Oscar Nominations...few surprises! Nods to Button, Milk & Slumdog. Eastwood shut out, though...

There were few surprises when the Oscar nominees were announced bright and early this morning as the Nation struggled to survive an Obama hang-over from the night before.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" garnered 13 nominations - some worthy - others not.

If you recall, "Benjamin Button" snapped up a gaggle of nods at the Golden Globes Awards, but walked away empty-handed at the end of the glamorous day.

There was at least one oversight in the Oscar run, though.

Clint Eastwood failed to nab any respect from the Academy for his acting chops in the newly-released drama, Gran Torino.

Pity that; after all, the down-to-earth actor's actor was deserving of a nomination.

Gran Torino represents a crowning achievement in acting after at least fifty fruitful years in the business.
(review to follow)

Speaking of male leads, nominees for Best Actor are Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Sean Penn (Milk), Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), and Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button).

Actresses nominted lead roles include Kate Winslet for a star-turn in "The Reader", fifteen-time nominee Meryl Streep for a stint in "Doubt", Ann Hathaway for her potrayal of an addict struggling with addiction in "Rachel Getting Married", Angelina Jolie as a distraught mother urging corrupt police to locate her missing boy in "The Changeling", and Melissa Leo as a desperate woman in "Frozen River".

The Academy is pinning their hopes on Hugh Jackman - sexist man of-the-hour - to inject new life into the Oscar celebration which is slated for broadcast next month on February 22nd at ground zero - the Kodak Theatre - in Hollywood, California.



Oscar Nominations

Best Picture

'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

'Frost/Nixon'

'Milk'

'The Reader'

'Slumdog Millionaire'

Best Director

Danny Boyle, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Stephen Daldry, 'The Reader'

David Fincher, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Ron Howard, 'Frost/Nixon'

Gus Van Sant, 'Milk'

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, 'The Visitor'

Frank Langella, 'Frost/Nixon'

Sean Penn, 'Milk'

Brad Pitt, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Mickey Rourke, 'The Wrestler'

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, 'Rachel Getting Married'

Angelina Jolie, 'Changeling'

Melissa Leo, 'Frozen River'

Meryl Streep, 'Doubt'

Kate Winslet, 'The Reader'

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, 'Milk'

Robert Downey Jr., 'Tropic Thunder'

Philip Seymour Hoffman, 'Doubt'

Heath Ledger, 'The Dark Knight'

Michael Shannon, ' Revolutionary Road'

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, 'Doubt'

Penelope Cruz, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'

Viola Davis, 'Doubt'

Taraji P. Henson, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Marisa Tomei, 'The Wrestler'

Best Animated Feature Film

'Bolt'

'Kung Fu Panda'

'Wall-E'

Best Foreign Film

'The Baader Meinhof Complex' (Germany)

'The class' (France)

'Departures'(Japan)

'Revanche' (Austria)

'Waltz With Bashir' (Israel)

Best Original Screenplay

Dustin Lance Black, 'Milk'

Courtney Hunt, 'Frozen River'

Mike Leigh, 'Happy-Go-Lucky'

Martin McDonagh, 'In Bruges'

Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter, 'WALL-E'

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth, Robin Swicord, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

John Patrick Shanley, 'Doubt'

Peter Morgan, 'Frost/Nixon'

David Hare, 'The Reader'

Simon Beaufoy, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Best Documentary Feature

'The Betrayal'

'Encounters at the End of the World'

'The Garden'

'Man on Wire'

'Trouble the Water'

Best Original Score

'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

'Defiance'

'Milk'

'Slumdog Millionaire'

'WALL-E'

Best Original Song

'Down to Earth,' WALL-E

'Jai Ho,' 'Slumdog Millionaire'

'O Saya,' 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Best Film Editing

Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Lee Smith, 'The Dark Knight'

Mike Hill, Dan Hanley, 'Frost/Nixon'

Elliot Graham, 'Milk'

Chris Dickens, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

'The Conscience of Nhem En,' Steven Okazaki

'The Final Inch,' Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant

'Smile Pinki,' Megan Mylan

'The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306,' Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde

Best Cinematography

Tom Stern, 'Changeling'

Claudio Miranda, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Wally Pfister, 'The Dark Knight'

Chris Menges, Roger Deakins, 'The Reader'

Anthony Dod Mantle, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Best Costume Design

Catherine Martin, 'Australia'

Jacqueline West, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Michael O'Connor, 'The Duchess'

Danny Glicker, 'Milk'

Albert Wolsky, 'Revolutionary Road'

Best Sound Mixing

David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten, 'Benjamin Button'

Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick, 'The Dark Knight'

Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt, 'WALL-E'

Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt, 'Wanted'

Best Sound Editing

Richard King, 'The Dark Knight'

Frank Eulner, Christopher Boyes, 'Iron Man'

Tom Sayers, 'Slumdog Millionaire'

Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood, 'WALL-E'

Wylie Stateman, 'Wanted'

Best Live Action Short Film

'Auf der Strecke (On the Line),' Reto Caffi

'Manon on the Asphalt,' Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont

'New Boy,' Steph Green, Tamara Anghie

'The Pig,' Tivi Magnusson, Dorte Høgh

'Spielzeugland (Toyland),' Jochen Alexander Freydank

Best Animated Short Film

'La Maison de Petits Cubes,' Kunio Kato

'Lavatory - Lovestory,' Konstantin Bronzit

'Oktapodi,' Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand

'Presto,' Doug Sweetland

'This Way Up,' Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes

Best Makeup

Greg Cannom, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

John Caglione, Jr., Conor O'Sullivan, 'The Dark Knight'

Mike Elizalde, Thom Flout, 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'

Best Art Direction

James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis, 'Changeling'

Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando, 'The Dark Knight'

Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway, 'The Duchess'

Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt, 'Revolutionary Road'

Best Visual Effects

Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin, 'The Dark Knight'

John Nelson, Ben

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