EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
The tail of a French orphan, "Hugo" and the silent-era film "The Artist" are leading the pack of Oscar nominees.
"Hugo," Martin Scorsese's ode to the early days of moviemaking, earned the most nominations with 11, including a nod for the director himself.
Meanwhile, "The Artist," which has already won many pre-Oscar awards, walked away with 10 nominations.
The two easily outpaced other top nominees including the baseball flick "Moneyball" and Steven Spielberg's World War One tale "War Horse," which each received six noms.
"The Descendants," civil rights movie "The Help," Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," "The Tree of Life," and 9/11 film "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" all round out the best picture contenders.
Pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt will go head to head in the best actor category along with Jean Dujardin in "The Artist," Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," and Demian Bichir in "A Better Life".
Best actress nominees are led by Meryl Streep for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs," newcomer Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," Viola Davis for "The Help," and Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn."
The female supporting character nominees include Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain in "The Help," Melissa McCarthy for "Bridesmaids," Berenice Bejo for "The Artist," and Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs."
Newcomers and vets were included in the supporting actor field - Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn," Jonah Hill for "Moneyball," Nick Nolte in "Warrior" and Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."
The winner will be announced on February 26.
Alicia Powell, Reuters.
