The nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards have been announced and Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" led the pack of Oscar contenders with 11 nods overall. It will compete in the race for best picture along with "War Horse," "The Artist," "Moneyball," "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," "The Tree of Life," "Midnight in Paris," and "The Help."
On the actor side, George Clooney leads the pack of nominees for "The Descendants" - he already won a Golden Globe for the role.
The same is true on the actress side - Meryl Streep earned a nod for portraying former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady" - a role which also earned her a Golden Globe award.
Jason Segel will be the recipient of the Hasty Pudding pot award. Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatricals named the actor its Man of Year - it will host a parade and roast for him on February 3. Actress Claire Danes has already been named the group's Woman of the Year.
Finally, Seal sat down with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres - just days after announcing a split with wife, Heidi Klum. Seal said he was shocked about the separation and that he and Klum are trying to handle the difficult time with dignity. The singer added that he is not ready to take off his wedding ring.
Bob Mezan, Reuters.