanchett ("Notes on a Scandal"), Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") and Rinko Kikuchi ("Babel").

The nominees for best director are Scorsese ("The Departed"), Eastwood ("Letters From Iwo Jima"), Stephen Frears ("The Queen"), Greengrass ("United 93") and Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel").