John Krasinski, Guillermo del Toro and Ang Lee to Announce Academy Award Nominations

Actor John Krasinski, filmmakers Guillermo del Toro and Ang Lee, and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs will announce the 88th Academy Awards nominations at a two-part live news conference on Thursday morning. 

Contenders in all 24 Oscar categories will be revealed beginning at 8:30 a.m ET/5:30 am PT, with del Toro and Lee first announcing nominations for animated feature film, cinematography, costume design, documentary feature, documentary short subject, makeup and hairstyling, original song, animated short film, live action short film, sound editing, and sound mixing.

Then, at 8:38/5:38, Krasinski and Boone Isaacs will reveal nominees for actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, directing, film editing, foreign language film, original score, best picture, production design, visual effects, adapted screenplay, and original screenplay.

"The Revenant" and "The Martian" received a major award boost when they were named best pictures (drama and comedy/musical respectively) at Sunday's Golden Globe Awards. Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of a frontier trapper in the revenge tale "Revenant" earned him a best actor in a drama Globe, with the comedy equivalent going to Matt Damon in "The Martian."

A nod Thursday will give DiCaprio his fifth shot at the best actor Oscar, an award he is yet to take home. The odds are in his favor if he is named to the category again, the Globes has predicted the best actor winner every year for the past six years. 

Globe winner Brie Larson is heavily favored to see her name added to Oscar's list of nominees for best actress. The Globes have correctly predicted the eventual Oscar winner for the past 13 years, making Larson's turn as a desperate mother in the thriller "Room" a safe bet to be nominated.

Not so certain of an Academy Award nomination is "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Not offered for Golden Globe contention due to its release date, the latest installment in the space saga has swept all in its wake to become the highest ever grossing movie in the North America market.

Academy voters may take a populist turn in naming the juggernaut to the best picture category alongside favorites such as "Revenant," "Martian," "Bridge of Spies," "Spotlight, "Room" and "The Big Short."

Hosted by comedian Chris Rock, the 88th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 28 at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre and will be televised on ABC.

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