The musical Chicago leads this year's Oscar contenders, with 13 nominations for awards from the U.S. motion picture academy. The historical drama Gangs of New York is another contender for the film industry's top honors.
Nominations for Chicago, a lively musical about two murderous women in the 1920s Jazz Age, include one for best picture.
Chicago star Renee Zellweger is a nominee for best actress, and costars Queen Latifah, Catherine Zeta-Jones and John C. Reilly earned nominations for their supporting roles in the film.
Gangs of New York, a tale of anti-immigrant clashes in the 19th century, earned 10 nominations, including one for leading actor Daniel Day Lewis, who plays crime boss Bill the Butcher.
Gangs of New York is also a nominee for best picture.
So is The Hours, the story of three women in different eras who face similar struggles. The Hours earned nine nominations, including one for leading actress Nicole Kidman and another for supporting actor Ed Harris, who plays a writer dying of AIDS.
Co-star Julianne Moore is a nominee for best supporting actress.
Other best-picture nominees are the fantasy The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Holocaust tale The Pianist.
Frank Pierson, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announced nominees for best director: Rob Marshall for Chicago, Martin Scorsese for Gangs of New York, Stephen Daldry for The Hours, Roman Polanski for The Pianist, and Pedro Almodovar for Talk to Her.
Meryl Streep is a nominee for her supporting role in the Hollywood tale Adaptation. With 13 Oscar nominations to date, she is the most nominated actress ever.
Best actor nominees include Jack Nicholson for his starring role in About Schmidt. Nicholson earned his 12th Oscar nomination for his role as a widower on a psychological journey.
Michael Caine is also a nominee for his leading role as a British journalist in a tale of 1950s Vietnam, The Quiet American. Other best actor nominees are Adrien Brody for The Pianist and Nicholas Cage for Adaptation.
Oscar winners will be selected by 5,600 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which includes top performers, directors, writers and craftsmen in Hollywood.
The awards will be presented in Los Angeles March 23 in a ceremony televised worldwide.
