!["(500) Days of Summer" will be released on DVD on December 22nd, 2009.](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/hash/37/61/376137e5d3604be513b5dda0c7457a3a.jpg ""(500) Days of Summer" will be released on DVD on December 22nd, 2009.")
Nominations for the Spirit Awards - aka the Academy Awards for the arthouse set - were announced today in Los Angeles.
Garnering the most nods were the Oprah Winfrey-produced Precious: Based on the Novel by Sapphire (whew!) and The Last Station, starring Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren as Mr. and Mrs. Leo Tolstoy. Thankfully, the author Sapphire had nothing to do with that movie.
Both films will face off against critical favorites Amreeka, Sin Nombre, and the summer hit (500) Days of Summer in the Best Feature category.
The comparatively mainstream (500) Days of Summer also received nominations for Lead Actor (Joseph Gordon-Leavitt) and Best Screenplay (Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber)
Joel and Ethan Coen's A Serious Man also received multiple noms for Best Director(s)and Best Screenplay, as well as the prestigious Robert Altman Award, which is awarded to one film in recognition for its directing, casting, and ensemble performance.
In the "Huh? Wha?" department, the monster hit Paranormal Activity nabbed a nomination for director Oren Peli in the Best First Feature category, yet the famously micro-budgeted blockbuster failed to make the cut for the John Cassavetes Award, for which first-time features made for less the $500,000 are recognized.
Was Paranormal penalized for being too popular in a category populated by films whose collective box office returns couldn't fill a Spirit Awards swag bag? Now that's a scary notion.
The Independent Spirit Awards will be handed March 5th at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, two days prior to the Academy Awards telecast.
For a complete list of the Spirit Awards nominees, click here.
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