Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- ``No Country for Old Men'' and ``There Will Be Blood,'' two films about greed, led Oscar nominations with eight each amid a writers strike that could scuttle Hollywood's biggest ceremony.

Other films receiving best-picture nods include ``Atonement,'' ``Michael Clayton'' and ``Juno.'' 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.

``Without the stars you lose one of your biggest elements of the show,'' said Gitesh Pandya, chief executive officer of Box Office Guru.com, a film-industry Web site. ``Just like the Globes, people tune into the Oscars to see the stars.''

Walt Disney Co. led the major studios with 30 nominations and Viacom Inc.'s Paramount was second with 24. The companies shared a total of 16 for ``No Country for Old Men'' and ``There Will Be Blood.''

Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, ``No Country for Old Men'' follows a hunter who goes on the run after taking a satchel of cash from a murder scene near the U.S.-Mexico border. Javier Bardem was nominated for best supporting actor for the film.

Oil Man

``There Will Be Blood,'' based on Upton Sinclair's novel ``Oil!'' stars Daniel Day-Lewis as a ruthless oil baron. Day- Lewis was nominated for best actor.

``Atonement,'' a World War II love story from General Electric Co.'s Universal Pictures and ``Michael Clayton,'' the film about a conflicted corporate attorney from Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., each had seven nominations, including Clooney's best-actor nod. ``Juno'' a movie about a pregnant teen from News Corp.'s Fox Searchlight unit, is up for four awards.

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 Burbank, California-based Disney's ABC on Feb. 24.

Contingency Plans

The academy is working on ``contingencies'' in case stars 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 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.''

Two Nominations

Blanchett also was nominated for best supporting actress for her gender-bending portrayal of singer Bob Dylan in Weinstein Co.'s ``I'm Not There.''

Disney's ``Ratatouille,'' about a rat that wants to become a chef, had five nominations, including best animated film.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the Golden Globes, was forced to call off its scheduled three- hour telecast on NBC and instead announced winners during a news conference on Jan. 13.

Cancellation of the Oscars would add to the $1.6 billion cost of the writers strike to the Los Angeles-area economy so far. The telecast and associated parties generate about $130 million in spending each year, according to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., a private research firm.

Members of the Writers Guild of America walked off the jobs Nov. 5 in a dispute over pay for the use of their work on the Internet.

``There's a lot of pressure to get the awards on, but we need to take a deep breath right now and make sure we get the right deal,'' director Tony Gilroy, 51, nominated today for ``Michael Clayton,'' said at a Writers Guild news conference in New York today.

Settlement Seen

Striking writers likely will reach an agreement before the Oscars, said Porter Bibb, managing partner at Mediatech Capital Partners in New York. The Directors Guild of America announced a tentative agreement with studios last week, possibly smoothing the way for the writers, he said in an interview with Bloomberg television.

Both sides have incentives to settle. The telecast motivates moviegoers to see the films that win, he said.

``The Oscars are a huge platform for promotion,'' Bibb said. ``If they don't have TV Oscars, that's all gone.

Disney fell 39 cents to $28.12 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. General Electric, based in Fairfield, Connecticut, lost 23 cents to $34.08 and New York- based Time Warner declined 36 cents to 15.18. Class B shares of New York-based Viacom slid 42 cents to $37.72 and Class A shares of News Corp. declined 11 cents to $18.58.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael White in Los Angeles at Mwhite8@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 22, 2008 16:13 EST