The Roman epic, "Gladiator" has captured 12 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, making it the most nominated film this year. The film's star, Russell Crowe, garnered a Best Actor nomination, while the director, Ridley Scott, is also now in the running for Best Director.
"Gladiator" is up against Ang Lee's foreign language hit, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", "Chocolat", "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic" in the Best Motion Picture category. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" will be competing for a total of ten statuettes. Alongside Russell Crowe in the Best Actor category are Tom Hanks in "Cast Away," Javier Bardem in "Before Night Falls," Ed Harris in "Pollock" and Geoffrey Rush in "Quills".
In the Best Actress category, the nominees included Julia Roberts for "Erin Brockovich", Laura Linney in "You Can Count on Me", Ellen Burstyn in "Requiem for a Dream", Juliette Binoche in "Chocolat" and Joan Allen for "The Contender." Julia Roberts is widely tipped to take the category, having recently won the Best Actress award at the Golden Globes.
Irishwoman Michelle Burke has been nominated for her work as a make up artist on the movie, the Cell. Ms Burke has won two Oscars already and this is her sixth nomination. The Oscars, handed out each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are the top film industry honours in the United States. They will be awarded this year in a ceremony in Los Angeles on March 25 hosted by comedian, Steve Martin.
