'Dreamgirls' snubbed for Oscars best film nomination

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Jan 23 (Reuters) Musical drama ''Dreamgirls'' led the Oscar field with eight nominations today, but its stunning omission from the coveted best picture and directing categories instantly transformed the race for Hollywood's top honors into a wild guessing game.

''Babel,'' a bold examination of how one bullet can cause suffering around the world, secured seven nominations, followed by Spanish-language adult fairy tale ''Pan's Labyrinth'' and the British royals drama ''The Queen'' with six each.

Mob thriller ''The Departed'' and Africa-set drama ''Blood Diamond'' picked up five Academy Awards nominations each.

The best picture nominees were ''Babel,'' ''The Departed,'' ''Letters from Iwo Jima,'' ''Little Miss Sunshine'' and ''The Queen.'' ''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 major snub.

The film's highest-profile mentions were in the supporting acting races, where veteran comic Eddie Murphy and newcomer Jennifer Hudson, a former contestant on television's ''American Idol'' talent show, received their first nominations.

Rolling Stone magazine critic Peter Travers said the academy's older members may not be as familiar with the music in ''Dreamgirls'' as they were with the show tunes in another Broadway adaptation, ''Chicago,'' which won best picture in 2003.

''This was specifically a black music story, and I think it wasn't something they related to as strongly,'' he said.

''OLD FOGEYS'' Travers said the academy ignored stars such as Jack Nicholson (''The Departed''), Brad Pitt (''Babel'') and Ben Affleck (''Hollywoodland''), but its members missed a good opportunity to shake off their reputation as ''old fogeys'' by failing to give an acting nomination to ''Borat'' star Sacha Baron Cohen, who did receive a nod for adapted screenplay.

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 Penelope Cruz of Spain 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.'' ''Dreamgirls'' was also nominated for art direction, costume design, sound mixing, and landed three nominations for original song, making composer Henry Krieger one of the leading individual nominees.

Besides Murphy, the other supporting actor nominees were Alan Arkin (''Little Miss Sunshine''), Jackie Earle Haley (''Little Children''), Djimon Hounsou (''Blood Diamond''), and Mark Wahlberg (''The Departed'').

Hudson and Breslin will vie for supporting actress honors with ''Babel'' stars Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi, and Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett for ''Notes on a Scandal.'' The real Queen Elizabeth -- not Helen Mirren -- offered congratulations to Britain's nominees through a spokeswoman: ''It is a very positive day for the British film industry. We are delighted for all those who have been nominated.'' But she would not say whether the queen had seen ''The Queen,'' which depicts the royal family in a state of confusion following the death of Princess Diana.

The 79th annual Academy Awards, the top honors in cinema, will take place on Feb. 25 in Hollywood.

REUTERS SY RK2320