'Dreamgirls' leads field in Oscar surprise

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif, Jan 23 (Reuters) The musical drama ''Dreamgirls'' led the Oscar field with eight nominations, but surprisingly failed to make the coveted best picture and directing categories, organizers said today.

''Babel,'' a bold examination of the woes afflicting humanity in the early 21st century, followed with seven nominations, followed by Spanish-language adult fairy tale ''Pan's Labyrinth'' and the British royals drama ''The Queen'' with six each.

The mob thriller ''The Departed'' and the Africa-set drama ''Blood Diamond'' picked up five nominations each.

''It is a big wide open race,'' said Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the event.

Most Oscar pundits had expected ''Dreamgirls'' to be among the main contenders, but its omission from the top two races was a stunning snub.

''If one is to look for a surprise that would be it,'' Ganis said.

The highest-profile nominations for ''Dreamgirls'' were in the supporting acting races, where veteran comic Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson were cited. This is the first time both have received Oscar nominations.

The best picture nominees were ''Babel,'' ''The Departed,'' ''Letters from Iwo Jima,'' ''Little Miss Sunshine'' and ''The Queen.'' The directing nominees were Mexican filmmaker Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for ''Babel,'' Martin Scorsese for ''The Departed,'' Clint Eastwood for ''Letters from Iwo Jima,'' and British directors Stephen Frears for ''The Queen'' and Paul Greengrass for ''United 93.'' Nominated for lead actor were Leonardo DiCaprio for ''Blood Diamond,'' Ryan Gosling for ''Half Nelson,'' Peter O'Toole for ''Venus,'' Will Smith for ''The Pursuit of Happyness,'' and Forest Whitaker for ''The Last King of Scotland.'' The best actress nominees were Spanish actress Penelope Cruz for ''Volver,'' Britons Judi Dench for ''Notes on a Scandal,'' Helen Mirren for ''The Queen,'' and Kate Winslet for ''Little Children,'' and the sole American contender, Meryl Streep for ''The Devil Wears Prada.'' Streep has racked up 14 nominations in her career, breaking the record she set in 2002.

In the acting categories, there were 10 first-time nominees, also including Cruz, Whitaker, Gosling, and 10-year-old Abigail Breslin, who was cited for her supporting role as a beauty pageant contender in ''Little Miss Sunshine.'' The 79th annual Academy Awards, the top honors in cinema, will take place on February 25 in Hollywood.

REUTERS MIR RAI2044