And the nominees are...

It's official! The Oscar nominees have been announced. You can find a complete list of nominees at Oscar.com, but I will highlight the big categories for you.

*Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)
Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)
Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line)
David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck)

*Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney (Syriana)
Matt Dillon (Crash)
Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)
William Hurt (A History of Violence)

*Best Actress
Judi Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents)
Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice)
Charlize Theron (North Country)
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)

*Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Junebug)
Catherine Keener (Capote)
Frances McDormand (North Country)
Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)

*Best Picture
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich

I'm not going to give official predictions yet because I want to see more movies, but here's a start:
I'd love to see Joaquin Phoenix win best actor. I think his biggest competition in that category will be Philip Seymour Hoffman. Same with best actress--I'd love to see Reese Witherspoon take it, but Judi Dench seems to be the favorite. Best Picture is anyone's guess at this point. I have a feeling Brokeback Mountain will take it, simply due to its controversial nature. I liked the movie just fine. It was very well done, but I don't think it's best picture material. I'd love to see Crash get it, but I'm thinking more along the lines of Capote.
There you have it. There are so many other categories that you can check out online. There aren't a ton of surprises in my opinion, other than Walk the Line not getting a Best Picture nod.

My list of "must see" movies just grew a mile!