Sweeney Todd Cuts Oscar Nod for Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp received his third Academy Award nomination for best actor for his role as the title character in Tim Burton’s gothic musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” though no nods went to the film, its director or co-star Helena Bonham-Carter.

The nominees for the 80th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday from Beverly Hills, California, with Johnny Depp seeing his portrayal of the psychotic criminal whom he managed to make endearing to the audiences receive a nomination in the best actor category.

Depp, previously nominated for “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” in 2004 and “Finding Neverland” in 2005, will compete against George Clooney in “Michael Clayton,” Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood,” Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” and Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises.”

While “Sweeney Todd” was not nominated in the best picture category, the trophy will be fought over between “Michael Clayton,” “There Will Be Blood,” “Atonement,” “Juno” and “No Country for Old Men.”

As it is, the Coen brothers' film version of Cormac McCarthy's novel that is the critically acclaimed “No Country for Old Men” leads the race with an impressive eight nominations in major categories, as does “There Will Be Blood,” Paul Thomas Anderson's big screen adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel “Oil!.”

Following closely is “Michael Clayton,” with nominations for best picture, best director (Tony Gilroy), best actor (Clooney), best supporting actor (Tom Wilkinson), best supporting actress (Tilda Swinton) and best original screenplay (Gilroy).

Nominated in the best actress category are Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” Julie Christie in “Away from Her,” Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose,” Laura Linney in “The Savages” and Ellen Page in “Juno.”

In the best supporting actor category, Wilkinson vies against Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men,” Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson's War,” Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” and Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton.”

Cate Blanchett receives a second nomination for best actress in a supporting role for “I'm Not There,” as do Ruby Dee in “American Gangster,” Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement,” Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” and Swinton in “Michael Clayton.”

The nominees for best director are Ethan and Joel Coen for “No Country for Old Men,” Anderson for “There Will Be Blood,” Julian Schnabel for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” Jason Reitman for “Juno” and Gilroy for “Michael Clayton.”

The organizers of the Academy Awards ceremony have been adamant that the event will take place regardless of the ongoing WGA strike, on the scheduled date of Feb. 24 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Jon Stewart is scheduled to host.

*eFluxMedia*

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