As usual, it all went almost exactly as expected. This year's Academy Award nominations went to a plethora of already much-accoladed movies and performances, with a rich dose of nostalgia and sentiment. Yet when Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak and last year's best actress nominee Jennifer Lawrence announced the contenders this morning, there were still a few gasps to be had.
The surprises started with the supporting performance nominations. Kenneth Branagh, Jonah Hill and Christopher Plummer ("Beginners") all seemed likely nominees. But it was the sentimental inclusion of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close's" Max Von Sydow, and left-field nod for Nick Nolte in "Warrior" that roused the crowd.
For the supporting actresses, there were even fewer surprises to be had, with the likes of Bérénice Bejo and Octavia Spencer once again going head-to-head. But the inclusion of this year's comedic It girl, Emmy winner Melissa McCarthy, for her bawdy, ballsy turn in "Bridesmaids" was a nonetheless sweet moment – and a rare display of evidence that you don't have to be a glamazon or Dame Judi Dench to be in the running for Oscar. And the best original screenplay nomination for "Bridesmaids" was another encouraging sign, proving at last that women can not only make successful movies involving explosive diarrhea, they can make Academy Award-nominated movies involving explosive diarrhea.