Nominees for the Academy Awards, the most highly anticipated awards show of the season, were announced yesterday.

Several of the films nominated have already won awards during the Golden Globes on Jan. 17, including Natalie Portman, who won a Golden Globe for her role in ‘Black Swan,’ a role that also earned her an Oscar nod.

“This is such a great honor,” she said in her Golden Globe acceptance speech. “This is the most wonderful experience of the whole reaction to the movie.”

Colin Firth was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a drama. His role in “The King’s Speech” as King George IV of Britain also earned him an Oscar nomination.

“I definitely think Colin Firth will win Best Actor,” Woody Laughnan, a graduate student in communications said. “He’s been the darling of the awards shows. He’s never really been in the running, so this seems to be his year.”

Inception, which local theater authorities say was one of the most popular movies for young adults, also garnered an Oscar nomination.

“I saw a lot of teens come to see Inception,” Sierra Vista Cinemas 16 manager said.
The Academy Awards air on Feb. 27, 2011.