The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King leads this year's Oscar nominees with eleven, making history already by being the first film with eleven without having a single acting nomination.  American Splendor, another nominee with implications for retailers, received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

 

RotK once again has garnered nominations for Best Director and Best Picture, after winning both at the Golden Globe Awards last Sunday (see 'ROTK Takes Four Golden Globes').

 

The Fellowship of the Rings was nominated for thirteen Oscars two years ago (trailing only Titanic and All About Eve by one for the all-time record), winning four:  Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup, and Best Score.  Last year, Two Towers was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning two:  Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Visual Effects Editing.

 

This year is Peter Jackson's last shot at winning the Best Director or Best Picture Oscars on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, with millions of licensed-product buying fans rooting for him.

 

In the race for the most Oscars, RotK is up against Master and Commander, which grabbed ten nominations, followed by Cold Mountain and Seabiscuit with seven each.

 

The other four nominees for Best Picture are Master and Commander, Mystic River, Seabiscuit and Lost in Translation.