And they didn't nominate Halle Berry for Gothika!

Today they announced the Oscar Nominations for the 76th Academy Awards, and all I can say is that I'm extremely pleased with many of their selections. In fact, this is the first time I've been this excited about the Oscars.
For starters, Bill Murray got his nod for Best Actor, which is only fitting. He earned that nomination, every last shred of it. But he's going up against stiff competition. Johnny Depp, everyone's favorite pirate, seems to have a strong presence this year. I'm betting that Murray has a tad more edge in this competition then Depp does, but it's still close (and he's still got Sean Penn to worry about).
Speaking of the actress category for a second, it would seem I finally got my wish, although it was a tad late. Samantha Morton got a nomination for 'In America'. She should have been nominated for Minority Report, but this is just as good. And what's this about Keisha Castle-Hughes being nominated? Right on!!!
By the way, the Best Supporting Actor category has Djimon Hounsou in it, which is just fantastic.

And of course, the director category has Sofia Coppola, right alongside legendary directors like Peter Weir and Clint Eastwood. Something about that is just so damn cool, even if she doesn't stand a chance against Peter Jackson's 'make up' nomination.

Oh, and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King got a Best Picture nod. No surprise there. Ditto for Seabiscuit...they've been talking about that one for months.

But, the fact that there are so many indie actors and unexpected choices littering this year’s selection is what makes me so excited. Sofia Coppola, Djimon Housou, Samantha Morton, Keisha Castle-Hughes, it's like they've decided to pay attention to the actual talent this time around.