LOS ANGELES - Swelling support and a leading eight Oscar nominations for the epic romance "Brokeback Mountain" have snatched much of the suspense from this year's Academy Awards, but there's still plenty for film fans to buzz about.

It's hard to pick a winner in the supporting-actor competition and the two top-actress races. And with the summer release "Crash" earning six nominations on the heels of top honors at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, "Brokeback" could have a contender.

"Brokeback" was the most-heard title at Tuesday's nominations for the 78th annual Academy Awards show. The film about the longtime forbidden romance between rugged ranch hands was honored with nominations for best picture, best director (Ang Lee), best actor (Heath Ledger), best supporting actor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and best supporting actress (Michelle Williams).

Philip Seymour Hoffman is considered a best-actor shoo-in for "Capote," but the best supporting actor category is wide open.

George Clooney won a Golden Globe for his role as an undercover agent in "Syriana," but SAG chose Paul Giamatti instead for his performance as boxing manager Joe Gould in "Cinderella Man." The cast of "Crash" also won a SAG award, which could give Matt Dillon a late boost. William Hurt, a longtime favorite, obviously impressed Academy voters with his brief turn as a merciless mobster in "A History of Violence." And then there's "Brokeback Mountain" saddle-mate, lovestruck sheepherder Gyllenhaal, who might have "Brokeback" momentum working for him.

The supporting actress category is equally compelling, with its nominee lineup the same as for the SAG Awards, which went to Rachel Weisz, as did the Golden Globe, for her work in "The Constant Gardener."

But Amy Adams has garnered raves for her performance in the small film "Junebug," and Catherine Keener of "Capote" and Frances McDormand of "North Country" are two of Hollywood's most respected actresses. If Oscar swoons for "Brokeback," there's Williams, who has charmed critics with her role as the long-suffering wife of distracted cowboy Ledger, her real-life fiance.

Best actress looks to be a two-woman race that has many moviegoers hoping for co-winners. Reese Witherspoon, who plays June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line," and Felicity Huffman, who bends gender as a man about to undergo sex-change surgery in "Transamerica," each went home with a Golden Globe award. Huffman took best dramatic actress and Witherspoon best actress in a musical or comedy. The SAG award went to Witherspoon.

The other best-actress nominees are Keira Knightley, for "Pride & Prejudice," and past Oscar winners Judi Dench ("Mrs. Henderson Presents"), and Charlize Theron ("North Country").

Hoffman is the big favorite in the best-actor category, having already captured Golden Globe and SAG honors for his stunning portrait of author Truman Capote in "Capote." Besides Ledger, the competition includes Joaquin Phoenix channeling Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," and David Strathairn hauntingly recalling venerable newsman Edward R. Murrow in "Good Night, and Good Luck." Fifth nominee Terrence Howard is a longshot.

Besides "Crash," "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" also earned six nominations, though "Geisha" was shut out of the top categories.

"Munich," which had fallen off many analysts' best-picture radar after a lukewarm reception, scored five nominations, including best director for Steven Spielberg.

Other directing nods went to Clooney for "Good Night, and Good Luck," Bennett Miller for "Capote," Paul Haggis for "Crash," along with Lee for "Brokeback Mountain."

But like with "Brokeback" in the best-picture field, the director race seems a foregone conclusion, with Lee considered the likely winner. Those searching for suspense will have to look elsewhere.