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Oscar: The next generation

   
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The next generation
By Susan King, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Gina Piccalo and Rachel Abramowitz contributed to this report

Though the majority of the Academy Award nominees in the major categories are 40 and older -- in fact, supporting actress nominee Ruby Dee is 83 and supporting actor nominee Hal Holbrook is 82 -- there are several who haven't hit their fourth decade. Of those, only Paul Thomas Anderson, 37, is a previous nominee in the original screenplay category (for 1997's "Boogie Nights" and 1999's "Magnolia").

This year, he's a first-time nominee in the adapted screenplay, director and best picture contests for his Daniel Day-Lewis starrer, "There Will Be Blood." Here's a look at the rest of the field of younger hopefuls celebrating their first nominations.
(Chris Pizzello / AP)

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Tom O'Neil, Gold Derby Tom O'Neil
Tom O'Neil is the author of "Movie Awards," "The Emmys" and "The Grammys" (Penguin Putnam Books) and has reported on showbiz awards for the L.A. Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Variety, TV Guide, Reader's Digest and other major media. In 1999, he launched GoldDerby.com, the first website devoted to predicting all top showbiz awards. It was acquired by the Los Angeles Times in November 2005 and folded into the launch of TheEnvelope.com.

O'Neil's special interest is how the awards affect each other, particularly the top film prizes that can be viewed as one single gold derby with the Oscars as the finish line. Consider what happened to "Chariots of Fire," for example. In 1981, it emerged from obscurity to win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the National Board of Review, then fell behind "Reds" and "Atlantic City" at the film critics' awards and Golden Globes, then trotted ahead as best-picture champ at the Oscars. Contact O'Neil: GoldDerby@gmail.com.

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