Early Oscar buzz
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
At over two and a half hours, it may be the longest top contender of the
year. But judging from the knockout trailer, we're in for a sumptuous
treat.
Doubt
Buoyed by four phenomenal performances (from two past winners, one past
nominee, and one soon-to-be nominee), the adaptation of John Patrick
Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning play will get people talking...and most
likely voting.
Frost/Nixon
If nitpickers let some of its historical fabrications slide, they'll
find this political tale (originally a Broadway hit) as riveting as the
groundbreaking series of interviews it details.
Possibles:
Australia
The Dark Knight
Milk
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire
Long Shots:
Defiance
Gran Torino
The Reader
The Visitor
The Wrestler
Best Director
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
For the first time, the director of Seven and Fight Club is working with
Academy-friendly themes of family and love.
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
The past winner in this category (for A Beautiful Mind) brings his sure
hand to writer Peter Morgan's verbal duel between a president and a
journalist.
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
He's made arguably the best comic-book movie ever — and inarguably the
year's biggest hit ($528 million domestically). In this economy, that
can only be a plus.
Possibles:
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
Baz Luhrmann, Australia
Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
Gus Van Sant, Milk
Long Shots:
Darren Aronofsky, The Wrestler
Stephen Daldry, The Reader
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Steven Soderbergh, Che
Edward Zwick, Defiance
Best Actor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
The Oscar is the only major award the 70-year-old hasn't been nominated
for in his decades-long career. An astonishingly lived-in performance as
our 37th president will change that.
Sean Penn, Milk
He doesn't often play real people. But the Oscar winner's turn as Harvey
Milk has some of the slain San Francisco activist's closest friends
seeing double.
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
As a has-been Hulk Hogan type struggling both in and out of the ring,
the '80s heartthrob turns in an unexpectedly emotional performance.
Possibles:
Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Ralph Fiennes, The Reader
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Long Shots:
Josh Brolin, W.
Benicio Del Toro, Che
Hugh Jackman, Australia
Michael Sheen, Frost/Nixon
Will Smith, Seven Pounds
Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Her career-altering work as an out-of-rehab model is the indie standout
of the year. Working with Jonathan Demme doesn't hurt.
Meryl Streep, Doubt
A record-setting 15th nomination is a given for her commanding
performance as a very determined nun. The real question: Can she win
statuette No. 3?
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road
The five-time nominee will get Supporting Actress attention for The
Reader, so voters can focus on her juicy role here as a miserable
suburbanite.
Possibles:
Cate Blanchett, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Nicole Kidman, Australia
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long
Long Shots:
Kate Beckinsale, Nothing but the Truth
Penélope Cruz, Elegy
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey
Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy
Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
This race often rewards comic roles (witness Little Miss Sunshine's Alan
Arkin). With The Soloist bumped to 2009, this is his best shot at a nod.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
He more than keeps pace with Meryl Streep as a priest accused of
molestation. If voters follow the Supporting Actor campaign, he's a lock.
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Thanks to his unforgettable villainous turn, the late star (and past
lead-actor nominee for Brokeback Mountain) is this year's surest thing.
Possibles:
Josh Brolin, Milk
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
James Franco, Milk
Sam Rockwell, Frost/Nixon
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road
Long Shots:
Kevin Bacon, Frost/Nixon
Jared Harris, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Kross, The Reader
John Malkovich, Burn After Reading
Liev Schreiber, Defiance
Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Another feisty Spanish-speaking character (after 2006's Volver), another
Oscar nod for the stunning actress — and her first in this category.
Viola Davis, Doubt
With just two scenes in the film, the stage veteran makes a devastating
dramatic impact as the mother of a (possibly) molested child.
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Playing the fiercely loyal maternal figure to Brad Pitt's character,
she's the embodiment of unconditional love.
Possibles:
Amy Adams, Doubt
Kathy Bates, Revolutionary Road
Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader
Long Shots:
Vera Farmiga, Nothing but the Truth
Beyoncé Knowles, Cadillac Records
Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading
Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married
Elsa Zylberstein, I've Loved You So Long
