The awards show gets underway at 8:30 p.m. on ABC
Martin Scorsese's Paris adventure "Hugo" leads the Academy Awards with 11 nominations.
"The Artist" is second with a total of 10 nominations.
Billy Crystal returns as host of the proceedings.
Here is a list of nominees for tonight's Oscars:
Best Picture: “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” “The Help,””Hugo,” “Midnight in Paris,””Moneyball,””The Tree of Life,””War Horse.”
Actor: Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”; George Clooney, “The Descendants”; Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”; Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”; Brad Pitt, “Moneyball.”
Actress: Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”; Viola Davis, “The Help”; Rooney Mara, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”; Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”; Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn.”
Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”; Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”; Nick Nolte, “Warrior”; Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”; Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”
Brad Pitt, left, and Jonah Hill are shown in a scene from " Moneyball." (AP Photo/Columbia Pictures-Sony, Melinda Sue Gordon)Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”; Jessica Chastain, “The Help”; Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”; Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”; Octavia Spencer, “The Help.”
Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”; Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”; Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”; Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”; Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life.”
Foreign Language Film: “Bullhead,” Belgium; “Footnote,” Israel; “In Darkness,” Poland; “Monsieur Lazhar,” Canada; “A Separation,” Iran.
Animated Feature Film: “A Cat in Paris”; “Chico & Rita”; “Kung Fu Panda 2”; “Puss in Boots”; “Rango.”
Documentary Feature: “Hell and Back Again,” “If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,” “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,” “Pina,” “Undefeated.”
Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, “The Descendants”; John Logan, “Hugo”; George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, “The Ides of March”; Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, “Moneyball”; Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.”
In this image released by Fox Searchlight Films, George Clooney, left, and Shailene Woodley are shown in a scene from "The Descendants." (AP Photo/Fox Searchlight Films, Merie Wallace)Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”; Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, “Bridesmaids”; J.C. Chandor, “Margin Call”; Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”; Asghar Farhadi, “A Separation.”
Cinematography: “The Artist,””The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,””Hugo,””The Tree of Life,””War Horse.”
Art Direction: “The Artist,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” “Hugo,””Midnight in Paris,” “War Horse.”
Original Score: “The Adventures of Tintin,” John Williams; “The Artist,” Ludovic Bource; “Hugo,” Howard Shore; “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Alberto Iglesias; “War Horse,” John Williams.
Original Song: “Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets,” Bret McKenzie; “Real in Rio” from “Rio,” Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett.
Costume: “Anonymous,” “The Artist,” “Hugo,” “Jane Eyre,” “W.E.”
Makeup: “Albert Nobbs,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” “The Iron Lady.”
Visual Effects: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” “Hugo,” “Real Steel,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”
Sound Mixing: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Hugo,” “Moneyball,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “War Horse.”
Jean Dujardin (left) and Berenice Bejo (right) portray the leading characters in "The Artist."Film Editing: “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Hugo,””Moneyball.”
Documentary (short subject): “The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement,” “God Is the Bigger Elvis,” “Incident in New Baghdad,” “Saving Face,” “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.”
Animated Short Film: “Dimanche/Sunday,” “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” “La Luna,” “A Morning Stroll,” “Wild Life.”
Live Action Short Film: “Pentecost,” “Raju,” “The Shore,” “Time Freak,” “Tuba Atlantic.”
Ray Kelly of The Republican and Bill Everhart of the Berkshire Eagle discuss the Academy Awards on WGBY/57's "Connecting Point" with host Carrie Saldo.