And the 2008 Oscar Nominees are...

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

- NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY - 81ST AWARDS -

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor" (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon" (Universal)
Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in "Milk" (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling" (Universal)
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)Best animated feature film of the year
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Bolt" (Walt Disney)</td><td>Chris Williams and Byron Howard</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Kung Fu Panda" (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount)</td><td>John Stevenson and Mark Osborne</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"WALL-E" (Walt Disney)</td><td>Andrew Stanton</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in art direction
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Changeling" (Universal)</td><td>Art Direction: James J. Murakami
Set Decoration: Gary Fettis</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt
Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)</td><td>Art Direction: Nathan Crowley
Set Decoration: Peter Lando</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films)</td><td>Art Direction: Michael Carlin
Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)</td><td>Art Direction: Kristi Zea
Set Decoration: Debra Schutt</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in cinematography
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Changeling" (Universal)</td><td>Tom Stern</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>Claudio Miranda</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)</td><td>Wally Pfister</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)</td><td>Chris Menges and Roger Deakins</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>Anthony Dod Mantle</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in costume design
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Australia" (20th Century Fox)</td><td>Catherine Martin</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>Jacqueline West</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) </td><td>Michael O'Connor</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Milk" (Focus Features)</td><td>Danny Glicker</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)</td><td>Albert Wolsky</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in directing
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>David Fincher</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Frost/Nixon" (Universal)</td><td>Ron Howard</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Milk" (Focus Features)</td><td>Gus Van Sant</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)</td><td>Stephen Daldry</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>Danny Boyle</td></tr></tbody></table>Best documentary feature
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)" (Cinema Guild)
A Pandinlao Films Production</td><td>Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Encounters at the End of the World" (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment)
A Creative Differences Production</td><td>Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Garden"
A Black Valley Films Production</td><td>Scott Hamilton Kennedy</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Man on Wire" (Magnolia Pictures)
A Wall to Wall Production</td><td>James Marsh and Simon Chinn</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Trouble the Water" (Zeitgeist Films)
An Elsewhere Films Production</td><td>Tia Lessin and Carl Deal</td></tr></tbody></table>Best documentary short subject
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Conscience of Nhem En"
A Farallon Films Production</td><td>Steven Okazaki</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Final Inch"
A Vermilion Films Production</td><td>Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Smile Pinki"
A Principe Production</td><td>Megan Mylan</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"
A Rock Paper Scissors Production</td><td>Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in film editing
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)</td><td>Lee Smith</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Frost/Nixon" (Universal)</td><td>Mike Hill and Dan Hanley</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Milk" (Focus Features)</td><td>Elliot Graham</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>Chris Dickens</td></tr></tbody></table>Best foreign language film of the year
"The Baader Meinhof Complex" A Constantin Film Production - Germany
"The Class" (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haut et Court Production - France
"Departures" (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners Production - Japan
"Revanche" (Janus Films) A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production - Austria
"Waltz with Bashir" (Sony Pictures Classics) A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production - IsraelAchievement in makeup
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>Greg Cannom</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)</td><td>John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (Universal)</td><td>Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>Alexandre Desplat</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Defiance" (Paramount Vantage)</td><td>James Newton Howard</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Milk" (Focus Features)</td><td>Danny Elfman</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>A.R. Rahman</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"WALL-E" (Walt Disney)</td><td>Thomas Newman</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E" (Walt Disney)</td><td>Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Lyric by Peter Gabriel</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>Music by A.R. Rahman
Lyric by Gulzar</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam</td></tr></tbody></table>Best motion picture of the year
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
A Kennedy/Marshall Production</td><td>Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Frost/Nixon" (Universal)
A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production</td><td>Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Milk" (Focus Features)
A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production</td><td>Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)
A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production</td><td>Nominees to be determined</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)
A Celador Films Production</td><td>Christian Colson, Producer</td></tr></tbody></table>Best animated short film
<table><tbody><tr><td>"La Maison en Petits Cubes"
A Robot Communications Production</td><td>Kunio Kato</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Lavatory - Lovestory"
A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production</td><td>Konstantin Bronzit</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Oktapodi" (Talantis Films)
A Gobelins, L'école de l'image Production</td><td>Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Presto" (Walt Disney)
A Pixar Animation Studios Production</td><td>Doug Sweetland</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"This Way Up"
A Nexus Production</td><td>Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes</td></tr></tbody></table>Best live action short film
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)" (Hamburg Shortfilmagency)
An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production</td><td>Reto Caffi</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Manon on the Asphalt" (La Luna Productions)
A La Luna Production</td><td>Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"New Boy" (Network Ireland Television)
A Zanzibar Films Production</td><td>Steph Green and Tamara Anghie</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Pig"
An M & M Production</td><td>Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Spielzeugland (Toyland)"
A Mephisto Film Production</td><td>Jochen Alexander Freydank</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in sound editing
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)</td><td>Richard King</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Iron Man" (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment)</td><td>Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>Tom Sayers</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"WALL-E" (Walt Disney)</td><td>Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Wanted" (Universal)</td><td>Wylie Stateman</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in sound mixing
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)</td><td>Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"WALL-E" (Walt Disney)</td><td>Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Wanted" (Universal)</td><td>Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt</td></tr></tbody></table>Achievement in visual effects
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)</td><td>Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Iron Man" (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment)</td><td>John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan</td></tr></tbody></table>Adapted screenplay
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)</td><td>Screenplay by Eric Roth
Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Doubt" (Miramax)</td><td>Written by John Patrick Shanley</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Frost/Nixon" (Universal)</td><td>Screenplay by Peter Morgan</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)</td><td>Screenplay by David Hare</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)</td><td>Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy</td></tr></tbody></table>Original screenplay
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics)</td><td>Written by Courtney Hunt</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Happy-Go-Lucky" (Miramax)</td><td>Written by Mike Leigh</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"In Bruges" (Focus Features)</td><td>Written by Martin McDonagh</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"Milk" (Focus Features)</td><td>Written by Dustin Lance Black</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tbody><tr><td>"WALL-E" (Walt Disney)</td><td>Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon
Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Lilaena De'Ville]

http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn=nomineesFrom here!


Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

- MOTION PICTURE NOMINATIONS - 81ST AWARDS

- NOMINATIONS BY PICTURE -

(This list does not include Short Films or Documentary Short Subjects)


"Australia," a 20th Century Fox/Bazmark Film 2 Pty Ltd Production (20th Century Fox) (1 nomination)

Costume design

"The Baader Meinhof Complex," a Constantin Film Production (1 nomination)

Best foreign language film (Germany)

"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)," a Pandinlao Films Production (Cinema Guild) (1 nomination)

Documentary feature

"Bolt," a Walt Disney Pictures Production (Walt Disney) (1 nomination)

Best animated feature film

"Changeling," a Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment Production (Universal) (3 nominations)

Angelina Jolie - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Art direction
Cinematography

"The Class," a Haut et Court Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)

Best foreign language film (France)

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," a Kennedy/Marshall Production (Paramount and Warner Bros.) (13 nominations)

Brad Pitt - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Taraji P. Henson - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Art direction
Cinematography
Costume design
Directing
Film editing
Makeup
Original score
Best picture
Sound mixing
Visual effects
Adapted screenplay

"The Dark Knight," a Cape Road Limited Production (Warner Bros.) (8 nominations)

Heath Ledger - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Art direction
Cinematography
Film editing
Makeup
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Visual effects

"Defiance," a Grosvenor Park/Bedford Falls Production (Paramount Vantage) (1 nomination)

Original score

"Departures," a Departures Film Partners Production (Regent Releasing) (1 nomination)

Best foreign language film (Japan)

"Doubt," a Scott Rudin Production (Miramax) (5 nominations)

Philip Seymour Hoffman - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Meryl Streep - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Amy Adams - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Viola Davis - Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adapted screenplay

"The Duchess," a Qwerty Films/Magnolia Mae Films in association with Pathé Renn and BIM Distribuzione Production (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) (2 nominations)

Art direction
Costume design

"Encounters at the End of the World," a Creative Differences Production (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment) (1 nomination)

Documentary feature

"Frost/Nixon," a Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production (Universal) (5 nominations)

Frank Langella - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Directing
Film editing
Best picture
Adapted screenplay

"Frozen River," a Harwood Hunt Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (2 nominations)

Melissa Leo - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Original screenplay

"The Garden," a Black Valley Films Production (1 nomination)

Documentary feature

"Happy-Go-Lucky," a Thin Man Films/Simon Channing Williams Production (Miramax) (1 nomination)

Original screenplay

"Hellboy II: The Golden Army," a Universal Pictures Production (Universal) (1 nomination)

Makeup

"In Bruges," a Blueprint Pictures Production (Focus Features) (1 nomination)

Original screenplay

"Iron Man," a Marvel Studios Production (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment) (2 nominations)

Sound editing
Visual effects

"Kung Fu Panda," a DreamWorks Animation LLC Production (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) (1 nomination)

Best animated feature film

"Man on Wire," a Wall to Wall Production (Magnolia Pictures) (1 nomination)

Documentary feature

"Milk," a Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production (Focus Features) (8 nominations)

Sean Penn - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Josh Brolin - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Costume design
Directing
Film editing
Original score
Best picture
Original screenplay

"Rachel Getting Married," a Clinica Estetico Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)

Anne Hathaway - Performance by an actress in a leading role

"The Reader," a Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production (The Weinstein Company) (5 nominations)

Kate Winslet - Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cinematography
Directing
Best picture
Adapted screenplay

"Revanche," a Prisma Film/Fernseh Production (Janus Films) (1 nomination)

Best foreign language film (Austria)

"Revolutionary Road," an Evamere Entertainment, BBC Films and Neal Street Production (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) (3 nominations)

Michael Shannon - Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Art direction
Costume design

"Slumdog Millionaire," a Celador Films Production (Fox Searchlight) (10 nominations)

Cinematography
Directing
Film editing
Original score
Original song - "Jai Ho"
Original song - "O Saya"
Best picture
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Adapted screenplay

"Tropic Thunder," a Red Hour Production (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/ Paramount) (1 nomination)

Robert Downey Jr. - Performance by an actor in a supporting role

"Trouble the Water," an Elsewhere Films Production (Zeitgeist Films) (1 nomination)

Documentary feature

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona," a Weinstein Company Production (The Weinstein Company) (1 nomination)

Penélope Cruz - Performance by an actress in a supporting role

"The Visitor," a Groundswell, Participant, Next Wednesday Production (Overture Films) (1 nomination)

Richard Jenkins - Performance by an actor in a leading role

"WALL-E," a Pixar Animation Studios Production (Walt Disney) (6 nominations)

Best animated feature film
Original score
Original song - "Down to Earth"
Sound editing
Sound mixing
Original screenplay

"Waltz with Bashir," a Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production (Sony Pictures Classics) (1 nomination)

Best foreign language film (Israel)

"Wanted," a Universal Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment Production (Universal) (2 nominations)

Sound editing
Sound mixing

"The Wrestler," a Protozoa Pictures/Wild Bunch Production (Fox Searchlight) (2 nominations)

Mickey Rourke - Performance by an actor in a leading role
Marisa Tomei - Performance by an actress in a supporting role

[Lilaena De'Ville]

So, is Heath Ledger a lock for Best Supporting Actor, or do you think that the Academy might award it to someone else? I am sort of surprised to see Robert Downey Jr nominated for his role in Tropic Thunder, although he was very good in it.

And I was kinda hoping The Dark Knight might be nominated for Best Picture. I bet Slumdog Millionaire has all the momentum for that right now, what with the Golden Globe win.

[Cat X]

WHAT on earth Downey is doing being nominated in Tropic Thunder is beyond me. Good acting yes, nomination worthy? Hell no.

May as well give the best animated to Wall-E now. Utter lock.

[Crusader]

I hope that the Baader Meinhof Complex does not get the award for best foreign picture...I don't like the way the RAF terrorists get away in this movie.

[Captain Untouchable]

I'd be genuinely surprised if Heath Ledger doesn't get the Oscar; about as surprised as if WALL-E doesn't pick up the animated feature award. They'll probably get one or two of the music ones as well, given how pretty much everythin in the first half of the movie was conveyed through the audio.

I've not seen Benjamin Button, but of the other two in the visual effects category, my money would be on Iron Man; there are points in that when the only reason you know it's a special effect is because there's no way they could've achieved it otherwise. Did you know that the animated model for the suit is as completely accurate piece-by-piece replica of the physical model; even the parts that aren't visible in any of the shots? Talk about attention to detail...

[Lykaios]

I'm really rooting for The Dark Knight in all categories, particularly Heath's nomination, I'd love for him to get the a posthumous Academy Award.

I wouldn't venture to say he's a lock though, I've seen stranger things happen in the awards-world =/

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I've been meaning to ask - is there a reason that most categories have 5 nominees, but not all of them? Like, Visual Effects, there are only three nominees, same with Best Animated Picture. Although, for Animated Picture there aren't that many released so I understand that. But almost every single movie these days employ some sort of visual effects. So what gives?

[Thall]

I think it may have something to do with how they're rated ie. all films submitted for consideration are given a rating - those that are above a certain threshold get nominated (if there are too many then the bar is raised even higher).

I'm not 100% sure though - that's sort of what i read yesterday when looking through some of the nominees. There's been a bit of a stink raised about the Best Orginal Song category - only 3 nominees (2 from Slumdog Millionaire) and they omitted Bruce Springsteen's song from The Wrestler which was a hot favourite to win apparently.

Maybe CMJ or someone might be able to shed a bit of light on it better than me.

[Yog]

^^ Yeah, I will leave it to CMJ to explain that.

The nominations are more or less what I expected. There are a few I strongly disagree with and some obvious omissions, but overall a decent list.

[Rutabaga]

WHAT on earth Downey is doing being nominated in Tropic Thunder is beyond me. Good acting yes, nomination worthy? Hell no.

May as well give the best animated to Wall-E now. Utter lock.

Agreed on both counts.

On the Tropic Thunder issue, I actually turned it off about 3/4 of the way through because I just found it boring. Downey was fabulous in a challenging role BUT I also had a hard time understanding him because it seemed like he mumbled a lot of his lines. Maybe I would have heard him better in a movie theater, but at home, eh, I just didn't always get what he was saying.

Personally I think he was better in Iron Man.

And I also hope that Heath Ledger is a lock. It will be a bittersweet moment for sure, but overall, he still would be a deserving nominee and winner even if he hadn't passed away.

[Yog]

I did not think Tropic Thunder was bad, but it has no business being nominated for an acting oscar, and it was very overrated.

[CMJ]

Some categories have "bake offs" where a committee narrows the potentials to a select few. If from that narrowed list only 2-4 songs, or V/FX, are reach the nomination percentage then the category goes with the lesser number.

Song usually has 5 nominees, not this year. Visual Effects often has more as well.

Does that make sense?

I should dig up the nominating process stuff I posted a year or two ago.

[CMJ]

The nomination ballots for the 80th Academy Awards are due this Saturday at 5 p.m. PST, at which point a team of about a dozen accountants from PricewaterhouseCoopers will tabulate the votes. It will take seven days of counting to determine the nominees. It takes that long because the Academy uses the rather complicated preferential-voting system. Furthermore, the counting is done by hand. That's right — in an age of computers, the Oscar nominations are still determined by moving thousands of paper ballots into pile after pile after pile.

Since this process seems so contrary to public perception, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited a group of journalists to a demonstration of the voting procedure. Accountants Brad Oltmanns and Rick Rosas, who will lead the balloting process for the Academy this year (and, thereby, will be the only two people in the world to know the actual winners before the show airs), conducted a mock voting tabulation for the 1939 Best Actress race. We journalists voted for nominees and then observed what happened to our ballots.

The following is a detailed and yet hopefully clear description of exactly how the Oscar nominees are determined.


(1) The Academy is made up of approximately 6,000 members. Each member belongs to a branch — the directing branch, the writing branch, the cinematography branch, etc. You can't belong to multiple branches, so the Coen brothers are out of luck even though they direct, write, and edit their movies.

(2) Each branch votes within its own category: Actors vote for all the acting categories; directors vote in the direction category; and so on. Everybody gets to vote for Best Picture.

(3) Voters are asked to list up to five names, ranked in order of preference. The Academy instructs voters to "follow their hearts" because the voting process doesn't penalize for picking eccentric choices, as we will see. Also, listing the same person or film twice doesn't help their cause — in fact, it actually
diminishes the chance that the voter's ballot will be counted at all.

(4) A "magic number" is devised for each award category. This number is calculated by taking the total number of ballots received for that category and dividing it by the number of possible nominees plus one. So, for Best Actress, say that 600 ballots were received. There are always five nominees chosen for Best Actress, so you divide 600 ballots by six (five potential nominees plus one), which equals 100. That's your magic number.

(5) The magic number is important because as soon as a potential nominee reaches that number, they automatically become an official nominee. And so, the counting begins...

(6) The ballots are sorted into piles based upon each voter's first-choice selection. A nominee must have at least one first-choice vote to be eligible. If any nominee reaches the magic number based solely upon first-choice selections, they're in. So, for the 1939 race, let's say Bette Davis received 125 first-choice votes. She's now an official nominee, and all the ballots that listed her as a first-choice are set aside — those ballots are done.

(7) We now have four nominee slots left to fill. The actress who received the fewest first-place votes is eliminated, and those ballots are redistributed to the other piles based upon those voters' second-place selections and another round of tabulations begin. Let's say Vivien Leigh started out with 98 first-choice votes, and now has received two more votes from ballots that were redistributed. She has reached the magic number (100) — she's in! All the ballots in Vivien Leigh's pile are set aside.

(8) This process is continued. The actress who has the fewest ballots in her pile has those ballots redistributed to other piles based upon the voters' second-choice selections, and if need be, their third-choice, fourth-choice, and fifth-choice selections. If a ballot runs out of selections, that ballot is voided and is no longer in play, which is why it's important for voters to list five different nominees.

(9) The magic number will drop as ballots are voided. For instance, if 12 ballots are voided, the new magic number becomes 588 divided by 6 = 98.

(10) Actresses continue to be eliminated and ballots redistributed until five nominees reach the most current magic number, OR until there are only 5 nominees left in the running.

And there you have it. What this process means is that it's better to have a small but passionate group of voters who love your film than a larger but less passionate group. And it explains how a small foreign movie such as City of God was nominated in four major categories — it inspired enough supporters who most likely placed it No. 1 or No. 2 on their ballots to let it squeak into the final five. Having a lot of No. 4 or No. 5 votes isn't as advantageous because most of those ballots will have already been counted toward another film.


And in case you're wondering, the procedure for choosing the Oscar winner is much simpler. Once the nominations are decided, the entire Academy can vote for every category. Each member gets one vote per category, and the nominee that receives the most votes wins. It takes the accountants only three days to determine those winners.

Academy voters are discouraged from voting in categories they don't fully understand (who knows exactly what sound editing is?), and from voting in categories in which they haven't seen all the nominees. But try convincing a member not to vote in a certain technical category — checking boxes is just way too much fun.

So, when the nominations are announced on the morning of Jan. 22, now you know how and why about 1,700 "person-hours" went into the effort. Let's hope there still is an actual Academy Awards show this year. At the voting demonstration, Sid Ganis, the Academy's president, said the show was on and that they are doing everything they normally would be doing right now. But, only time (and many disgruntled writers) will tell.

How much are you hoping the Oscars will go on this year? And please tell me that my explanation of the voting process made sense.

[Thall]

Thanks CMJ. Regarding my earlier comment re: Best Original Song here's the article I was referring to earlier regarding the choice of only 3 nominess in that category and the omission of Bruce Springsteen:

LA Times: The rules changed, but the song stays the same (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/01/oscar-song-race.html)





While I'm here, here are the links to Slate and Salon and their comments on the nominees:

Slate's say on the Oscar Nominees (http://www.slate.com/id/2209520/entry/2209557/)

Salon's say on the Oscar Nominees (http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2009/01/22/oscars/index.html)

[CMJ]

Slate and Salon are too blowhard magazines by and large. :lol

I've got a good start on my annual Oscar blitz. Some quality work has been recognized, however I am saddened by some of the exclusions.

But what else is new. :D

[Jedi Master Carr]

Well I think the Dark Knight should have been nominated. The most popular movie and one of most critically liked movie of the year is ignored in most of the major categories.

[CMJ]

I was actually surprised it wasn't honestly. The Academy has an aversion to genre films, but usually they do end up nominating them if they are just too big to ignore(like say the original SW, Sixth Sense, or Raiders of the Lost Ark).

Plus it had showed up in most of the Guild awards.

I think the preferential voting worked against it. Probably it showed up on most ballots as a 3-5 choice. While say...The Reader didn't show up on that many, but had a tight knit group of support that ranked it #1.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I was actually surprised it wasn't honestly. The Academy has an aversion to genre films, but usually they do end up nominating them if they are just too big to ignore(like say the original SW, Sixth Sense, or Raiders of the Lost Ark).

Plus it had showed up in most of the Guild awards.

I think the preferential voting worked against it. Probably it showed up on most ballots as a 3-5 choice. While say...The Reader didn't show up on that many, but had a tight knit group of support that ranked it #1.

Yeah that voting system is kind of insane. They need to change it to prevent something like this. I am surprised the Reader since the movie has gotten mixed reviews from critics unless it just has a die hard base.

[CMJ]

Yeah that voting system is kind of insane. They need to change it to prevent something like this. I am surprised the Reader since the movie has gotten mixed reviews from critics unless it just has a die hard base.

I like the voting system(maybe not this time around, but...), because it offers interesting results. It will let films that have an intense core of support show up, even though it might not be a "popular" film. That way you should get a more diverse lineup.

[Rutabaga]

Just as an aside...I watched The Duchess this afternoon and can totally understand the nomination for the costumes. Not getting nominated would have been a crime.

[CMJ]

What about Art/Set Design? Duchess is still on my list of things to see.

I finally saw The Visitor last night and adored it. I'm doing pretty well with my annual Oscar rundown, but I still have quite a few holes.

[Rutabaga]

What about Art/Set Design? Duchess is still on my list of things to see.

Oh, I hadn't noticed the Art/Set Design nom...yes, that one is well-deserved too. I also have to say that if the Oscars were like the Emmys and had an award for hair-styling, The Duchess would be a shoe-in there as well :D.

Don't have super high expectations for the movie overall. I enjoyed it because I always love these English costume dramas (and it's interesting to see some parallels to Princess Diana's life, since Georgianna Spencer was her ancestor), but overall it was fairly average.

[CMJ]

The Makeup category also includes hair styling.

[Rutabaga]

I never knew that...I guess you learn something new every day! :)

[Nya Halcyon]

Wow.... of all those I've seen The Class, In Bruges and Wall-E.

[CMJ]

I'm doing really well. I'll try and have prognositcations and my own thoughts shortly before the ceremony.

[J'ktal Anajii]

I really do hope that Hellboy II gets it for makeup. Even if just for Doug Jones' Abe Sapien getup. And Ron Perlman still looked great as Hellboy, textured red skin and all.

[CMJ]

I haven't really been posting the critics or guild awards this year. But for the last few years i've been a voting member in the International Online Cinema Awards - I believe this was 6th year of them(I wasn't involved in the first couple).

Anyways, here is what we came up with. Now, I'm only one of about 250 people, so don't blame me for the final results(alot of stuff I voted for didn't win).


BEST PICTURE
Milk

BEST DIRECTOR
Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR
Sean Penn, Milk

BEST ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST ENSEMBLE
Milk

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM
Waltz with Bashir (Israel)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Wall-E

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
In Bruges, Martin McDonagh

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Slumdog Millionaire, Simon Beaufoy

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Dark Knight, Wally Pfister

BEST EDITING
The Dark Knight, Lee Smith

BEST ART DIRECTION
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Donald Graham Burt and Victor J. Zolfo

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Fall, Eiko Ishioka

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
The Wrestler, "The Wrestler"

BEST SOUND MIXING
The Dark Knight

BEST SOUND EDITING
Wall-E

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

[Jesimae Lawson]

In my opinion I would love to see an upset this year.

My opinions on Heath Ledger are nothing but good, however I don't think he deserves an award just because he passed on which is what I feel like they are going to do. I loved the Dark Knight, I am a HUGE Batman fangirl, but come on. We all know he is going to get it on the wrong premises. I feel that Josh Brolin and Philip Seymour Hoffman were superb in "Milk" and "Doubt". I would feel kind of cheated if neither one of them won the award, but I already know...Heath is a dead win. (No pun intended).

As for Best Picture...I am PISSED "Dark Knight" wasn't on there. My vote goes to anything BUT "Slumdog Millionare" simply because I found that it came off as a cheesy movie, it was going to be released on DVD instead of theaters. I dunno, I don't like the idea of a man going onto a gameshow just because he hoped this girl was watching him. I feel the same about "The Wrestler". To me it sounded a lot like Rocky Balboa, you know retired guy coming back to fight...meh. That is just me. I love upsets.

Something to be upset about...why was "Gran Torino" jipped? Talk about a beautiful movie!

[CMJ]

So prediction time with thoughts?

Best motion picture of the year
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

Out of the nominated five, my pick would be Buttons, but Slumdog has captured the imagination of critics and the film industry. I can't say I thought The Reader was particularly great, but it's a quality film and I can see how it had a passionate base of support. Very much enjoyed F/N, but I seem to like many of Howard's films. Milk seemed very topical this year with the whole Prop 8 mess in CA, couldn't have planned that release better. I think this is gonna be a huge night for Slumdog, and an upset would be stunning at this point. On a side note, it's my 2nd choice, so hardly a bad pick by the AMPAS.


Achievement in directing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (David Fincher)
"Frost/Nixon" (Ron Howard)
"Milk" (Gus Van Sant)
"The Reader" (Stephen Daldry)
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Danny Boyle)

Boyle won the Directors Guild of America Award. The DGA and Best Director nearly always go together. It's something like 90% of the time that they agree. Plus Picture and Director usually match. My vote would be for Fincher.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor"
Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn in "Milk"
Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler"

Rourke was outstanding, and barely gets my vote over a fantastic Jenkins. Five terrific performances, I'd be happy with any of them winning. I believe Rourke's comeback story is gonna nose out Penn for the win.

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling"
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep in "Doubt"
Kate Winslet in "The Reader"

Looks like Kate will finally get her well earned first Oscar. I probably woulda given her about 3 by now, so it amuses me when she finally does win I wouldn't be voting for her :lol Haven't seen Hathaway, but the other four ladies were most impressive. I'd go with Melissa Leo, who was really memorable as a cash strapped mother smuggling illegals over the border for dough.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Josh Brolin in "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt"
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight"
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road"

Oddly enough posthumous oscars are quite rare, so it's somewhat surprising that Ledger has built up this kind of inevitability. I believe he might have been a slight favorite even if he'd been alive to be honest. Brolin, however, has had some real quality work these last couple of years and might have been in the pole position. These are all really different sorts of performances, but I think I would vote for Downey Jr., who cracked me up till it hurt in TT.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Doubt"
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Viola Davis in "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler"

Haven't seen Cruz, who is considered the frontrunner in a pretty wide open category. Among the other four, my favorite was Tomei, who really shone in Wrestler.

Original screenplay
"Frozen River" Written by Courtney Hunt
"Happy-Go-Lucky" Written by Mike Leigh
"In Bruges" Written by Martin McDonagh
"Milk" Written by Dustin Lance Black
"WALL-E" Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Being the only BP nominee in the group gives Milk a big adavantage in the category, but this is a pretty wide open race. I'd go with the robot...musta been a helluva script to write with no dialogue for the entire first act.

Adapted screenplay
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
"Doubt" Written by John Patrick Shanley
"Frost/Nixon" Screenplay by Peter Morgan
"The Reader" Screenplay by David Hare
"Slumdog Millionaire" Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

This one will just continue the Slumdog sweep. I'd once again go with Benjamin Buttons

Best animated feature film of the year
"Bolt"
"Kung Fu Panda"
"WALL-E"

Not only the best animated film of the year, but for my money - the best film bar none of 2008.

Achievement in art direction
"Changeling" Art Direction: James J. Murakami
Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt
Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
"The Dark Knight" Art Direction: Nathan Crowley
Set Decoration: Peter Lando
"The Duchess" Art Direction: Michael Carlin
Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
"Revolutionary Road" Art Direction: Kristi Zea
Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Tough category....five totally different time periods...in one film. That's why Buttons gets my vote AND prediction. But you really can't go wrong with any of the others. I wish I could vote for Changling here, as I thought the Sets were quite exceptional as well.

Achievement in cinematography
"Changeling" Tom Stern
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Claudio Miranda
"The Dark Knight" Wally Pfister
"The Reader" Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
"Slumdog Millionaire" Anthony Dod Mantle

Put another one down for the little film that could. I'd probably go with Dark Knight, especially for the integrating of IMAX cameras with regular 35mm footage. Tough category to choose tho, really tough.

Achievement in costume design
"Australia" Catherine Martin
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Jacqueline West
"The Duchess" Michael O'Connor
"Milk" Danny Glicker
"Revolutionary Road" Albert Wolsky

Exquisite costumes, that I think the Academy will and should go for. The other nominees are all worthy as well - but it's hard to beat the flashiness of The Duchess.

Best documentary feature
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"The Garden"
"Man on Wire"
"Trouble the Water"

Haven't seen any of these, but this one has the most buzz.

Best documentary short subject
"The Conscience of Nhem En"
"The Final Inch"
"Smile Pinki"
"The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306"

Haven't seen any of these, but this one is about the death of MLK, seems a good bet to me.

Achievement in film editing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
"The Dark Knight" Lee Smith
"Frost/Nixon" Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
"Milk" Elliot Graham
"Slumdog Millionaire" Chris Dickens

Expect another Slumdog win. My personal choice would probably be Buttons, however, Elliot Graham is a friend of a friend - so it'd be pretty incredible to see him win an Oscar.

Best foreign language film of the year
"The Baader Meinhof Complex"
"The Class"
"Departures"
"Revanche"
"Waltz with Bashir"

Haven't seen any of them...but it's a film about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Waltz seems golden to me.


Achievement in makeup
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Greg Cannom
"The Dark Knight" John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army" Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Alot of old age makeup(some of that effect was with VFX, but alot was also makeup). I think it gets the nod here.


Achievement in music written for motion pictures (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

Another one for Slumdog. I wish Desplat could win.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"Down to Earth" from "WALL-E" Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Lyric by Peter Gabriel
"Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire" Music by A.R. Rahman
Lyric by Gulzar
"O Saya" from "Slumdog Millionaire" Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

Tempted to predict Down to Earth, because usually when a film has multiple songs, it wins none. But I think Jai Ho is the favorite.

Best animated short film
"La Maison en Petits Cubes" Kunio Kato
"Lavatory - Lovestory" Konstantin Bronzit
"Oktapodi" Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
"Presto" Doug Sweetland
"This Way Up" Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Delightful films all, but La Maison en Petis Cubes is such a sweet and heartbreaking look at one man's life, while the others are more out and out comedies - it just seems like it'll take the "serious" vote. It's also my favorite of the five, but really....a great set of noms.

Best live action short film
"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)" Reto Caffi
"Manon on the Asphalt" Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
"New Boy" Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
"The Pig" Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
"Spielzeugland (Toyland)" Jochen Alexander Freydank

Toyland is about the Holocaust, seems like the obvious pick. Excellent short as well. But my heart belongs to Manon on the Asphalt which is one of those stories that makes you want to embrace life ----because you never know how short it is.

Achievement in sound editing
"The Dark Knight" Richard King
"Iron Man" Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
"Slumdog Millionaire" Tom Sayers
"WALL-E" Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
"Wanted" Wylie Stateman

The first 30 minutes of the film was all about sound effects and sound, which is why I think it wins both categories.

Achievement in sound mixing
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
"The Dark Knight" Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
"Slumdog Millionaire" Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
"WALL-E" Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
"Wanted" Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

See above, but watch out for SM....if it gets to be a total sweep, these could go its way too.

Achievement in visual effects
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
"The Dark Knight" Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
"Iron Man" John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan


I think AMPAS throws TDK another bone. Can't argue against any of these three.

[The Original BuffJedi]

I with Jesimae I really hope they don't GIVE the award to Ledger just because he killed himself. The Oscars are and have been a joke to me for a long time. But lately they have been slowly earning some, all be it little respect from me. If they bow to public opinion and GIVE the award to him, It would be a slap in the face of actors with talent that have actually honed their craft. Ledgers performance in Batman was Mediocre at best. When I first heard he was cast for the Joker I cringed for fear that he would ruin it, and although he didn't ruin it, he made it one of the worst Batman films to date when this one should have been all but flawless. Good thing the rest of the cast made up for his short comings.

[CMJ]

I can't disagree more - Ledger was the main reason the film worked so well. And it was by far the best Batman film to date.

[The Original BuffJedi]

I can't disagree more - Ledger was the main reason the film worked so well. And it was by far the best Batman film to date.i totally respect your opinion, but he did nothing for me, he brought nothing to the film, well other than his death bringing attention to the Batman franchise that it has deserved for years anyway, and curiosity from non fans brought Millions of dollars. But as far as performance, it was a joke. I never even once believed his character, never found anything malice or sinister about it. He was just a man in makeup, with a speech impediment and a tick, that's it. Never once did I even think "wow this cat's crazy' or I wouldn't wanna meet this guy in a dark alley. He was, I should re itterate was funny as he77, but I don't think funny was what they/he was going for. But again that's my opinion and many people disagree with me and that's cool. But they would have been better off, performance wise ,cutting in Ceaser Romero's joker.It would have been more effective.

[Mu Satach]

Interesting, your description of Ledger's Joker is exactly how I feel about Romero's Joker.

[Atreyu]

Respect your opinion buff, but I'm with CMJ here - Ledger is indeed probably the best thing in The Dark Knight (though everyone else is also outstanding as well). :)

(although I still hold it slightly below Batman Begins - if only because that film just completely WOWed me when it came out as I wasn't expecting it to be that good, whereas TDK's excellence was pretty much already a given)
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Back to the Oscars themselves, I've barely seen ANY films on the list so can't really make any reasonable comment or prediction.

Indeed, the thing I'm looking forward to most is Hugh Jackman hosting. :)

[Jedi Master Carr]

Ledger was amazing he was the best Joker we have had except one. Only the one from the Batman Animated series with Hamill voicing him was better. I also thought this was the best Batman movie ever heck it made 540 million that does say something.

[The Original BuffJedi]

Respect your opinion buff, but I'm with CMJ here - Ledger is indeed probably the best thing in The Dark Knight (though everyone else is also outstanding as well). :)

(although I still hold it slightly below Batman Begins - if only because that film just completely WOWed me when it came out as I wasn't expecting it to be that good, whereas TDK's excellence was pretty much already a given)
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Back to the Oscars themselves, I've barely seen ANY films on the list so can't really make any reasonable comment or prediction.

Indeed, the thing I'm looking forward to most is Hugh Jackman hosting. :) I think a lot of people agree with you Cmj, and Mu, but I have come to the conclusion that people are allowed to be wrong ;) j/k. But difference's is what makes the world go round. But you never know, I may watch it a few more times and his performance may grow on me, or something may just click. But, I have to say that if I do watch the Oscars it will be for Jackman, that's a cool Son of a gun.

[Jesimae Lawson]

I thought Heath Ledger's joker was pretty good. He actually made me fear the Joker like the series intended. I do feel, however, that the Dark Knight was overrated but good none the less.

[Droo]

First of all, saying Heath Ledger killed himself is incorrect and unfair, it was an accidental overdose and saying he killed himself implies that it was deliberate. Secondly, his performance in that film is monumental.

[Jesimae Lawson]

I definitely agree.

[Jedi Master Carr]

Jackman did a great job with the opening. It reminded me of when Billy Crystal hosted the show.

[The Original BuffJedi]

First of all, saying Heath Ledger killed himself is incorrect and unfair, it was an accidental overdose and saying he killed himself implies that it was deliberate. Secondly, his performance in that film is monumental.I smoke, and if indeed smoking causes cancer and I die from it, i did it of my own accord. if you drink and drive and you crash and die from it, you knew the dangers, you killed yourself.If someone miss uses drugs(they know the danger) you asked for it, sounds harsh but sadly true. His performance, in my opinion was monumentally bad.BUT that's how I feel about it and if that offends people, sorry, I'm not going to get mad at someone who liked his performance.

[Jedi Master Carr]

That isn't killing yourself. I mean if I cross the street and get killed I guess I killed myself too. Plus then 90% of us are killing us since we are giving ourselves cancer or heart disease by what we eat, drink and smoke.

[Droo]

We're killing ourselves because we're growing old? We're killing ourselves because we eat, drink, excercise, don't excercise, inhale smog, are surrounded by bacteria? I'm sorry, your train of thought is based on a pseudo-philosophy at best, we're all destined to die so by living are we killing ourselves? There's no end to that kind of existensial nonsense, I'm afraid, and I have to completely disagree with you on it. Anyway, I'm aware this is a hijack so I'll refrain from contributing to it further.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am happy Heath won, he deserved the Oscar, its sad he had to die.

[Rutabaga]

Without a doubt, the emotional high point of the ceremony was Heath Ledger's win. He deserved the nomination regardless of what happened to him one year ago, and by the same token he totally deserved the award. His Joker will go down in history as one of the greatest villains in modern movie history. No exaggeration.

And although there is still time left in the ceremony, I think it's safe to say that Hugh Jackman has himself another regular job. I hope they invite him back next year. :love

[Peter McCoy]

I'm thrilled for Slumdog Millionaire, I'm thrilled for Danny Boyle and I'm thrilled for Kate Winslet. (her dad whistling made me laugh so much :))

Go Brits!

And I was very happy that Heath Ledger got Best Supporting Actor.

To chip in on the Ledger/Batman discussion: I disagree with the mention that Heath Ledgers death brought the Batman franchise the attention it deserved.

Batman Begins, as a film, brought the franchise the attention it deserved. And when I say deserved, I do mean the Batman franchise. The two prior films took away a lot of the integrity that even Batman and Batman Returns held as far as tone and setting was concerned.

The Joker: The character was so unhinged that simply being in the same room as him, even if he's handcuffed and behaving in a mild, subdued way is something I'd rather avoid. I'm thankful I don't have any prior expeerience to liken it to directly, but I'd imagine it being like having to sit on a bomb that gave no indication that it's going to go off - no ticking, no clock counting down, just a bomb and the knowledge that it's active. Like Sidney (spelling) in Scream 2 when the car crashes and she edged past the killer in the front seat, or Ripley onboard the lifeboat shuttle in Alien when she's in the 'closet' across the room from the alien just lying amongst the pipes. That idea that they could just go off at any moment.

I think that, for me, is what made Ledgers performance stand out so much. It was contributed to by the little nuiances and quirks that he poured into the role but that was the core of the character and what made it so memorable for me and what grabbed me by the collar and said (like he does in the film) 'LOOK AT ME!' Even that line makes me shudder when I watch it on Blu Ray on my 40-inch LCD TV (yay!) It's a captivating performance which is such a joy to watch and terrifying at the same time.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I am happy for Winslet she deserved an Oscar. It was good show although too predictable this year, but that happens sometimes.

[Peter McCoy]

Oh, and I thought Hugh Jackman was great too! Thoroughly enjoyed him hosting the show. The opening and the top-hat'n'tails parts were great!

[CMJ]

Eh, it was a mixed bag as usual. Some years I love the winners, sometimes I'm lukewarm. I was somewhere in between with most of them this year. :)


I went 18/24 on my picks, which is one of my better recent years - but a far cry from about 7-8 years back when I hit all but three categories.

[Jedi Master Carr]

You still did very good. Who thought the best joke was the Jouquin Phoenix Ben Stiller did? That was hilarious, I was shocked Natalie didn't burst out laughing.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Ben Stiller was hilarious. I thought that the show was really good, and I loved Hugh Jackman's opening number. And the medley in the middle was really well put together.

I also liked the presenting of the major acting awards, I thought that was top notch.

Slumdog winning everything it was nominated for except for... Sound mixing? (I forget) made it a yawnfest though.

[Liam Jinn]

Hugh Jackman will be back next year, or at least, he should be. I was surprised that I enjoyed the Oscars this year.

One thing that kinda bugged me was all that pitch auto-correction that was used when people were singing. I mean, who's running this show? Kayne West?

And I have to disagree with Peter, of course Heath Ledger's death brought more people to the theaters; It added to the hype of the movie. He was a good Joker, too bad there won't be a sequel for him.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Oh, I loved it when Kate Winslet's dad whistled too! :D

[Rutabaga]

As usual the show was too long, it always is, but overall I thought it was one of the better Oscar shows in quite a while. I also loved how they presented the acting Oscars, that was a nice new twist that was actually very touching at moments. I'm also really happy that Kate Winslet finally won one, I knew she'd win one someday. She's a wonderfully talented actress. And the moment when her dad whistled in the audience was priceless.

And I know I'm biased, but I think Hugh Jackman was the best host they've had since Billy Crystal gave it up. If they don't invite him back next year, they're cuckoo!

[CMJ]

The last couple of years they've actually gotten much better at bringing the show down to a reasonable length. They were only about 3:15 last night. Just about 7-10 years ago, they'd routinely flirt with 4 hours.

[Atreyu]

Wow, what a great ceremony. :) Hugh was FANTASTIC - hopefully he'll be back again next year.

Also got to agree on the length - they seemed to really trim it down. BTW - have they removed the 'orchestra warning' when winners speak too long? I don't think I heard it a single time (and some people did blab on a bit), maybe I just missed it.

My only complaint - during the 'In Memoriam' segment, constantly panning the camera in and out from the screens showing those who have passed away made it at times really difficult to read who they actually were. :\

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Also they didn't put Heath Ledger in the In Memorium bit, which I thought was incredibly odd. O_o

[Atreyu]

Also they didn't put Heath Ledger in the In Memorium bit, which I thought was incredibly odd. O_o
He was in last years segment (albeit just - he seemed a bit tacked on right at the end back then).

[Jedi Master Carr]

The last couple of years they've actually gotten much better at bringing the show down to a reasonable length. They were only about 3:15 last night. Just about 7-10 years ago, they'd routinely flirt with 4 hours.

I think they should scrap the Red Carpet thing at the beginning which would start the show earlier and get over a half hour earlier.

[CMJ]

I think they should scrap the Red Carpet thing at the beginning which would start the show earlier and get over a half hour earlier.Probably most guys would agree with you. Most women(and gay males) would not. :lol

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think they should scrap the Red Carpet thing at the beginning which would start the show earlier and get over a half hour earlier.Probably most guys would agree with you. Most women(and gay males) would not. :lol

LOL that is true.

[Crusader]

OK 5 bucks for the metrosexual box: I love the red carpet since I love women in dresses!

[CMJ]

I like a sexy woman in a dress too! Just not big on all 4 hours of Red Carpet coverage.