It's a honor: Oscar nominees' reactions

Thanks to USA Today and the Associated Press for collecting the most comprehensive lists of Oscar nominees’ responses to today’s announcement of their good fortune. Below are my favorite reactions:

”It felt like I was watching TV in a dream. I’m damn near 37 years old, and I’m jumping up and down on the bed like my 10-year-old. I was a wild man.”
–Hustle & Flow‘s Terrence Howard (left), who learned of the nominations by watching them on TV

”He’s smooth and he’s fantastic and he can dance. I’m looking forward to sharing a dance with Terrence that night.”
–Junebug‘s Amy Adams, who says she’s eager to meet nominee Howard at the Oscars

”I’ll really enjoy it because it will never happen again.”
–Michelle Williams, on being nominated alongside Brokeback Mountain costar and babydaddy Heath Ledger

”We adore him. The world is better with him in it, and I think the Academy Awards will be better [with him hosting].”
–Ledger, saying he and Williams are looking forward to Jon Stewart’s emceeing

”I’ll be drinking tonight.”
–Triple nominee George Clooney

”I guess I’ll go have a drink. I don’t think my year could get much better… It’s a wonderful thing that I got nominated but my performance is kind of meaningless without his. It doesn’t make any sense to me, but I don’t know how these things work. It’s a drag, it’s a bummer.”
–Paul Giamatti, bemoaning Oscar’s snub of Cinderella Man costar Russell Crowe

”It’s still 8 in the morning and I’m pregnant. I can’t really crack open the champagne. I’ll have to have a smoothie or something.”
–The Constant Gardener‘s Rachel Weisz

”I love that they’re not tired of me!”
–Steven Spielberg, on earning his 10th and 11th career nominations for producing and directing Munich

”My levels of gratitude will be overflowing all day, so I’ll be making a mess as they spill all over wherever I go.”
–Capote director Bennett Miller

”Waking up this early made me reminisce about being a kid, waking up early to beat traffic, so my siblings and I could make it to auditions. In all those long car rides, I never thought about awards for acting (I didn’t know they existed). I was an actor because the work was rewarding. I never imagined that it would all lead to this moment. I don’t possess the vocabulary to accurately express the sense of gratitude I feel for this great honor. It’s made the entire journey more fulfilling than I ever expected.”
–Walk the Line‘s Joaquin Phoenix

addCredit(“Terrence Howard: Fred Prouser/Reuters”)