Oscar noms announced as strike shadow hovers

"Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood" were nominated this morning for the Academy Award for best picture of 2007.

The gripping oil epic "There Will Be Blood" and the gritty contemporary Western, "No Country for Old Men" scored eight nominations apiece for the 80th annual Academy Awards. "Michael Clayton" and "Atonement" followed with seven nominations each.

George Clooney earned his first best actor nomination for "Michael Clayton," a legal thriller in which he plays a "fixer" for a high-powered New York law firm. Tom Wilkinson was nominated for supporting actor for his performance as a mentally troubled attorney in the film, while Tilda Swinton earned a best supporting actress nomination as an ambitious litigator. The film's writer-director, Tony Gilroy, was nominated in both categories; "Michael Clayton" marks his feature film directorial debut.

It was a big day for brothers Joel and Ethan Coen and their "No Country for Old Men." The eight nominations for their film included four for the sibling filmmakers -- best film, best director, best adapted screenplay and best editing. (The Coens, who also produced the film, edit under the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes.)

Javier Bardem also earned a nomination for his electrifying turn as a coldblooded assassin in the film. The film is nominated as well in the cinematography, sound mixing and sound editing categories.

The dual directing nomination for the Coens marks the first time a sibling team has been nominated in the category.

"Atonement," which won the Golden Globe for best dramatic film last week, and is nominated for 14 British Academy of Film and Television awards -- the U.K. equivalent of the Oscars -- was shut out for best director, actor and actress. But 13-year-old Saoirse Ronan earned a best supporting actress nomination as a calculating young girl while Christopher Hampton was nominated for adapted screenplay.

"There Will Be Blood" also earned nominations for Daniel Day-Lewis for best actor, as well as best director and adapted screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the strong showing for "Juno," the coming-of-age comedy about a pregnant teen. In addition to best picture, the box-office hit earned best actress nominations for this award season's darling, 20-year-old Ellen Page, and it earned nods for best original screenplay for onetime stripper Diablo Cody and best director for Jason Reitman.

Notably missing from the list of directors was Sean Penn for his drama "Into the Wild." That film recently earned nods for Penn from the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America.

The only acting nod for "Into the Wild," which is dominating the Screen Actors Guild award nominations, was for 82-year-old veteran Hal Holbrook, for best supporting actor for his performance as a lonely widower.

Joining Clooney and Day-Lewis in the best actor category are Johnny Depp as the vengeful barber in "Sweeney Todd," Tommy Lee Jones as a grieving father in "In the Valley of Elah" and Viggo Mortensen as a mysterious Russian mobster in "Eastern Promises."

Vying for best actress with Page are Cate Blanchett for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Julie Christie as a woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease in "Away From Her," Marion Cotillard as singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose" and Laura Linney as a middle-aged woman coping with an aging father in "The Savages."

Blanchett is one of only a handful of performers who have been nominated twice for Oscars for playing the same character. Nine years ago, Blanchett received her first best actress nomination for portraying the British monarch in "Elizabeth." Blanchett also earned a supporting actress nomination this year for playing a male singer in the quirky Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There."