81st Academy Awards list unveiled

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

The list of the 81st annual Oscar nominations was announced yesterday. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," a drama in which Brad Pitt plays a man who ages backward, led the field of Oscar contenders with 13 nominations.

"Slumdog Millionaire," the tale of an impoverished orphan's improbable victory on an Indian television game show, followed with 10, while the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" and the gay-rights saga "Milk" each landed eight.

"Benjamin Button," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Milk" will vie for best picture at the 81st annual Academy Awards on Feb. 22, alongside "The Reader" and "Frost/Nixon."

The nominations for "Benjamin Button" included best actor for Pitt, best director for David Fincher, best supporting actress for Taraji P. Henson and best adapted screenplay.

Meryl Streep, 59, already the all-time acting Oscar record holder with 14 nominations, landed her 15th with "Doubt," in which she plays a vindictive nun, according to a report by Reuters.

Kate Winslet received one nomination, The 33-year-old British actress was cited for her lead role as a former Nazi prison guard in "The Reader." Heath Ledger has a supporting actor nomination for "The Dark Knight," but the Batman blockbuster has been shut out from other top categories.

THE COMPLETE LIST OF 81ST ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS IS AS FOLLOWS:
Best Picture: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

Actor: Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor;" Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon;" Sean Penn, "Milk;" Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button;" Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler."

Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married;" Angelina Jolie, "Changeling;" Melissa Leo, "Frozen River;" Meryl Streep, "Doubt;" Kate Winslet, "The Reader."

Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, "Milk;" Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder;" Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt;" Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight;" Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road."

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."

Director: David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button;" Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon;" Gus Van Sant, "Milk;" Stephen Daldry, "The Reader;" Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire."

Foreign Film: "The Baader Meinhof Complex," Germany; "The Class," France; "Departures," Japan; "Revanche," Austria; "Waltz With Bashir," Israel.

Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button;" John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt;" Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon;" David Hare, "The Reader;" Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire."

Original Screenplay: Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River;" Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky;" Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges;" Dustin Lance Black, "Milk;" Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, "WALL-E."

Animated Feature Film: "Bolt;" "Kung Fu Panda;" "WALL-E."

Art Direction: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Duchess," "Revolutionary Road."

Cinematography: "Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

Sound Mixing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."

Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man," "Slumdog Millionaire," "WALL-E," "Wanted."

Original Score: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat; "Defiance," James Newton Howard; "Milk," Danny Elfman; "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman; "WALL-E," Thomas Newman.

Original Song: "Down to Earth" from "WALL-E," Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; "O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

Costume: "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Duchess," "Milk," "Revolutionary Road."

Documentary Feature: "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)," "Encounters at the End of the World," "The Garden," "Man on Wire," "Trouble the Water."

Documentary (short subject): "The Conscience of Nhem En," "The Final Inch," "Smile Pinki," "The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306."

Film Editing: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "Slumdog Millionaire."

Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

Animated Short Film: "La Maison en Petits Cubes," "Lavatory - Lovestory," "Oktapodi," "Presto," "This Way Up."

Live Action Short Film: "Auf der Strecke (On the Line)," "Manon on the Asphalt," "New Boy," "The Pig," "Spielzeugland (Toyland)."

Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man."