The nominees have been announced. Now it's just a short time before entertainment watchers everywhere will learn whether or not "The Lord of the Rings" will be honored by the Oscar statuette.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for the 2004 awards show, which wil be broadcast live on Feb. 29. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" earned 11 nominations, one more than "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." However, both movies failed to land any nominations in the acting categories.

"Return of the King" is vying for Best Picture against "Master and Commander," "Lost In Translation," "Mystic River" and "Seabiscuit."

Also up for an Oscar again is director Peter Jackson. He will face Fernando Meirelles from "City of God," Sofia Coppola from "Lost In Translation," Peter Weir from "Master and Commander" and Clint Eastwood from "Mystic River."

LOTR will face "American Splendor," "City of God," "Mystic River" and "Seabiscuit" in the Best Adapted Screenplay category. It also will face "Girl With A Pearl Earring," "The Last Samurai," "Master and Commander" and "Seabiscuit" for Best Art Direction.

Howard Shore's score of the film will go against Danny Elfman of "Big Fish," Gabriel Yared of "Cold Mountain," Thomas Newman of "Finding Nemo," and James Horner of "House of Sand and Fog."

The song "Into the West" by Howard Shore, Fran Walsh and Annie Lennox will compete with "A Mighty Wind," "The Triplets of Belleville," and two songs from "Cold Mountain."

Other categories for "Return of the King" include Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects and Best Sound.

These nominations come on the heels of "Return of the King" earning four Golden Globe awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

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