娱乐英语新闻:"Hugo," "The Artist" lead nominees for 84th Academy Award

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- "The Artist," an English- French black-and-white silent homage to the heyday of Hollywood, and Martin Scorsese's first 3D drama "Hugo" were among the top picks for the 84th Academy Awards as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its choices Tuesday morning.

The list, which was announced by actress Jennifer Lawrence, accompanied by Academy President Tom Sherak, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, included seven other films: George Clooney starrer "The Descendants," "911" drama "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," civil-rights drama "The Help," Woody Allen's romantic comedy " Midnight in Paris," Brad Pitt's vehicle "Moneyball," Terrence Malick-directed drama "The Tree of Life" and Steven Spielberg's " War Horse."

"Hugo" was nominated in major technical categories including film editing, sound mixing and visual effects while "The Artist" dominated in acting side, as Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo got their nod in best actor and best actress in a supporting role, respectively.

"The Artist" took home the top honor from the Producers Guild of America on Saturday after it garnered three top awards at the Golden Globes last week.

Michel Hazanavicius, who directed "The Artist," was joined in the best director category by Allen for "Midnight in Paris," Alexander Payne for "The Descendants," Martin Scorsese for "Hugo" and Terrence Malick for "The Tree of Life."

Golden Globe winner George Clooney, who starred in "The Descendants," was joined by Jean Dujardin for "The Artist," Demian Bichir for "A Better Life," Gary Oldman for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and Brad Pitt for "Moneyball" in contention for best actor.

In best actress field, Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs," Viola Davis in "The Help," Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady" and Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn" made the cut.

Golden Globe recipients Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer were also nominated for best actor or actress in a supporting role.

In the best foreign film category, one of the most-watched for event, Iranian film "A Seperation," which won a Golden Globe, was joined by "Bullhead" (Belgium), "Footnote" (Israel), "In Darkness" (Poland) and "Monsieur Lazhar" (Canada).

"The Adventures of Tintin," which upset "Rango" to garner the best animated film in the Golden Globes, failed to receive a nod in the contention.

The Academy Awards ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 26.