Dreamgirls dominated the Oscars

The musical Dreamgirls led Academy Awards contenders Tuesday with eight nominations, but surprisingly was shut out for best picture, positioning the ensemble drama Babel or the mob saga The Departed as potential front-runners. Babel was close behind with seven nominations, including best picture and acting honours for two newcomers to U.S. audiences, Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi. The Departed had five nominations, among them best picture, a directing slot for Martin Scorsese and a supporting-actor honour for Mark Wahlberg. Other best-picture nominees were Clint Eastwood's Second World War spectacle Letters From Iwo Jima, the road-trip comedy Little Miss Sunshine and the monarchy-in-crisis chronicle The Queen.
Full list of nominees...