The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads all nominees with 13 nominations. Slumdog Millionaire is next with an impressive 10 nominations.

The Reader is a surprise best picture nominee,earning a nomination over the more popular Dark Knight. Clint Eastwood was a curious omission from the best actor nominees and Kate Winslet (The Reader) was able to edge out Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road) for a best actress nomination.

Award Counts

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 13
  • Slumdog Millionaire: 10
  • The Dark Knight: 8
  • Milk: 8
  • The Reader: 5
  • Frost/Nixon: 5
  • Doubt: 5
  • Revolutionary Road: 3

2009 Oscar Nominations

Best motion picture of the year

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milks
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

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

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

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

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

Best animated feature film of the year

  • Bolt, Chris Williams and Byron Howard
  • Kung Fu Panda, John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
  • WALL-E, Andrew Stanton

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

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

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

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

Best documentary feature

  • The Betrayal, A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
  • Encounters at the End of the World, A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
  • The Garden A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
  • Man on Wire, A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
  • Trouble the Water, An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

  • The Conscience of Nhem En A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
  • The Final Inch A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
  • Smile Pinki A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
  • The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306 A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

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

Best foreign language film of the year

  • The Baader Meinhof Complex A Constantin Film Production, Germany
  • The Class, A Haut et Court Production, France
  • Departures, A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
  • Revanche, A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
  • Waltz with Bashir, A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

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

Achievement in music written for motion pictures

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

Achievement in music written for motion pictures

  • 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 andMaya Arulpragasam

Best animated short film

  • La Maison en Petits Cubes A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
  • Lavatory – Lovestory A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
  • Oktapodi A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
  • Presto A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
  • This Way Up, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film

  • Auf der Strecke, An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
  • Manon on the Asphalt, A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
  • New Boy, A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
  • The Pig An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
  • Spielzeugland A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

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

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

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

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

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

Source: http://www.awardsdaily.com