Oscar Nominees announced

The Takeaway

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons" led the charge with 13 nominations, Heath Ledger earned a nomination for his supporting role in "The Dark Knight" on the one-year anniversary of his death.

The cult favorite, "Slumdog Millionaire," gained momentum throughout the year, but it did not come out ahead in the number of nominations.  Sharon Waxman, editor-in-chief of TheWrap.com, says, "It looks like they Academy went for a great big budget epic story, big stars."  She continues, "It has been a bunch of years since one movie has dominated like that."

There in a Kate Winslett story here — she won big at the Golden Globes, but it is a little different with this nominee anouncement.  She won twice at the Golden Globes for "The Reader" and "Revolutionary Road, " best actress and best supporting actress, but she only got one nomination from the Academy for the latter.

As for the winners that these nominations will produce, Waxman says, "There is subtle campaigning, and not-so-subtle campaigning that goes on in the next four weeks before the Academy Awards, so I think its perilous to predict today on nominations day.  We’ve got to see what happens in the next four weeks; lots of skeletons can come out of the closet, and we’ll see mudslinging."

We’ve compiled the trailers for all the Best Picture nominees. Click away!
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Milk
The Reader
Frost/Nixon
Slumdog Millionaire

"The Takeaway" is PRI’s new national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what’s ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH.

More at thetakeaway.org

Invest in independent global news

The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!