’Into The Wild’ Leads With Seven Nominations for the 13th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards

’Juno’ Receives Six Nominations While ’Atonement,’ ’Michael Clayton,’ ’No
Country For Old Men,’ ’Sweeney Todd’ and ’Hairspray’ Garner Five Nominations
Each

VH1 to Broadcast the Awards Ceremony Live on Monday, January 7, 2008
at 9:00 PM (ET/PT)

NEW YORK.- The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has announced the nominees for the 13th annual Critics’ Choice Awards. The winners will be announced at the Critics’ Choice Awards gala on Monday, January 7, 2008 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The ceremony will be hosted by actor and comedian D.L. Hughley. VH1 will broadcast this year’s ceremony Live at 9:00 PM (ET/PT).

“Into The Wild,” leads the pack with seven nominations for the 13th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards including Best Picture, a Best Actor nod for Emile Hirsch, Best Supporting Actor for Hal Holbrook, Best Supporting Actress for Catherine Keener and a double nomination for Sean Penn for Best Director and Best Writer. The film also received a nomination for Best Song with Eddie Vedder’s “Guaranteed.” “Juno” follows with six nominations including Best Picture, a Best Actress nomination for Ellen Page, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Writer, Best Comedy and Best Young Actor for Michael Cera. Cera earned a double nomination in the Best Young Actor category for “Juno” as well as a nod for his performance in “Superbad.”

“Atonement,” “Michael Clayton,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Sweeney Todd” and “Hairspray” tied with five nominations each. “Atonement” garnered nods in the Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Young Actress and Best Composer categories while “Michael Clayton” earned five nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor for George Clooney, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress and Best Writer. “Sweeney Todd” earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor for Johnny Depp, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director for Tim Burton and Best Young Actor and “No Country for Old Men” received nods for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director and Best Writer. “Hairspray” received nominations for Best Comedy, Best Family Film, Best Ensemble, Best Young Actress nomination for Nikki Blonsky and Best Song.

Along with Michael Cera, Cate Blanchett and Amy Adams both received two nominations each. Blanchett earned nominations for both Best Actress for “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” and Best Supporting Actress for “I’m Not There.” Amy Adams earned two nominations for “Enchanted” including Best Actress and Best Song for “That’s How You Know.” Other top nominees include “Enchanted” which received four nominations, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and “There Will Be Blood” each received three nominations and “American Gangster,” “August Rush,” “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Gone Baby Gone,” “The Kite Runner,” “Lars and the Real Girl,” “La Vie En Rose,” “Lust, Caution” and “Superbad” round out the top films with two nominations each.

The BFCA, the largest film critics’ organization with over 200 members in the United States and Canada, representing television, radio and online critics, selected nominees in each of the 18 categories. The Critics’ Choice Awards were created by the BFCA to recognize excellence in cinematic achievement. Eligible films were released in 2007. The accounting firm of Gregory A. Mogab tallied the written ballots. Historically, the Critics’ Choice Awards are the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations.

A complete list of nominees is available at http://criticschoice.vh1.com. VH1’s “Critics’ Choice Awards” site, which launches today, will be home to detailed information about the awards and will provide a forum for both the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) critics and users to comment on this year’s nominees. VH1 will expand elements of the show online at VH1.com and on VH1 Mobile. Exclusive video footage from the event will include celebrity interviews, “behind-the-scenes” footage and more. Additional multiplatform plans will be announced in the coming weeks.

VH1 and the cinematic experts from the BFCA will guide viewers on the most important movies and performances of the year in VH1’s pre-awards season special “The Critics’ Choice: Best Movies of 2007” premiering Saturday, December 15 at 10 PM (ET/PT). Moderator Sam Rubin, from the “KTLA Morning News,” will preside over a four-person panel of BFCA critics that will debate and give an inside look at the nominees for the upcoming Critics’ Choice Awards. The panel includes Pete Hammond, a film critic for Maxim Magazine as well as awards columnist for the Los Angeles Times, Jeanne Wolf, a widely respected critic and entertainment journalist for Parade Magazine, Carrie Keagan, the naughty critic from NO GOOD TV and the hyper-opinionated entertainment anchor from CW31’s “Good Day Sacramento,” Mark S. Allen. The critics will debate about the best films and performances of 2007, while giving viewers the inside track on who has the best shot at winning a Critics’ Choice Award(TM) -- the most historically reliable predictor of OSCAR(TM) GOLD!

Counting down to the LIVE premiere of the Critics’ Choice Awards, VH1 will air the “13th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards Red Carpet Premiere” pre-show LIVE on Monday, January 7 at 8pm (ET/PT) and will also stream it LIVE on VH1.com. Covering the excitement of the celebrity arrivals on the red carpet will be entertainment reporter Sam Rubin and The Tonight Show’s Ross the Intern and entertainment critic Carrie Keagan.

MEDIA CREDENTIALS:

To request media credentials to cover this show you must email criticschoiceawards@pmkhbh.com. If you have any questions, please contact Andy Gelb or Kelly Stephens of PMK/HBH at (310) 289-6200.

NOMINEES FOR THE 13TH ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE:
American Gangster
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
Juno
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

BEST ACTOR:
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

BEST ACTRESS:
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page - Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There
Catherine Keener - Into the Wild
Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE:
Hairspray
Juno
No Country for Old Men
Sweeney Todd
Gone Baby Gone
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

BEST DIRECTOR:
Tim Burton - Sweeney Todd
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Sidney Lumet - Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joe Wright - Atonement

BEST WRITER:
Diablo Cody - Juno
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Nancy Oliver - Lars and the Real Girl
Sean Penn - Into the Wild
Aaron Sorkin - Charlie Wilson’s War

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
Bee Movie
Beowulf
Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

BEST YOUNG ACTOR:
Michael Cera - Juno
Michael Cera - Superbad
Freddie Highmore - August Rush
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada - The Kite Runner
Edward Sanders - Sweeney Todd

BEST YOUNG ACTRESS:
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Dakota Blue Richards - The Golden Compass
AnnaSophia Robb - Bridge to Terabithia
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement

BEST COMEDY MOVIE:
Dan in Real Life
Hairspray
Juno
Knocked Up
Superbad

BEST FAMILY FILM (LIVE ACTION):
August Rush
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Hairspray
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION:
The Company
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Tin Man
The War

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
La Vie en Rose
Lust, Caution
The Orphanage

BEST SONG:
Come So Far - Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley --
Hairspray
Do You Feel Me - Anthony Hamilton - American Gangster
Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Once
Guaranteed - Eddie Vedder - Into the Wild
That’s How You Know - Amy Adams - Enchanted

BEST COMPOSER:
Marco Beltrami - 3:10 to Yuma
Alexandre Desplat - Lust, Caution
Clint Eastwood - Grace Is Gone
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood
Dario Marianelli - Atonement
Alan Menken - Enchanted

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
Darfur Now
In the Shadow of the Moon
The King of Kong
No End In Sight
Sharkwater
Sicko

Contacts:
Lori Bogin/VH1 Scott Acord/VH1
212-846-7131 310-752-8075
lori.bogin@vh1staff.com scott.acord@vh1staff.com

Andy Gelb/Kelly Stephens
PMK/HBH
310-289-6200