Bummed that Sunday night’s lackluster Oscars ceremony means an end to Hollywood’s awards season? Have no fear! The much geekier sci-fi and fantasy awards season is in full swing.
The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has released the list of nominees for the 37th annual Saturn Awards. With categories for best film in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, horror/thriller and action/adventure, more popular fare along the lines of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Twilight: Eclipse is sure to get its due. And while Jeff Bridges missed out on a second consecutive best-actor Oscar this year for True Grit, he can make up for it if his age-bending dual performance as Kevin Flynn and CLU if Tron: Legacy is able to woo Saturn voters. (He faces George Clooney, The American; Leonardo DiCaprio, nominated both for Inception and Shutter Island; Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man 2; and Ryan Reynolds, Buried.)
Mom-to-be and erstwhile Star Wars queen Natalie Portman has a chance to repeat her Oscar win as best actress for Black Swan, but she’ll have to compete against Cecile de France (Hereafter), Angelina Jolie (Salt), Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go), Ellen Page (Inception) and Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo).
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America also recently announced nominations for the Nebula Awards — a bit more esoteric, it’s more like the Golden Globes to the Saturns’ Oscars. Up for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation: the movies Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon, Inception, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Toy Story 3, as well as the van Gogh-themed Doctor Who TV episode “Vincent and the Doctor.” There are also categories for short story, novelette, novella and novel (among the nominees: Connie Willis’ Blackout/All Clear), plus the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy.
The Saturns will be presented this June in Burbank, while the Nebulas will be given out this May in Washington, D.C.
