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Early in the morning of January 23, 2007, film critics and film fans around the country gather by radios, television sets or computers to find out who has been nominated for a 2006 Academy Award. As usual, there are surprises or no surprises as the list is read, names mispronounced (actors and elocution, you say?) and the press has more coffee while transmitting information to their editors. The famed “8.0 earthquake” could hit the west coast at this time, but Oscar nominations go on.

Starting with the heavy hitters, no one knew what to do with Clint Eastwood. He has two power films out and one in a foreign language. The committee knew what to do. Have Clint’s foreign language film, “Letters from Iwo Jima” (which I have as the Best Picture of 2006) get the Best Film nod and drop “Flags of Our Fathers” to one nod for Sound Editing.  Few people have yet to see “Letters,” but they will now. It’s no surprise that “Babel” got a nod. A film with four stories going on at the same time was always handled well by the late Robert Altman, who lost out here for “Prairie Home Companion.” “Babel” actually tells the story of a gun and the havoc it has on lives. There are four stories being told, but the last one, set in Japan, was the weakest. “The Departed” makes this Martin Scorsese’s year. If you want blood, shootings and betrayals, plus Jack Nicholson looking like The Joker slumming it, it’s for you. “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Queen” surprised me. “Sunshine” had a script that borrowed from “Weekend at Bernies” and foul language spoken to a child, while “The Queen” has Helen Mirren’s performance and the rest is film footage. Go figure. As far as the “omission” of “Dreamgirls” for Best Movie, forget it. It wasn’t a powerful film. “The Departed” will probably win the Oscar, but I think “Letters From Iwo Jima” should have it.

Best Actor nominations are not surprising at all as there were power performances this year. Forest Whitaker is the one to beat as he brings Idi Amin to life in “Last King of Scotland.” Leonardo Di Caprio found himself with two performances to consider, “The Departed” and “Blood Diamond.” I went with the latter and so did the Academy. Will Smith’s Dad-who-cares brought “The Pursuit of Happyness” to the forefront, though teachers will have to watch that spelling for years. Peter O’Toole is the sentimental favorite for “Venus” as he plays a character he could do in his sleep, that of a lecherous old man with a young woman as a friend. Ryan Gosling as the drug-addicted teacher in “Half Nelson” was unexpected, but hey, he finally showed me he could act. I think Forest Whitaker has the Oscar for “Last King of Scotland.”

Best Actress has Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen.” Mirren alternates between looking like Mirren in make-up and the real queen. Mannerisms are great. Kate Winslet as the young mother having an affair in “Little Children” makes her face go from one expression to another. This is fine acting. I thought Meryl Streep would be getting a supporting actress nod for “The Devil Wears Prada,” but no, she is being pushed as the lead. Good-bye Anne Hathaway.  Streep comes on like Cruella de Ville and I don’t think it is one of her better performances. I preferred her in “Prairie Home Companion.” Dame Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal” showed us, as did Ryan Gosling in “Half Nelson,” that teachers can have an unsavory life. It is also not one of Dench’s stronger roles. Penelope Cruz in “Volver” delivers her strongest performance to date, but I think Mirren will take it for “The Queen.”

Supporting Actor has two actors I thought would be at the end of the nominating list. One is Alan Arkin as the foul-mouthed grandfather in “Little Miss Sunshine” and the other is Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed.” Walhberg showed more life in “Invincible.”

The comeback kid is Jackie Earle Haley in “Little Children” playing a paroled child molester. His dialogue with Phyllis Somerville, who played his mother, were poignant, however, Somerville did not get a nomination for Supporting Actress. Eddie Murphy is re-inventing himself before our eyes in "Dreamgirls.” Who knew he was a song and dance man? Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond” was rather a surprise for me. When he is on screen with Leonardo Di Caprio, they are a powerhouse, but by himself, he faded. I would have preferred Adam Beach’s performance in “Flags Of Our Fathers,” but he was overlooked. I believe Jackie Earle Haley deserves the Oscar, but sentimental favorite Alan Arkin may get it.

Supporting Actress is where I would have put Meryl Streep. However, Adriana Barraza was superb as the Latino housekeeper in “Babel”. We could feel for her dilemma as she wandered in the desert. Cate Blanchett is here for “Notes on a Scandal.” I thought Cate not strong in her role, the same as Judi Dench for this film. One of the weak links here is Rinko Kikuchi as the deaf/mute girl in “Babel.” If taking your clothes off guarantees a nomination, half of Hollywood would be here. What is Abigail Breslin doing here? The kid just rolled her eyes and did a dance routine. If that were all it takes for a nomination, half of Hollywood would be here. Jennifer Hudson, on the other hand, has told “American Idol” that they are no powerhouse. Bye, bye, Beyonce’. I think Adriana Barraza deserves the award and will get it.

As stated before, it was a tough decision where to put Clint Eastwood this year, but he has it where I would have put him, a nomination for “Letters From Iwo Jima.” The weak link here is Stephen Freers for “The Queen.” What is difficult about directing film footage? Paul Greengrass is here for “United 93” and pulled the cast together into a harrowing story of heroism. Martin Scorsese has his version of crime bosses in “The Departed” while Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu went all out with “Babel” and got in the five-person circle. Of the directors here, I would say Clint Eastwood’s was the more difficult in putting together a film that was information and yet not dripping with sentiment. He gets my vote.

Foreign Language Film was where I thought “Letters from Iwo Jima” would land. Denmark’s “After The Wedding” is a thoughtful study of learning a family secret. Germany’s “The Lives Of Others” is a sometimes humorous account of the secret police spying in East Germany. Films in this category have only been seen by a few. “Water” from Canada tells of the severely restricted life of widows in India. Mexico’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” also tells of women’s plight during war, while Algeria’s “Days of Glory” shows us what soldiers go through when fighting for another country and not accepted by their own. “Pan’s Labyrinth” seems to be the favorite, but I choose “Days of Glory.”

Documentaries are varied this year. Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” was a way to bring global warming---which we experience daily---to the forefront. “Deliver Us From Evil” is an expose about a priest accused of child molesting. “Iraq in Fragments” is insightful about the situation in Iraq with comments from Iraq citizens. “Jesus Camp” shows us one church camp that trains children to be part of God’s army. Harrowing. “My Country, My Country” is another film about life in Iraq, this one follows a doctor and the importance to them of voting. There isn't a weak nomination here, but I think  “An Inconvenient Truth” will get it.

The Animated Film category does not include my favorite animated film of the year, “Over The Hedge.” Instead, there is the supposedly-kid-friendly film “Monster House,” NASCAR's favorite “Cars” and the let's-dance “Happy Feet.” “Happy” also had a message about preserving life. Hey, "Cars," how about preserving the environment against pollution? No one hears me, I think “Cars” will get it.

Last, for Original Soundtrack, “Dreamgirls” is not here. Instead, individual songs are in that category and not discussed here. Gustavo Santaolalla’s music for “Babel” was powerful for the four stories presented. Thomas Newman’s “The Good German” was a rehash of music of that time and the Philip Glass music for “Notes on a Scandal” was over-wrought. Alexandre Desplat's music was appropriate for “The Queen” and Javier Navarrete’s soundtrack for “Pan’s Labyrinth” took in all the moods of that film. I think Gustavo Santaolalla’s music for “Babel” will get it. See you next year.