The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has announced the nominations for the 37th Annual Saturn Awards.  Leading the charge is Christopher Nolan’s mind-bending sci-fi thriller “Inception” with 9 nominations.  Overture/Relativity Media’s “Let Me In” and Disney’s “Tron: Legacy”  downloaded 7 nominations apiece, Clint Eastwood’s thought-provoking “Hereafter” received 6, while “Alice in Wonderland,” “Black Swan,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” “Never Let Me Go” and “Shutter Island” earned 5 nominations each .

Warner Bros. Pictures leads the pack with 23 nominations from 6 films, including “Clash of the Titans,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” “Hereafter,” “Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole,” “Splice,” and “Inception.” 

Also with strong showings were Paramount (lead by “Shutter Island,” and “Iron Man 2”) and Walt Disney Studios (lead by “Tron: Legacy,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Toy Story 3”) with 16 and 14 nominations, respectively.  Fox Searchlight and Universal earned 10 nominations apiece, followed by Overture/Relativity Media (7),  20th Century Fox (6), Summit Entertainment (5), DreamWorks Animation and Marvel Films (each with 4), while Lionsgate, Magnolia Pictures and Sony Pictures scored 3 nominations each.  Of Special note, is Kino Lorber’s release of Fritz Lang’s ground-breaking 84-year-old classic, The Complete Metropolis” which was nominated for Best International Film and Best Music.

In the television categories, Frank Darabont’s zombie-drama “The Walking Dead” (AMC) came to life with 6 nominations.   “Breaking Bad” (AMC), “Lost” (ABC) and “Fringe” (Fox) tied with 5 nominations.  “Leverage” (TNT), “True Blood” (HBO) earned 4 apiece, followed by “Dexter” (Showtime) and “V” (ABC) with 3 and  “The Closer” (TNT), “Smallville” (CW), and Spartacus: Blood and Sand” (Starz) with 2.

The Academy was founded in 1972 by noted film historian Dr. Donald A. Reed to honor and recognize genre entertainment.  Over the years, the Academy has expanded their reach to include other film genres.  The organization also recognizes excellence in television and home entertainment.  Robert Holguin presently serves as President of the 39 year old organization.

Visit http://www.saturnawards.org/ for full list of nominations in film, television, dvd, and live local stage production.

The 37th Annual Saturn Awards will take place this June in Burbank, California.