Piya Sinha-Roy

The nominees were announced by last year's Best Supporting Actress winner Mo'Nique and the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Tom Sherak.

The contenders for Best Actor were Colin Firth for his role as King George VI in “The King’s Speech,” last year’s Best Actor winner Jeff Bridges for “True Grit,” Javier Bardem in “Biutiful,” Jesse Eisenberg for his role as Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network”and Academy Awards host James Franco for his role in “127 Hours.” 

Best Actress nominees include Natalie Portman for “Black Swan,” Michelle Williams for “Blue Valentine,” 20-year-old newcomer Jennifer Lawrence for “Winter’s Bone,” Annette Bening for “The Kids Are All Right,” and Oscar-winner Nicole Kidman for her role in “Rabbit Hole.”

While Mark Wahlberg did not get a Best Actor nomination for his role in “The Fighter,” his cast members Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo all secured nominations in the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories. 

“True Grit’s” Hailee Steinfeld also landed a Best Supporting Actress nominee, making the 14-year-old the ninth youngest nominee for the category. Australian actress Jacki Weaver was a surprise nominee for her supporting role in the gritty independent drama “Animal Kingdom.”

“The King’s Speech” secured 12 nominations in total, including Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter, as well as Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. 

The Coen brothers’ film “True Grit” followed with 10 nominations, and “Inception” and “The Social Network” have 8 nominations, and all are nominated for Best Picture.

The big award of the night for Best Motion Picture is a tight race between 10 nominees, including “Toy Story 3,” “Black Swan” and “The Kids Are All Right.” 

The 83rd Academy Awards will be hosted live by Best Actor nominee James Franco and Anne Hathaway on February 27 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. 

Reach Senior Entertainment Editor Piya Sinha-Roy here, and follow her on Twitter @PiyaSRoy.

Reach Senior Entertainment Editor Roselle Chen here, and follow her on Twitter @RoselleUSC.

WATCH: NT covers the Oscar Nominations live.