Scorsese's 'Hugo' Leads The Oscars With 11 Nominations

By Eyder Peralta

Published January 24, 2012 at 8:00 AM CST

<strong></strong>In the movie "Hugo," abandoned by an alcoholic uncle after the death of his father, Hugo services the train station tower clock by day and sleeps in it by night. — In the movie "Hugo," abandoned by an alcoholic uncle after the death of his father, Hugo services the train station tower clock by day and sleeps in it by night.

The Academy Awards announced this morning that Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," a film about the adventure of an orphan in 1930s Paris, was nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture and best director.

The mostly silent film "The Artist" came in second with 10 nominations.

The AP reports:

Also nominated for best picture Tuesday: the silent film "The Artist"; the family drama "The Descendants"; the Sept. 11 tale "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"; the Deep South drama "The Help"; the romantic fantasy "Midnight in Paris"; the sports tale "Moneyball"; the family chronicle "The Tree of Life"; and the World War I epic "War Horse."

The nominations set up a best-picture showdown between the top films at the Golden Globes: best musical or comedy recipient "The Artist" and best drama winner "The Descendants."

The Oscars' site has the full list of nominees and look for more from our friends at Monkey See.

Update at 9:07 a.m. ET. The Big Categories:

Here are the nominees for the important categories.

Best Actor: Demian Bichir, "A Better Life"; George Clooney, "The Descendants"; Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"; Gary Oldman, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"; Brad Pitt, "Moneyball."

Best Actress: Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"; Viola Davis, "The Help"; Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"; Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"; Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn."

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"; Alexander Payne, "The Descendants"; Martin Scorsese, "Hugo"; Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"; Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life."

Best Foreign Film: "Bullhead," "Footnote," "In Darkness," "Monsier Lazhar," "A Separation"