2004 certainly was the year of the biopic, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences proved when it revealed its nominations for the 77th annual Academy Awards yesterday. Leading the way with 11 nominations, including Best Actor, Best Director and Best Picture, was director Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” the story of Hollywood mogul and aviation pioneer Howard Hughes.

Right behind “The Aviator” was “Million Dollar Baby” with seven nominations, including Best Picture. Director and actor Clint Eastwood scored two nominations — one for Best Actor for his work as a grizzled and conflicted boxing trainer and the other for Best Director. Eastwood faces some stiff competition in the latter category, particularly against Scorsese, who has been nominated for six Oscars in previous years but has never won. Many experts feel that this will be the year where Scorsese will finally walk off with a golden statuette.

Also vying for Best Picture are “Finding Neverland,” which focuses on the life of “Peter Pan” playwright J.M. Barrie, “Ray,” the musical biopic of Ray Charles and “Sideways,” a midlife drama that focuses on two friends who take a road trip in California wine country.

The biggest surprise of this year’s nominations was “Ray,” which received six nods from the Academy. The film garnered accolades and prizes for Jamie Foxx’s uncanny performance as the late musician. Foxx, along with Eastwood, is pitted against Johnny Depp for “Finding Neverland,” Leonardo DiCaprio for “The Aviator” and Don Cheadle for “Hotel Rwanda” in the Best Actor field.

Yesterday’s announcements also cemented Foxx’s momentous rise in the past year. He was also nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role in the thriller “Collateral.”

A few other unexpected selections made the Academy’s list this year.

Mike Leigh’s character drama “Vera Drake” scored three nominations this year, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. “Maria Full Of Grace” earned a Best Actress nod for star Catalina Sandino Moreno’s portrayal of a drug mule. On the supporting side, veteran actor Alan Alda picked up a nod for his appearance in “The Aviator,” while the unheralded Sophie Okonedo received notice for her role as Don Cheadle’s endangered Tutsi wife in “Hotel Rwanda.”

The Best Actress race is reminiscent of 1999, where Hilary Swank and Annette Bening will prepare for a rematch for their respective roles in “Million Dollar Baby” and “Being Julia.” Swank won the Oscar in 1999 for “Boys Don’t Cry,” even though Bening was the favorite to win for “American Beauty.”

However, it wouldn’t be the Oscars without several snubs, as plenty of movies with major critical buzz in 2004 failed to sustain their momentum. The widely praised “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” only received two notices — Best Actress for Kate Winslet and Best Original Screenplay. “Kinsey,” about the life of the famed sexuality researcher, scored a sole nomination for Laura Linney as Best Supporting Actress. “Closer,” while shut out of many important categories, did earn two nominations for supporting players Clive Owen and Natalie Portman. Arguably, the most surprising omission was Paul Giamatti for his role as a depressed novelist and wine connoisseur in “Sideways.” Giamatti was also snubbed last year for his performance as cartoonist Harvey Pekar in “American Splendor.”

Many of the year’s popular foreign films — such as “House Of Flying Daggers” and “The Motorcycle Diaries” — failed to capture spots in the Best Foreign Language Film category and barely received any other mentions.

Two of 2004’s most talked-about and controversial films also failed to capture significant nominations. Director Michael Moore, who pulled out his Bush-bashing documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11” from the Best Documentary category, did not receive any recognition from the Academy. Mel Gibson’s biblical epic “The Passion of the Christ” received three nominations, but only for technical work.

ABC will televise the 77th Academy Awards ceremony, hosted by Chris Rock, on Feb. 27.