SCORSESE'S 'AVIATOR' WINGS WAY TO 11 OSCAR NODS FOXX SCORES TWICE; 'BABY' GOOD TO CLINT, MORGAN, HILARY.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Writer

Whose day will Oscar make?

Perennial bridesmaid Martin Scorsese, whose epic Howard Hughes biopic, ``The Aviator,'' led the way Tuesday with 11 Academy Award nominations, is up against cultural icon Clint Eastwood, himself nominated as producer, director and lead actor for his intimate, character-based drama, ``Million Dollar Baby,'' which picked up seven nods.

That sentimental showdown will be among the defining moments at the 77th annual Academy Awards, to air live at 5 p.m. Feb. 27 on ABC.

If Tuesday's nominations did go according to form, with the best-picture nominees (``Ray,'' ``Finding Neverland'' and ``Sideways'' joined ``The Aviator'' and ``Million Dollar Baby'') siphoning off the lion's share of the nods, there were still a few significant developments.

Four black actors - Jamie Foxx, Don Cheadle, Morgan Freeman and Sophie Okonedo - accounted for five of the 20 acting nominations, an Academy record. Foxx became the 10th actor to win nods in both acting categories in the same year, nabbing nominations for his lead work in ``Ray'' and supporting work in ``Collateral.''

Academy members gave Mel Gibson's controversial and spectacularly successful ``The Passion of the Christ'' three nominations in secondary categories for makeup, score and cinematography.

And they completely ignored Michael Moore's overt politics in ``Fahrenheit 9/11,'' as well as his blatant Oscar campaigning.

Still, liberal causes got their due, with three somewhat surprising nominations for ``Vera Drake,'' Mike Leigh's sympathetic tale of a cheerful abortionist. Leigh was nominated for screenplay and director; his leading lady, Imelda Staunton, is up for best actress.

Staunton, a British stage actress, is one of 10 first-time acting nominees. Only one previous winner, Hilary Swank, is in the group, and she is favored to take the lead actress prize again for her portrayal of the fearless, aspiring boxer in ``Million Dollar Baby.''

``It just comes down to passion,'' says veteran Oscar campaigner Tony Angelotti, who orchestrated the successful pushes for Universal's ``Ray'' (six nominations) and Pixar's ``The Incredibles'' (four nods, including original screenplay and best animated film).

``In this particular case,'' Angelotti says, ``you have a group of pictures that, outside of 'The Aviator,' no one could have predicted 12 months ago that they'd be among the finalists.''

Certainly, no one would have picked Eastwood's ``Baby,'' since it wasn't even on Warner Brothers' release schedule as late as September. At Eastwood's behest, the studio quietly put the film out in December in a handful of cities, confident that strong reviews would get the ball rolling.

Eastwood previously won dual acting and directing nominations with his 1992 western, ``Unforgiven,'' which eventually took best picture and director.

``Although I thought (the acting nod) was deserved, I wasn't sure it was going to happen,'' says ``Million Dollar Baby'' producer Albert S. Ruddy. ``In Hollywood, Eastwood has been a giant personality, but no one has ever looked at him as (Al) Pacino or (Robert) De Niro. Now they have a chance to see what a great actor he is.''

As for the record-setting number of nominations given black actors, USC School of Cinema-Television professor Todd Boyd says the recognition is significant, but not nearly as important as the fact that Chris Rock will be hosting the show.

``That says more to me than the nominations,'' says Boyd, who has written extensively on issues of race and movies. ``Nominees only get a little bit of screen time. Rock is going to be the centerpiece of the show. The Oscars are always a little late to the party, but they may be finally getting how much black culture has saturated society.''

Rock, known for edgy, political comedy, has already playfully made it known where his Oscar sympathies lie.

``I am rooting for Jamie (Foxx), and if he doesn't win, I'm going to talk about it on the show,'' Rock told the New York Times earlier this month.

And if, say, Eastwood beats Foxx?

``I'll take an Oscar from one of the sound or light people that win and give it to him,'' Rock said. ``Jamie Foxx is not going to walk out of that place without an Oscar.''

While Tuesday's profusion of first-time nominees and minority representation signaled something of a changing of the guard, one constant remained: Miramax again led the way, scoring 20 nominations, the most of any studio.

Should Scorsese's ``Aviator'' win best picture and Harvey Weinstein find himself at the podium, it could mark one of his final acts as Miramax's co-chairman. Weinstein and brother, Bob, are currently in talks with Disney that could end their tenure with the company.

``We're grateful that the Academy recognized a wide range of Miramax films, from foreign language to a modestly budgeted classic to the Scorsese epic,'' the Weinsteins said in a statement. ``We congratulate our nominees and are thankful that the focus is finally where it should be - on the movies.''

Where it will stay - for the next month, at least.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Jamie Foxx's electrifying performance as Ray Charles in the biopic ``Ray'' was one of two nominations the actor received. The other was a supporting nod for ``Collateral.'' Foxx became the 10th actor to win nods in both acting categories in the same year.

Nicola Goode/Universal Studios

(2 -- color) Director Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank both received acting nominations for the gritty boxing drama ``Million Dollar Baby,'' as did their co-star, Morgan Freeman.

Merie W. Wallace/Warner Brothers

(3 -- color) Martin Scorsese's lavish biography of Howard Hughes, ``The Aviator,'' garnered 11 Oscar nods, including one for him as best director and one for star Leonardo DiCaprio as best actor.

Miramax Films

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