Please hold your applause until all nominees are announced...

The Oscar nominations are in! There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men both grabbed eight nominations, including best picture, which is exactly what everyone expected them to do. Both films have earned their lead actors (Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem, respectively) individual nominations as well. From what I’ve heard about Bardem’s performance, his nomination is well-deserved, and Day-Lewis can always be counted on to really bring the drama.

My hopes that James McAvoy would receive a best actor nomination for his wrenching turn in Atonement were dashed by the surprise nomination of Tommy Lee Jones (The Valley of Elah). Not so surprising and disappointing is the absence of McAvoy’s costar, Kiera Knightly, from the best actress list. She showed new depth in Atonement, but her limited screen time made her a weaker choice than other contenders. Young Irish actress Saoirse Ronan did earn a best supporting actress nod for her work in the movie.

A fun Oscar surprise was teen-pregnancy flick Juno, which got recognized in the best picture and best original screenplay categories, as well as the best actress category, with 20-year-old star Ellen Page earning a nomination for her funny and earnest performance.

Now that the nominations are in, all that remains is to wonder whether there will be an actual ceremony to watch on February 24th.