26 Jan

Know Your Nominees

Written by Lizzie on January 26, 2012

So awards season is in full swing. The pretty frocks are out, acceptance speeches are being drafted and Bjork is searching for that swan outfit at the back of her wardrobe. With the Golden Globes already gone, BAFTAs creeping up on us on February 12th and OSCAR shining himself up for his annual outing on February 26th, there’s not much time to catch up if you’ve fallen behind. We’ve picked out our favourites and have put together a helpful guide so you can get to know them before the awards are given.

Nominees for Actor in a Leading Role

George Clooney in The Descendants: The old Cloonster has been an Oscar favourite for years, picking up a Best Supporting accolade in 2006 for his role in political thriller Syriana. He was also nominated in 2006 for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director OSCARS for Good Night, and Good Luck, breaking a record as the first ever nominee to be up for both acting and directing awards in the same year. Since then he’s had a string of success, racking up nominations almost yearly. If you want to do your Clooney research, try Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck, £3.95 and £4.95 respectively at Zavvi. If politics isn’t really for you, try Up in the Air or Fantastic Mr Fox, or go vintage with Out of Sight and the Oceans 11 Trilogy.

Also nominated: Demian Bechir in A Better Life, Brad Pitt in Moneyball, Jean Dujardin in The Artist and Gary Oldman in Tink Tailor Soldier Spy.

Nominees for Actress in a Leading Role

Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn: Previously best known for her role as teenage bad-girl Jen in American Teen drama Dawson’s Creek and as the wife of the late Heath Ledger, the last few years have seen Michelle Williams go from strength to strength. After supporting roles in highly acclaimed films like The Station Agent in 2003, and Brokeback Mountain in 2005 for which she gained her first Academy Award nomination, Williams is now three times OSCAR nominated and this year may well be her year. Make time to catch up on her back catalogue by picking by The Station Agent, Brokeback Mountain (both £4.95) and Wendy & Lucy (£6.95) from The Hut. But one thing is for sure, you can’t miss last year’s Blue Valentine, a heartbreaking tale of a young couple, for which she bagged her first Best Actress nomination.

Also nominated: Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs, Viola Davis in The Help, Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady.

Nominees for Actor in a Supporting Role

Jonah Hill in Moneyball: Jonah Hill gained recognition for his skill as a comedy actor in the “Frat-boy” genre that came about with films like Superbad and Knocked Up. A favourite of director and producer Judd Apatow, Hill starred alongside the likes of Seth Rogan and Jason Segal in supporting roles. This is arguably his first serious role, in which he plays assistant to Brad Pitt’s general manager of a US baseball team. Brad Pitt is also nominated for an Academy Award for Moneyball. Stock up on your Jonah Hill movies by picking up Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek – all for less than £4 each at Play.com. You can also preorder Moneyball in preparation for its release on March 19th.

Also nominated: Kenneth Brannagh in My Week With Marilyn, Nick Nolte in Warrior, Christopher Plummer in Beginners and Max von Sydow in Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

Nominees for Actress in a Supporting Role

Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids: There has long been controversy surrounding a supposed lack of recognition The Academy gives to the comedy genre. Previously, certain producers and directors (namely Judd Apatow) have called for a separate category to ensure that those working in a comedic capacity get their dues. This year, however, has been widely reported as a great year for comedy at the OSCARs, with the nomination of Melissa McCarthy for her supporting role in Bridesmaids along with nominations going to Midnight in Paris, written and directed by Woody Allen and The Artist which takes a light approach to the death of the silent movie genre. Before Bridesmaids Melissa McCarthy has mainly been recognised for her role in various US sitcoms, proving herself to be a skilled comedic actress. Boxsets of her work are available from Amazon, where you can find Molly & Mike, Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who.