Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy & Jonah Hill Among First Time Oscar Nominees
Jan. 23 2012, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
You can almost hear the champagne corks popping!
Bridesmaids’ Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, as well as Moneyball’s Jonah Hill and The Help’s Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer are among the first time nominees going into the 84th Annual Academy Awards.
Wiig – who is constantly hilarious on Saturday Night Live -- was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for writing Bridesmaids, along with her writing partner Annie Mumolo. While Wiig did not nab a nomination for Best Actress, her co-star, Mike & Molly’s Emmy winner Melissa McCarthy scored a nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
For the full list of nominations, click here.
Jonah Hill -- best known for his comedic work in raunchy comedies such as Superbad and Forgetting Sarah Marshall -- scored a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his critically acclaimed dramatic turn as stats expert Peter Brand in Moneyball, opposite Lead Actor nominee Brad Pitt.
Another first-timer in the Best Supporting Actor category is Christopher Plummer who played a gay man who comes out late in life in Beginners, starring Ewan McGreggor. The 82-year-old Plummer -- who just won a Golden Globe for the role -- is considered the likely Oscar winner for a lifetime of achievement that includes The Sound of Music.
Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer -- fresh off their Golden Globe wins for their stellar work in The Help -- each scored their first Oscar acting nods: Davis as Best Actress where she’ll face stiff competition against heavyweights Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady and Michelle Williams for My Week With Marilyn; Octavia Spencer -- considered the frontrunner in the Supporting Actress category -- will face several other first-time nominees, including her ‘Help’ co-star Jessica Chastain, Bérénice Bejo for The Artist, Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids. The fifth woman in the category -- Janet McTeer -- nominated for Albert Nobbs, was previously nominated for 1999’s Tumbleweeds.
Billy Crystal hosts the ceremony, which airs live on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theater on Sunday, February 26.
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