The Oscars are Coming

By Julie Smith

The stars are getting ready for the 79th Academy Awards. Millions of eyes around the world will witness the Oscars that will be awarded on February 25th. La crème de la crème will gather that night to celebrate the best actors, actresses and movies.

Some of the nominees are:

Performance By An Actor In A Leading Role

Leonardo Dicaprio - Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
Peter O'toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit Of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King Of Scotland

Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role

Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children
Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg - The Departed

Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role

Penélope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes On A Scandal
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role

Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes On A Scandal
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi - Babel

Best Animated Feature Film Of The Year

Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

Best Documentary Short Subject

The Blood Of Yingzhou District
Recycled Life
Rehearsing A Dream
Two Hands

Best Foreign Language Film Of The Year

After The Wedding
Days Of Glory (Indigènes)
The Lives Of Others
Pan's Labyrinth
Water

Best Motion Picture Of The Year

Babel
The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Achievement In Visual Effects

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Poseidon
Superman Returns

 This year’s host will be the controversial and famous Ellen DeGeneres who will appear for the first time on the most watched film awards ceremony in the world.

The Academy Awards are given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), a professional honorary organization, which as of 2007 had a voting membership of 5,830. The votes have been tabulated and certified by the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers and its predecessor Price Waterhouse for 72 years, since close to the awards' inception. The awards are intended for the films and persons the Academy believes have the top achievements of the year.

The Academy membership may be acquired by a competitive nomination (although, the nominee must be invited to join) or a member may submit a name. The Academy doesn’t disclose its membership publicly, however past press releases have announced the names of those who have been invited to join.

The annual Oscar presentation that has been held since 1929 will take place on February 25, 2007, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and it will start at 8pm Eastern Time.

Julie Smith is one of the most recognized copy writers on Sports Betting and currently writes for Instant Action Sports. Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.