Awards Watch: Critics' Choice

Spreading the wealth a bit with their Critics' Choice Award nominations this morning, the Broadcast Film Critics Association has singled out Into the Wild with the most nominations (seven), followed by Juno with six. Five other films -- Atonement, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, Sweeney Todd and Hairspray -- received five nominations each; all but Hairspray are nominated for the group's Best Picture award (don't worry, the 'Spray is up for both Best Comedy Movie and Best Family Film), joined by American Gangster, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Kite Runner and There Will Be Blood. It's a safe bet that somewhere in these ten is the five BP slots for the Oscars; since the BFCA has been naming ten nominees starting in 1996, only three times have the Oscar top five not also been completely represented ... and even then, each time they were just one film shy. Them's good odds.

From there, their track record is just about as good as any other award groups, but there are some categories that stick out for their prescience: I could see all five of their Supporting Actors making it to the Oscars, and even their Best Song line-up is none to shabby. Unfortunately, six nominations in some categories and the existence of others (Young Actor/Actress) make some of the other races a little murkier. Combine these with the Globe noms (which will be announced Thursday) and you'll have a pretty good idea who will be invited to the big show next February.

The Critics' Choice Awards will be presented live on VH1 on January 7. See the comments section below for a quick look at the full list of nominations.

Links via VH1.com and BFCA.org.