You know what’s cool? 8 Oscar nominations for The Social Network

“The Social Network” snagged eight Oscar nominations this morning, including the coveted Best Picture Award and the Best Actor award for Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

That the film was well-received by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences comes as no surprise — The Social Network was a critical darling, and it also walked away with four Golden Globe awards, including Best Picture. (Check out my podcast review of the film with VentureBeat’s Anthony Ha.) It was beat out in nominations by “The King’s Speech” and “True Grit”, and it was also noticeably absent from a few key categories. For one, Andrew Garfield received no Academy love for his portrayal of Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

In addition to Best Picture and Best Actor, director David Fincher was nominated for Best Director; screenwriter Aaron Sorkin landed a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay (the film was based on Ben Mezrich’s book “The Accidental Billionaires”); Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and his musical collaborator Atticus Ross were nominated for Best Original Score; and Jeff Cronenweth was nominated for his gorgeous cinematography. The film also landed nominations for Film Editing and Sound Design.

When it comes to the Best Picture category, The Social Network has some major contenders to fend off, including “Black Swan”, “The King’s Speech”, and “True Grit.” Eisenberg meanwhile will be facing off against renowned actors like Javier Bardem, Colin Firth, and Jeff Bridges. Personally, I think the film has a good shot at landing the major awards — unless the Academy decides to fall back on safer choices (as it often does) like “The King’s Speech.”