Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

Arts & Entertainment

2009 Oscar Nominations Announced

John Del Signore

Published Jan 22, 2009

Modified Jan 22, 2009

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

John Del Signore

Published Jan 22, 2009

Modified Jan 22, 2009

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Hey, cheer up bankrupt, war-weary America! The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards were announced this very morning in Beverly Hills at 5:30 in the freaking morning—of course, everyone over there is always up at dawn doing yoga and colonics anyway. And it's a big day for local Off Broadway star and Red Hook denizen Michael Shannon, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Revolutionary Road. He'll no doubt lose to Heath "Know How I Got These Oscars?" Ledger, and rightfully so, but it's nice to see a local boy (yes, via Chicago) make good. (We most recently caught Shannon in Lady.)

A big fan boy campaign for The Dark Knight failed to secure that blockbuster a Best Picture nomination; the slot was presumably stolen by poorly-reviewed Kate Winslet weepie The Reader. (And Ricky Gervais's Extras quip about the Academy loving Holocaust flicks seems increasingly prescient.) Slumdog Millionaire, the Golden Globe winner, was showered with ten nominations including Best Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle. And The Curious Case of Benjamin Button scored 13 nominations; we liked it enough, but after seeing this brilliant "Curious Case of Forrest Gump" video mash-up, it's hard to see it deserving the big win. Then again, the field is a bit lackluster this year, no? Nominees are all very solid, but is there anything really breathtaking in the crowd?

Other surprises include Richard Jenkins's nomination for The Visitor, an indie film set here in New York City. He'll lose to either Mickey Rourke or Sean Penn for Milk; both richly deserve it this year, though their elder Frank Langella could be a dark horse for his performance in Frost/Nixon (no way Brad Pitt wins). Winslet's the easy favorite for Best Actress—she's been nominated a billion times but never won—and we'll definitely be watching Angelina Jolie's face when Winslet's name is called; Jolie's Changeling was such an obvious Oscar vehicle that we fully expect a Zoolander "Model of the Year" moment to ensue. But kudos to the Academy's acting branch for recognizing Melissa Leo in Frozen River. Peruse the full list of celebrity back-slapping below.

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

Best Actor
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn for "Milk"
Brad Pitt "Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke for "The Wrestler"

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

Supporting Actress
Marisa Tomei for "The Wrestler."
Amy Adams, "Doubt."
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
Viola Davis, "Doubt."
Taraji P. Henson for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Best Picture
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,"
"Frost/Nixon,"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

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

Animation
“Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanto

Original Screenplay
“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
“In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Adapted screenplay
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
“Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original Song
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam

Original Score
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.),Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in cinematography
“Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

Tagged

2009

academy award

announced

nominations

oscar

John Del Signore

Twitter

Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 16, 2026

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

Arts & Entertainment

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

Hannah Frishberg

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

Sonia Rao

The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?

Lindsay Lee Wallace

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .