"Atonement" and "Michael Clayton" were among the films nominated for Oscar awards for best picture amid a writers strike that could scuttle Hollywood's biggest ceremony.

Other films receiving best-picture nods include "Juno," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood." George Clooney was among those chosen for best actor, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said today at a news conference in Beverly Hills, California.

The academy is trying to prevent the 80th annual Oscars telecast from suffering the same fate as the Golden Globe Awards. The televised Globes ceremony was called off after actors refused to cross the picket lines of striking writers to accept or present awards.

"The Oscars have been upstaged," Tom O'Neil, film analyst for The Envelope.com, an entertainment Web site, said in an interview before the nominations were announced. "The drama surrounding who will win the Oscars has been upstaged by the drama of whether the Oscars ceremony will go on. It's all about whether the show itself prevails."

Actors probably won't cross picket lines to participate in an Oscars ceremony, Screen Actors Guild President Doug Allen said in an e-mailed statement yesterday.

"We anticipate that SAG members will continue to honor picket lines," Allen said.

The Oscars telecast is scheduled to air on Walt Disney Co.'s ABC on Feb. 24.

Contingencies

The academy is working on "contingencies" in case actors boycott the presentations, President Sid Ganis said in an interview after the announcements. A show will be held with or without them, he said.

"Look forward to a great show," Ganis said. "We have a group of sensational nominees we hope to see."

Others nominated in the best-actor category include Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood," Johnny Depp for "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," Tommy Lee Jones for "In the Valley of Elah," and Viggo Mortensen for "Eastern Promises."

Vying for best actress are Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Julie Christie for "Away from Her," Marion Cotillard for "La Vie en Rose," Laura Linney for "The Savages" and Ellen Page for "Juno."