The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences yesterday announced the shortlist for the best makeup Oscar, with 'Star Trek Nemesis' among those which failed to make the cut.

An industry source told the Hollywood Reporter both Trek X and the holiday film 'The Santa Clause 2' were not seen by enough Academy members to score sufficient votes. "Members were impressed by the explanatory printed presentations provided by the studios," the trade paper said, "but because the studios do not provide screeners for all the branch members, and many of them failed to see the films in question, they failed to garner support."

Only two films, 'Frida' and 'The Time Machine,' made the shortlist this year, with notable omissions including 'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,' 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' and 'Men in Black II.' "I think everybody was surprised," said Leonard Engelman, acting chair of the makeup award rules committee. "But what we have to remember is we're only looking for one -- that one outstanding film."

According to the Hollywood Reporter's sources, 'The Two Towers' failed to make the list because voters considered the makeup to be the same as that which won 'Fellowship of the Ring' the gong in 2002. 'Men in Black II' was reportedly disregarded because most of its creatures were in fact puppets, while sources said some members thought the makeup in current critical darling 'Chicago' wasn't realistic enough for its time period.

Two Trek films have scored makeup nominations from the Academy in previous years - 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' and 'Star Trek: First Contact.' 'The Undiscovered Country' lost out to 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day,' while 'First Contact' was beaten by 'The Nutty Professor.' Oscar chances for 'Star Trek Nemesis' now look slim; the film has already missed out on a place on both the visual effects and sound editing shortlists (story).

Academy members will vote for the final nominees in the makeup category on February 8, with neither 'Frida' or 'The Time Machine' guaranteed a nomination if they are not considered sufficiently worthy. The full list of Academy Award nominations will be released on February 11.

The original Hollywood Reporter article can be found here.

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