HO-hum. Sleepy-eyed celebs wakened at the crack of dawn in L.A. weren’t the only ones yawning when the oh-so-predictable list of Oscar nominations was announced early yesterday.

As expected, “Chicago” razzle-dazzled ’em, dancing off with 13 nods and fanning the flames of a Hollywood musical revival that began last year when “Moulin Rouge” ended a 22-year drought for the genre.

Besides Best Picture, the film adaptation of Bob Fosse’s Broadway show scored nods for lead actress Renee Zellweger, supporting actresses Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones and director Rob Marshall.

Even supporting actor John C. “Mr. Cellophane” Reilly was swept up in the “Chicago” fever, winning a nod for Best Supporting Actor – although the all-singing, all-dancing Richard Gere, who won the Golden Globe, was snubbed for Best Actor.

His slot went instead to Michael Caine, who launched a personal crusade to ensure his 1950s Vietnam tale, “The Quiet American,” would be released in theaters and not relegated straight to video because of its criticism of American intervention overseas.

“It’s been a long, long journey,” Caine said yesterday. “I just wanted to see whether I could get a nomination. And I’ve got one, I’m happy now and my work is done.”

There were few surprises in the movies chosen as “Chicago’s” competition for Best Picture – “Gangs of New York,” “The Hours,” “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and Roman Polanski’s Holocaust drama, “The Pianist” – although eyebrows were raised at the second-best total haul by “Gangs.”

Martin Scorsese’s historical epic received mixed reviews when it was released last Christmas, but managed to pull in 10 nods, including Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis and Best Director.

“It was a difficult movie to make, one I have dreamed of for several decades, so this recognition means a great deal to me,” Scorsese said.

Along with Day-Lewis and Caine, Best Actor nominations were doled out to 12-time nominee Jack Nicholson for “About Schmidt”; Nicolas Cage for his dual roles in “Adaptation”; and “The Pianist” star Adrien Brody – the only actor in the field who hasn’t already won an Oscar.

The nominations among the women reflected the preponderance of meaty roles for them last year.

Nicole Kidman, also nominated last year for “Moulin Rouge,” shocked no one with her Best Actress nod for playing suicidal writer Virginia Woolf in “The Hours.”

“In some ways, I feel just privileged to actually have had the chance to play her and had the opportunity to step into her skin,” Kidman said from England, where “The Hours” had its London premiere Monday night. “For it to be rewarded this way, it’s kind of what you dream of.”

Meryl Streep became the most nominated performer in Academy history, surpassing screen legend Katharine Hepburn, by getting her 13th Oscar nod.

Streep landed a Best Supporting nomination for her role as a wacky writer in “Adaptation,” but was slighted in the Best Actress group for her widely praised performance in “The Hours.”

“I am thrilled and honored to be nominated, and also aghast that anybody could imagine that I could surpass the unsurpassable Katharine Hepburn in any category whatsoever,” Streep said.

Julianne Moore could become the first performer to win in two categories in the same year, with her nominations as Best Actress for the ’50s throwback drama “Far From Heaven” and in the Supporting Actress category for “The Hours.”

Rounding out the Best Actress category were Salma Hayek, for her portrayal of iconic Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in “Frida,” and Diane Lane, who cheats on screen husband Gere in “Unfaithful.”

Kathy Bates, who has a show-stopping hot-tub nude scene in “About Schmidt,” was the fifth nominee for Best Supporting Actress.

Joining Reilly in the Supporting Actor category were beloved veteran Paul Newman for “Road to Perdition,” Ed Harris for “The Hours,” Chris Cooper for “Adaptation” and Christopher Walken for “Catch Me If You Can.”

Among the nominees for Original Screenplay was last year’s monster indie hit, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” written by its star, Nia Vardalos, and Todd Haynes for “Far From Heaven.”

“It’s interesting that this whole year has been dominated by films that you don’t necessarily think of as mainstream, such as ‘The Hours,’ ‘Adaptation’ and ‘Gangs of New York,'” Haynes told The Post from his home in Portland, Ore. “It’s a pleasure and an honor to be in that company.”

Steve Martin will host the 75th annual Academy Awards, which will be broadcast live on March 23 from Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.