Only one ceremony can bring together singers, pilots, authors and boxers — the Academy Awards.

Nominations for the 77th annual event were announced early Tuesday morning.

Receiving nods for best picture were two biopics — “The Aviator” and “Ray,” along with “Finding Neverland,” which was also based on a person’s life.

“Million Dollar Baby” and “Sideways” were also nominated for best picture.

Although this year may have seemed to turn out more biopics than usual, Leland Poague, professor of English, says it’s nothing out of the ordinary.

“Hollywood has always done biopics,” he says.

“There’s nothing new in that.”

Ellyn Moore, senior in English education, says the interest in these character-driven stories may be because of our culture’s opposition to our latest obsession.

“Our culture has a fascination with reality,” she says.

“[But], I think we value the truth sometimes more than fiction and I think these movies are a reflection of that.”

As always, many films that scored at the box office were left out of the running.

“I figured ‘Troy’ might be on [the list],” says Jason Lenaghan, junior in management information systems.

“I was expecting the more controversial movies to be nominated for best picture,” Moore says. “‘Passion of the Christ’ or ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ — but those would probably upset people.”

Lenaghan says the success of “The Aviator” may be due to an increased interest in flight, especially with the recent unveiling of the Airbus A830, the largest passenger jet in history.

“Lots of stuff is going on in aviation this year,” he says. “People are just more interested in that than usual.”

Poague says “The Aviator” director Scorsese deserves a nod for his work — something he hasn’t gotten in a while.

“The academy has treated Scorsese so bad over the years,” he says.

“Most people understand now that he is the real deal. By most accounts [he’s] the most important director of his generation.”

Chris Rock will host the ceremony, which will be telecast live from the Kodak Theater on Feb. 24.