Somewhere out there director Bill Condon is trying to wake up from a very bad dream…

Just less than 24 hours ago, I was just telling my cohort Neil Estep that Dreamgirls would be nominated for Best Picture.  Thankfully, no money was involved.  Apparently what I should have said was, “Given that the film won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy/Musical, I think it will probably earn the most nominations this year—but not be nominated for Best Picture.”  My theory?  The voters were so Dreamgirled-out by the time they got to that part of the ballot…

The biggest shocker of the day?  Probably.  But there were plenty others.  And may I saw how excited I am!  Here are some of the more notable additions/omissions from this morning:

• We have one less Leo DiCaprio nomination in the Best Actor Category (in Blood Diamond, out The Departed) making room for Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson.  Woo hoo!  Is it weird that I’m excited about this nomination…even though I’ve never seen the movie?  But I’ve heard so much about it and have been waiting anxiously for the DVD to come out on on Feb. 13th.  I just love it when underdogs are recognized.  Could this be a surprise win ala Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry) or Adrian Brody (The Pianist)?

• Speaking of The Departed, the only actor to be nominated from that movie was…Mark Wahlberg.  That’s right – not Jack Nicholson, not Alec Baldwin, not Matt Damon.  Good ‘ol Marky Mark.  Heck—if the Three 6 Mafia can win an Academy Award, a former punk from Boston has hope.

• Letters from Iwo Jima was nominated for Best Picture (as opposed to Best Foreign Language film like at the Globes).  Why is that a good thing?  Well because it now allows Pan’s Labyrinth to swoop in and take the prize.

• Three cheers for United 93!!  I am so thrilled that this movie got at least some of the recognition that it deserves.  Although I fully believe that it could have been a Best Picture nominee, I knew that given the contenders—and the politics behind the movie—it probably didn’t have a chance.  But Paul Greengrass’ nomination for Best Director is good enough for me.

• And what about that Little Miss Sunshine??  Not only did the movie represent in the Best Movie category, but 10-year-old Abigail Breslin snagged a surprise Best Supporting Actress spot away from Prada’s Emily Blunt.  Take that, Dakota Fanning!!

Check out the link for a full list of the nominees: