The voters of the Academy often nominate actors who are known entities -- performers who have ascended to the position of Hollywood royalty. These thespians are recognizable by only one name: Meryl, Jack, Glenn, Dustin. They inspire legions of children to become actors and serve as role models to their peers.
This year, though, the Academy has turned its back on them. Even an acting deity like Al Pacino can't get nominated for garbage like "Two For the Money."
To fill the nominee list, the Academy instead inaugurated a new batch of performers, opting for first-time nominees over familiarity.
At the ripe old age of 31, Joaquin Phoenix is the sole past nominee in the Best Actor category (he lost the Best Supporting Actor award for "Gladiator"). Given the vast number of fantastic performances by leading males this year, several deserving actors were unfortunately snubbed. Two potential nominees were hurt by the Academy's proclivity for new faces this year: Ralph Fiennes, a two-time nominee for "Schindler's List" and "The English Patient," missed out on a third nod for "The Constant Gardener," and Russell Crowe -- a nominee for "The Insider" and "A Beautiful Mind," and a winner for "Gladiator" -- was ignored for his work in "Cinderella Man."
Two men looking for their first nominations were snubbed as well: "A History of Violence" star Viggo Mortensen, who failed to receive a nomination for his role in any of the "Lord of the Rings" films, and Jeff Daniels, for his career-capping work in "The Squid and the Whale," were left out of contention.
Past nominees fared slightly better in the Lead Actress category. Judi Dench, a past nominee in 1997 for "Mrs. Brown," in 1998 for "Shakespeare in Love," in 2000 for "Chocolat" and most recently in 2002 for "Iris," picked up a nod for her work in "Mrs. Henderson Presents." The other previous nominee is Charlize Theron, whose recent win for "Monster" virtually ensures that she'll go home empty-handed on Oscar night.
So who missed out on a nod? Most notably, Laura Linney -- another Oscar veteran for her work in "You Can Count on Me" -- stands out as a snub for her performance in "The Squid and the Whale." And poor Scarlett Johansson and Maria Bello. They both gave lauded performances in two generally well-received films, "Match Point" and "A History of Violence," respectively. They've both been snubbed in recent years, Johansson for "Lost in Translation" and Bello for "The Cooler." This should have been the year for the Academy to embrace these two talented actresses, but not quite. "A History of Violence" may have been too violent, and "Match Point", though considered Woody Allen's best movie in years, failed to maintain the momentum it gained after receiving multiple Golden Globe nominations. At least the two actresses can take solace in the fact that they are both strikingly beautiful.
Speaking of beautiful, both Thandie Newton and Sandra Bullock failed to receive nominations for their work in "Crash." On the male side, William Hurt's bizarre inclusion in the race meant that his costar and fellow Oscar veteran, Ed Harris, was ignored. Bob Hoskins, an early contender for his work in "Mrs. Henderson Presents," was ultimately overshadowed by higher-profile competition. And while Terrence Howard was nominated as a Lead Actor for "Hustle and Flow," his supporting work as part of the stellar "Crash" ensemble was ignored.
