The 84th Annual Academy Awards

George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Rooney Mara and—yes and no—Bridesmaids. Billy Crystal's got his marching orders--and his monologue fodder. Here are the highlights from this morning's Academy Awards nominations: As expected, heavy favorite The Artist will compete for Best Picture; however, it was Martin Scorsese's Hugo scoring the most overall nods, with 11 to The Artist's 10. No other film was in the double digits. The Artist and Hugo lead a Best Picture field that ended up with nine nominees. The other contenders: The Descendants, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse, and from left field, the A-list-laden, but awards-season non-factor (up 'til just now) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The Best Actor race finds pals Clooney and Pitt, up for The Descendants and Moneyball, respectively. Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Screen Actors Guild nominee Demián Bichir (A Better Life) and dark horse Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) are also nominated. The Best Actress category sets the stage for the anticipated Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) and Viola Davis (The Help) showdown. My Week With Marilyn's Michelle Williams is in the game, too, as is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo's Mara. Melissa McCarthy represents for Bridesmaids in Best Supporting Actress. The comedy, passed over for Best Picture, also snagged an Original Screenplay nod for star Kristen Wiig and cowriter Annie Mumolo. The 84th Annual Academy Awards, with returning host Crystal, are set for Feb. 26.