"It is one of the hardest roles to play, not just a living person but one who is part of our everyday lives in Britain. ... I hope that my performance has conveyed a sense of Elizabeth the woman as well as the queen." -- Helen Mirren, in a statement on her best-actress bid for "The Queen."
___
"I'm in frighteningly good company. It is very nice of the queen to allow me in for a minute." -- Judi Dench, best-actress nominee for "Notes on a Scandal," with a nod to Helen Mirren, in a statement from London.
___
"Without a doubt, receiving this nomination will stand out as one of the highlights of my career." -- Eddie Murphy, supporting-actor nominee for "Dreamgirls."
___
"I am going to be screaming and whooping all day long. I really thought I wasn't going to get a nomination. I am really going to try to enjoy this moment. I'm speechless." -- Kate Winslet, best-actress nominee for "Little Children."
___
"Any time someone says you have an opportunity to work with Martin Scorsese you jump at the chance." -- Mark Wahlberg, supporting-actor nominee for "The Departed."
___
"On a professional level, what's really wonderful about it is to be part of a film that dealt with these difficult and painful and contentious events." -- Paul Greengrass, best-director nominee for "United 93," speaking on BBC television.
___
"The biggest effect it's having on little kids is they all want to go to tap-dancing lessons." -- George Miller, director of animated feature nominee "Happy Feet."
___
"If each one of them got nominated on their own, that would be great, but the fact that they all did ... that's just too much for one little girl this early in the morning." -- Salma Hayek, nominations announcer, on a slew of bids for Hispanics, including friends Penelope Cruz ("Volver") and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel").
___
"If you get put in a list with those guys you've done pretty well." -- Stephen Frears, director of "The Queen," talking to BBC television about fellow best-director nominees Clint Eastwood ("Letters From Iwo Jima") and Martin Scorsese ("The Departed").
___
"I think the Academy responded to the movie on an emotional level." -- Jon Kilik, a producer of best-picture nominee "Babel."
___
"I am now going out to buy a new dress." -- Susanne Bier, director of Denmark's foreign-language nominee "After the Wedding," talking to Copenhagen's TV2 News.
___
"It's sort of like asking who your favorite child is. We're thrilled for both the films, the filmmakers." -- Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Entertainment, which distributed two foreign-language nominees, "After the Wedding" and "Days of Glory."
