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“THE Aviator,” an old-fashioned Hollywood epic about Howard Hughes’ obsessions, romances and crippling neuroses, captured 11 nominations to take the lead for the 77th annual Academy Awards, including best picture, best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best director for Martin Scorsese.

Tied for the second-most nominations announced Tuesday, with seven apiece, were “Finding Neverland,” a story of “Peter Pan” playwright J.M. Barrie, and “Million Dollar Baby,” Clint Eastwood’s drama about an older boxing coach and his female student. Both films were nominated for best picture, as were the Ray Charles biography “Ray” and the Pinot Noir-infused road movie “Sideways.”

Three years after Denzel Washington and Halle Berry took home the top acting trophies, the 5,808 voters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized the performances of five black and Latino actors in this year’s lead and supporting competitions (although all were directed by white filmmakers).

Jamie Foxx, who starred as the late blind singer in “Ray,” was honored for best actor and also was nominated for best supporting actor for “Collateral.” Don Cheadle, who played a deal-making rescuer in the midst of “Hotel Rwanda’s” genocide, received a best actor selection, while the film’s Sophie Okonedo was named in the best supporting actress race. “Million Dollar Baby’s” Morgan Freeman was nominated for supporting actor, and Catalina Sandino Moreno, a Colombian student who made her movie debut as a drug mule in “Maria Full of Grace,” was among the best actress nominees.

Foxx was hailed as an Oscar favorite as soon as “Ray” arrived in theaters, but director Taylor Hackford was considered a far less certain nominee. It had become a sore spot for Foxx, who arrived on the project after his director had worked for the better part of two decades to get the movie to the screen.

“I knew he was hurting,” Foxx said of Hackford’s increasingly gloomy mood before the nominations, one of which did go to Hackford. “He worked on this for so long, took the pay cut, made everything happen. I stopped talking about it around him because I didn’t want to make him feel worse.”

Black performances were also recognized in the documentary feature category (for “Tupac: Resurrection”) and foreign-language film (for South Africa’s “Yesterday”). “It is always an inspiration when any artist can kind of transcend these boundaries, and Tupac was able to do that,” said “Tupac” co-director Lauren Lazin.

Freeman said moviemakers haven’t discriminated on racial grounds for years. “Hollywood is only interested in one color now,” the actor said. “And that’s green.”

In addition to Foxx, DiCaprio and Cheadle, the other nominees for best actor were Eastwood for “Million Dollar Baby’s” boxing coach and Johnny Depp, playing Barrie in “Finding Neverland.”

“We focused on a man achieving his dreams and simultaneously spiraling down mentally,” DiCaprio said of playing Hughes. “It was like finding a great piece of Shakespeare that hadn’t been put into production yet.”

Joining Moreno in the best actress category were Annette Bening as an aging actress in “Being Julia,” Imelda Staunton as an abortionist in “Vera Drake,” Hilary Swank as the scrappy boxer in “Million Dollar Baby” and Kate Winslet as an amnesiac lover in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

“This film came out so long ago,” Winslet said of the movie that was released 10 months ago and is now in video stores. “I am so delighted it has been remembered like this.”

Winslet wasn’t the only “Eternal Sunshine” collaborator voters remembered. The film also was nominated for best original screenplay. “I just wanted to make an honest relationship story,” screenwriter Charlie Kaufman said.

Competing against Scorsese and Hackford will be Alexander Payne for “Sideways,” Mike Leigh for “Vera Drake” and Eastwood, who, if he were to win, would become the oldest director winner at age 74.

Taken as a group, the best picture nominees marked a shift in how Hollywood’s best movies are now made. Rather than being financed entirely by major studios or their specialized film divisions, three of this year’s best pictures were bankrolled by an array of funding sources.

“Ray” was paid for by billionaire Philip Anschutz; “Million Dollar Baby,” a late addition to the 2004 release schedule, was developed and underwritten by Tom Rosenberg’s Lakeshore Entertainment; and “The Aviator” was largely funded by investor Graham King. In part because of their hodgepodge financing, the academy has yet to determine who will be named as the three films’ official producers.

“Whenever you get one of these movies that is put together with multiple financing deals, there are a lot of producers” wanting credit, said Albert S. Ruddy, one of “Million Dollar Baby’s” producers.

Hackford said “Ray’s” six nominations were a “sweet vindication” of his 15-year quest. “We made a film that didn’t have a distributor. I finished the picture and showed it, and it was still turned down. My point is you have to become obsessed with your material and you have to prove them wrong.”

Obsession also governed the making of “The Aviator,” one of nine Hughes movies that were once on the drawing boards. “There were a lot of impediments to getting this made,” said Michael Mann, one of “Aviator’s” producers. “It’s not a slam-dunk: It’s not walking out there with a perfect screenplay for ‘Spider-Man 2.’ ”

King, another “Aviator” producer, previously collaborated with Scorsese on 2002’s “Gangs of New York,” a sprawling historical drama that went wildly over schedule and budget. Rather than head toward safer waters, King immediately reunited with Scorsese and “Gangs” star DiCaprio for the $116-million Hughes saga.

“I got a lot of phone calls saying, ‘You’ve lost it. You’re madder than Howard Hughes,’ ” King said. “But when Marty read the screenplay, he said, ‘This is old Hollywood. We’re going back 30 years to the old classics.’ ”

In all likelihood, “The Aviator” and “Finding Neverland” will mark the Academy Award swansong for Miramax Films under its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein. The brothers, whose company aggressively changed how award season campaigns are conducted, are expected to leave Disney-owned Miramax in the coming weeks to form their own production company.

As is inevitable in any Oscar race, there were several major surprises and oversights. Critical favorite Paul Giamatti, who starred as the wine-swilling novelist in “Sideways,” was not nominated for best actor. And Javier Bardem’s much-praised performance as the quadriplegic at the center of “The Sea Inside” also was bypassed.

There were several upsets among those nominated for best director. “Finding Neverland’s” Marc Forster was not among the nominees, even though the film is in the running for best picture.

“I was really disappointed about that. When a film is nominated for seven awards and the man at the center isn’t nominated, it is really disappointing,” said the film’s nominated screenwriter, David Magee.

Alejandro Amenabar, who both directed and co-wrote “The Sea Inside,” was not nominated in either category, although the film was selected to compete for best foreign-language feature.

“Kinsey,” the drama about sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, was considered a possible nominee in several top categories, including best picture and best actor for Liam Neeson. The film collected but one nomination, best supporting actress, for Laura Linney.

“You just feel emotionally awkward,” Linney said. “I owe half of my nomination to Liam, and half of my nomination” to writer-director Bill Condon.

Although it was not expected to draw any top nominations, Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” did collect three technical selections, including cinematography. Michael Moore’s equally divisive “Fahrenheit 9/11” was blanked; the filmmaker gambled in bypassing the documentary feature category in a bid for best picture.

Conversely, there were several people who received unanticipated nominations. At the top of that list was English filmmaker Leigh, who was honored for both directing and writing “Vera Drake.” The film also collected a predicted nomination for best actress for its star, Staunton.

Along with Foxx and Freeman, the supporting actor nominees were “Aviator’s” Alan Alda, “Sideways” costar Thomas Haden Church and “Closer’s” Clive Owen. Besides Okonedo and Linney, the supporting actress picks were Natalie Portman from “Closer,” “Aviator’s” Cate Blanchett and Virginia Madsen from “Sideways.”

Unlike last year’s awards, which crowned global blockbuster “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” with 11 statuettes, there is no huge box-office hit among the best picture selections.

“Ray” is the highest-grossing of the five, with more than $73 million in ticket sales. But two of the year’s biggest hits, “Shrek 2” and “The Incredibles,” were named in the animated feature category. “The Incredibles” also was nominated for original screenplay and two sound awards.

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BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening

“Being Julia”

Career nominations: 3

As Julia Lambert, an aging British theater actress treading the boards in the late 1930s, the 46-year-old actress picks up her second nomination in this category. The native of Topeka, Kan., and mother of four made her film debut in the 1988 John Candy comedy “The Great Outdoors” and is married to Warren Beatty. She has also become a recurring visitor to the Oscar red carpet, earning nominations for best actress for 1999’s “American Beauty” and for supporting actress in 1990’s “The Grifters.” She won the Golden Globe for best actress in a musical, as well as being voted best actress by the National Board of Review and the Southeastern Film Critics Assn.

Catalina Sandino Moreno

“Maria Full of Grace”

Career nominations: 1

Every year, Oscar produces a fairy-tale story of an unknown who trumpets to the top of the profession. This year, the princess is the 23-year-old Moreno, who was taking acting classes at a theater in Bogota, Colombia, when someone anonymously gave her name to the casting agent for “Maria Full of Grace.” Moreno makes her film debut as a pregnant young Colombian who becomes a mule for drug dealers in the Spanish-language drama.

Imelda Staunton

“Vera Drake”

Career nominations: 1

The 49-year-old character actress, best known as the excitable Nurse in 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” proves that you don’t have to be either young or beautiful to turn in one of the most trenchant performances of the year, as a middle-class housewife and mother who becomes an abortionist in 1950s England. Her performance has made Staunton a critics’ darling this year on both sides of the Atlantic and earned the veteran her first Oscar nomination. She’s already won the British Independent Film award as well as top honors from the Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Toronto and Seattle film critics associations and the National Society of Film Critics and Venice Film Festival.

Hilary Swank

“Million Dollar Baby”

Career nominations: 2

Hollywood didn’t seem to know what to do with the 30-year-old actress after she won the 1999 best actress Oscar for “Boys Don’t Cry” as transsexual Brandon Teena. But Clint Eastwood did, calling upon Swank to summon up both grit and humility for her role as a white-trash Southern woman who yearns to become a championship boxer. Swank was the recipient of the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama.

Kate Winslet

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

Career nominations: 4

The 29-year-old British actress picks up her second nomination in this category as a neurotic free spirit who falls in love with an uptight man in Charlie Kaufman’s surreal romantic comedy. Winslet is best known as the heroine of the biggest movie of all time, “Titanic,” and the performance earned her first best-actress Oscar nomination. Winslet garnered supporting actress nominations for 1995’s “Sense and Sensibility” and 2001’s “Iris.”

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BEST ACTOR

Don Cheadle

“Hotel Rwanda”

Career nominations: 1

Known as an actor’s actor, Cheadle, 40, landed this role of a lifetime after bigger names passed on the script. He embodied the ingenuity, canniness and poise of real-life hotelier Paul Rusesabagina, who personally saved over a thousand Rwandans during the country’s genocide. Cheadle is best known as a member of the “Ocean’s 11” and “Traffic” ensembles. The actor was also nominated for a Golden Globe.

Johnny Depp

“Finding Neverland”

Career nominations: 2

The 41-year-old Kentucky native is the only repeat nominee from last year and has solidified his transition from quirky, tattooed leading man to quirky leading man with artistic credentials. Last year he was nominated as best actor for his Keith Richards-inspired portrait of a buccaneer in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” In “Neverland,” he was transformed into the shy and gentle Scottish playwright James Barrie in the fanciful film that fictionalizes the writer’s inspiration for “Peter Pan.”

Leonardo DiCaprio

“The Aviator”

Career nominations: 2

The former “Titanic” heartthrob and director Martin Scorsese’s latest muse picks up his first best actor nomination as the mentally troubled filmmaker, aviation pioneer and womanizer Howard Hughes. DiCaprio, 30, won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama for the film. The actor made his movie debut in the 1991 horror film “Critters 3” and previously received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor in 1993’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.”

Clint Eastwood

“Million Dollar Baby”

Career nominations: 7

Although most pundits had expected him to receive a directing nomination, this acting nomination for the 74-year-old Hollywood icon was something of a surprise. But Eastwood lent quiet pathos to his role as a grizzled and guilt-ridden boxing manager. He’s been acting professionally for half a century.

Jamie Foxx

“Ray”

Career nominations: 2

To say that 2004 was a banner year for the former stand-up comic is an understatement. Foxx has become one of Hollywood’s foremost dramatic leading men, thanks to his Oscar-nominated performance as the late R&B; singer Ray Charles in “Ray” and his supporting actor nod in “Collateral” as an L.A. cabby held hostage by a sociopathic hit man. Foxx has received numerous best actor awards for his work in “Ray,” from such organizations as the National Board of Review, National Society of Film Critics and the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. Foxx, 37, was the recipient of the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy for “Ray.”

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THE OTHER NOMINEES

Adapted screenplay

“Before Sunset” Screenplay by Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke; story by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan

“Finding Neverland” Screenplay by David Magee

“Million Dollar Baby” Screenplay by Paul Haggis

“The Motorcycle Diaries” Screenplay by Jose Rivera

“Sideways” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor

Original screenplay

“The Aviator” John Logan

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman; story by Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth

“Hotel Rwanda” Keir Pearson and Terry George

“The Incredibles” Brad Bird

“Vera Drake” Mike Leigh

Animated feature film

“The Incredibles” Brad Bird, (Buena Vista/Pixar)

“Shark Tale” Bill Damaschka (DreamWorks)

“Shrek 2” Andrew Adamson (DreamWorks)

Foreign language film

“As It Is in Heaven” Sweden; a GF Studios Production

“The Chorus” (Les Choristes) France; a Galatee Films/Pathe Renn/France 2 Cinema/Novo Arturo Films/Vega Film AG Production

“Downfall” Germany; a Constantin Film Production

“The Sea Inside” Spain; a Sogecine and Himenoptero Production

“Yesterday” South Africa; a Videovision Entertainment Production

Documentary feature

“Born Into Brothels” (THINKFilm) -- Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski; a Red Light Films Inc. Production

“The Story of the Weeping Camel” (THINKFilm) -- Luigi Falorni and Byambasuren Davaa; a Hochschule fur Fernsehen und Film Munchen Production

“Super Size Me” (Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn Films) -- Morgan Spurlock; a Kathbur Productions/the Con Production

“Tupac: Resurrection” (Paramount) -- Lauren Lazin and Karolyn Ali; an MTV-Amaru Entertainment Inc. production

“Twist of Faith” -- Kirby Dick and Eddie Schmidt; a Chain Camera Pictures Production

Documentary short subject

“Autism Is a World” Gerardine Wurzburg; a State of the Art Production

“The Children of Leningradsky” Hanna Polak and Andrzej Celinski; a Hanna Polak Production

“Hardwood” Hubert Davis and Erin Faith Young; a Hardwood Pictures and National Film Board of Canada Production

“Mighty Times: The Children’s March” Robert Hudson and Bobby Houston; a Tell the Truth Pictures Production

“Sister Rose’s Passion” Oren Jacoby and Steve Kalafer; a New Jersey Studios Production

Cinematography

Robert Richardson, “The Aviator”

Zhao Xiaoding, “House of Flying Daggers”

Caleb Deschanel, “The Passion of the Christ”

John Mathieson, “The Phantom of the Opera”

Bruno Delbonnel, “A Very Long Engagement”

Film editing

Thelma Schoonmaker, “The Aviator”

Jim Miller, Paul Rubell, “Collateral”

Matt Chesse, “Finding Neverland”

Joel Cox, “Million Dollar Baby”

Paul Hirsch, “Ray”

Art direction

“The Aviator” Art direction, Dante Ferretti; set decoration, Francesca Lo Schiavo

“Finding Neverland” Art direction, Gemma Jackson; set decoration, Trisha Edwards

“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” Art direction, Rick Heinrichs; set decoration, Cheryl A. Carasik

“The Phantom of the Opera” Art direction, Anthony Pratt; set decoration, Celia Bobak

“A Very Long Engagement” Art direction, Aline Bonetto

Costume design

Sandy Powell, “The Aviator”

Alexandra Byrne, “Finding Neverland”

Colleen Atwood, “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”

Sharen Davis, “Ray”

Bob Ringwood, “Troy”

Makeup

Valli O’Reilly and Bill Corso, “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”

Keith Vanderlaan and Christien Tinsley, “The Passion of the Christ”

Jo Allen and Manuel Garcia, “The Sea Inside”

Original score

Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, “Finding Neverland”

John Williams, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”

Thomas Newman, “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”

John Debney, “The Passion of the Christ”

James Newton Howard, “The Village”

Original song

“Accidentally in Love” from “Shrek 2.” Music by Adam Duritz, Charles Gillingham, Jim Bogios, David Immergluck, Matthew Mallery and David Bryson; lyrics by Adam Duritz and Daniel Vickrey

“Al Otro Lado Del Rio” from “The Motorcycle Diaries.” Music and lyrics by Jorge Drexler

“Believe” from “The Polar Express.” Music and lyrics by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri

“Learn to Be Lonely” from “The Phantom of the Opera.” Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber; lyrics by Charles Hart

“Look to Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)” from “The Chorus (Les Choristes).” Music by Bruno Coulais, lyrics by Christophe Barratier

Animated short film

“Birthday Boy” Sejong Park and Andrew Gregory; an Australian Film, TV and Radio School Production

“Gopher Broke” Jeff Fowler and Tim Miller; a Blur Studio Production

“Guard Dog” Bill Plympton; a Bill Plympton Production

“Lorenzo” Mike Gabriel and Baker Bloodworth; a Walt Disney Pictures Production

“Ryan” Chris Landreth; a Copper Heart Entertainment and National Film Board of Canada Production

Live action short film

“Everything in This Country Must” Gary McKendry; a Six Mile Production

“Little Terrorist” Ashvin Kumar; an Alipur Films Production

“7:35 in the Morning (7:35 de la Manana)” Nacho Vigalondo; an Ibarretxe & Co. Production

“Two Cars, One Night” Taika Waititi and Ainsley Gardiner; a Defender Films Limited Production

“Wasp” Andrea Arnold; a Cowboy Films Production

Sound editing

Michael Silvers, Randy Thom, “The Incredibles”

Randy Thom, Dennis Leonard, “The Polar Express”

Paul N.J. Ottosson, “Spider-Man 2”

Sound mixing

Tom Fleischman, Petur Hliddal, “The Aviator”

Randy Thom, Gary A. Rizzo, Doc Kane, “The Incredibles”

Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, Dennis Sands and William B. Kaplan, “The Polar Express”

Scott Millan, Greg Orloff, Bob Beemer, Steve Cantamessa, “Ray”

Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Joseph Geisinger, “Spider-Man 2”

Visual effects

Roger Guyett, Tim Burke, John Richardson and Bill George, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”

John Nelson, Andrew R. Jones, Erik Nash and Joe Letteri, “I, Robot”

John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara and John Frazier, “Spider-Man 2”

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BEST DIRECTOR

Clint Eastwood

“Million Dollar Baby”

Career nominations: 7

At 74, a win here would make him the oldest director ever to receive the Oscar. He’s also garnered an unexpected nomination for best actor.

Taylor Hackford

“Ray”

Career nominations: 2

The 60-year-old producer/director, best known for the blockbuster ‘80s romance “An Officer and a Gentleman,” finally picks up his first Oscar nomination in the director category. He won a 1978 Oscar for best live-action short film for “Teenage Father.”

Mike Leigh

“Vera Drake”

Career nominations: 5

The iconoclastic British director, 61, is this year’s surprise nominee. Leigh, who forges his scripts out of weeks of improvisatory rehearsals with his actors, is nominated for his wrenching drama about a wife and mother who performs abortions in 1950s England. Leigh was also nominated for best original screenplay. He was previously nominated for best director for 1996’s “Secrets & Lies.”

Alexander Payne

“Sideways”

Career nominations: 3

The 43-year-old Payne is nominated for his acerbic comedy about a pair of aging schlubs on a car trip through the Santa Barbara wine country. Payne and writer partner Jim Taylor also picked up an Oscar nod for screenplay adaptation, as they did for 1999’s “Election.”

Martin Scorsese

“The Aviator”

Career nominations: 7

Scorsese might be one of the most influential filmmakers of the last half-century, but the director, 62, has yet to win an Oscar. He receives his fifth Academy Award nomination in this category for his epic biopic about Howard Hughes. Scorsese was previously nominated for a best director Oscar for 1980’s “Raging Bull,” 1988’s “The Last Temptation of Christ,” 1990’s “GoodFellas” and 2002’s “Gangs of New York.”

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SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett

“The Aviator”

Career nominations: 2

The versatile Australian actress, 35, popped off the screen when she adopted Katharine Hepburn’s legendary lock jaw and purposeful athletic stride, earning a nomination for supporting actress in the Howard Hughes biopic. Blanchett was previously nominated for best actress for 1998’s “Elizabeth.”

Laura Linney

“Kinsey”

Career nominations: 2

The 40-year-old actress receives a nomination as Clara McMillen, the wife of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey. Linney was previously nominated for best actress for “You Can Count on Me.”

Virginia Madsen

“Sideways”

Career nominations: 1

After making a splash in the mid-’80s in such films as “Dune,” the 41-year-old actress had been relegated to TV guest spots and B movies. But her performance as Maya, the savvy divorced waitress and wine expert, has spectacularly returned Madsen to the public eye.

Sophie Okonedo

“Hotel Rwanda”

Career nominations: 1

The British actress delivered all the shades of fear and resilience in her role as the wife of a heroic hotel employee during the harrowing Rwandan genocide. Okonedo, 36, appeared in “Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls” and “Dirty Pretty Things.”

Natalie Portman

“Closer”

Career nominations: 1

The 23-year-old Harvard grad, best known for her role as Queen Amidala in the “Star Wars” series, turned raunchy and vulnerable for her role as a young American working as a stripper in London.

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SUPPORTING ACTOR

Alan Alda

“The Aviator”

Career nominations: 1

The perennial “Mr. Nice Guy” picks up his first Oscar nomination, for a rare villainous turn as Sen. Ralph Owen Brewster, the nemesis of Howard Hughes, in Martin Scorsese’s biopic. Alda, 68, came to fame as the acerbic “Hawkeye” Pierce on the CBS series “MASH.”

Thomas Haden Church

“Sideways”

Career nominations: 1

After appearing as the dim mechanic Lowell Mather for five seasons on NBC’s “Wings” and headlining “Ned and Stacey” on Fox, the Texas native disappeared from entertainment radar. Church, 43, made a triumphant comeback in Alexander Payne’s comedy as a past-his-prime actor who can’t keep his fly zipped.

Jamie Foxx

“Collateral”

Career nominations: 2

Foxx is highlighted in best actor for his other nomination, “Ray.”

Morgan Freeman

“Million Dollar Baby”

Career nominations: 4

As the one-eyed former boxer who works in the gym in Clint Eastwood’s drama, the 67-year-old Freeman picks up his second best supporting actor nomination. Freeman received his first nod in this category for 1987’s “Street Smart,” in which he played a ruthless pimp.

Clive Owen

“Closer”

Career nominations: 1

A staple of British indie cinema until recently, Owen has been charging into the Hollywood fray with his recent appearance in the title role of “King Arthur” and now this, his randy and malevolent turn as Julia Roberts’ cuckolded husband in “Closer.”

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Oscar tidbits

How they decide

Tuesday’s nominations were voted on by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has 5,808 active and life members. The various branches nominate and vote within their categories (actors, for example, pick the acting nominees), with nominations for documentary, animated, foreign language and short films selected by specific committees. The entire eligible membership can vote on the nominations for best picture. Final ballots will be mailed Feb. 2, and the polls close at 5 p.m. Feb. 22.

Oscar scorecard

“The Aviator”...11

“Finding Neverland”...7

“Million Dollar Baby”...7

“Ray”...6

“Sideways”...5

“The Incredibles”...4

“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”...4

The show

Awards ceremony: Feb. 27

Where: Kodak Theatre, Hollywood & Highland

Broadcast: ABC, 5 p.m.

On the Web

For complete multimedia coverage of Hollywood’s award season, including video clips and The Times’ reviews of nominated films, visit calendarlive.com/envelope.

* (Page toppers:) * WALKING THE WALK: “Hotel Rwanda” best actor nominee Don Cheadle was unavailable for interviews Tuesday morning, with good reason. The actor is in Sudan on a fact-finding mission with several congressmen and Amnesty International workers. * TOO INCREDIBLE: “If you ever get jaded about Oscar nominations, you should check yourself into a mental institution,” said 12-time nominee Randy Thom, on his four Oscar nods for sound editing and mixing on “The Incredibles” and “Polar Express.” * THE PASSION OF THE CHE: ÒÔMotorcycle [Diaries]Õ is the first time I wrote a screenplay with the same passion and excitement I put into a play. ThatÕs what made the difference,Ó said playwright Jos? Rivera, a nominee for best screenplay adaptation. * BEGINNERÕS LUCK? French artist Pierre Bismuth picked up an original screenplay nod for ÒEternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindÓ for helping director Michel Gondry hatch the basic premise before Charlie Kaufman turned it into a metaphysical conundrum.