It happens almost every year: We learn about a nominee with Minnesota roots who is up for an Academy Award. Tonight's 85th annual affair is no different.

St. Paul Pioneer Press movie critic Chris Hewitt lets us in on this year's Local Boy May Make Good. The contender is 1979 Washburn High School graduate Drew Kunin, nominated for the sound mixing of "Life of Pi." He shares the nomination with two others.

According to an Oscars website that tracks nominees, Kunin is a sound engineer who has worked on over 70 films, including Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain and Adaptation. This is his first nomination.