Clint Eastwood directed and stars in Gran Torino

BEST PICTURE
Projected Nominees
(1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount, 12/19, trailer)
(2) Australia (Fox, 11/26, trailer)
(3) Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight, 11/12, clip)
(4) Frost/Nixon (Universal, 12/5, trailer)
(5) Revolutionary Road (Paramount Vantage, 12/26, trailer)
Major Threats
(6) Gran Torino (Warner Brothers, 12/25, trailer)
(7) Doubt (Miramax, 12/12, trailer)
(8) Milk (Focus Features, 12/5, trailer)
(9) The Reader (The Weinstein Company, 12/12)
In the Mix
(10) The Dark Knight (Warner Brothers, 7/18, trailer)
(11) The Wrestler (Fox Searchlight, 12/TBA)
(12) Defiance (Paramount Vantage, 12/31, trailer)
(13) Rachel Getting Married (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/3, trailer)
On the Outside
(14) The Visitor (Overture, 4/18, trailer)
(15) Vicky Cristina Barcelona (The Weinstein Company, 8/15, trailer)
(16) Seven Pounds (Sony, 12/19)
(17) WALL-E (Disney, 6/27, trailer)
(18) Last Chance Harvey (Overture, 12/26)

John Patrick Shanley, pictured here with Meryl Streep, directed Doubt on the stage and screen

BEST DIRECTOR
Projected Nominees
(1) David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
(2) Baz Luhrmann (Australia)
(3) Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
(4) Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
(5) Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road)
Major Threats
(6) Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)
(7) John Patrick Shanley (Doubt)
(8) Gus Van Sant (Milk)
(9) Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
In the Mix
(10) Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)
(11) Darren Aranofsky (The Wrestler)
(12) Edward Zwick (Defiance)
(13) Jonathan Demme (Rachel Getting Married)
On the Outside
(14) Tom McCarthy (The Visitor)
(15) Woody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
(16) Gabriele Muccino (Seven Pounds)
(17) Andrew Stanton (WALL-E)
(18) Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey)

Josh Brolin takes on the most controversial role of hs life in W.

BEST ACTOR
Projected Nominees
(1) Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
(2) Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
(3) Sean Penn (Milk)
(4) Leonardo DiCaprio (Revolutionary Road)
(5) Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
Major Threats
(6) Clint Eastwood (Gran Torino)
(7) Will Smith (Seven Pounds)
(8) Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)
(9) Hugh Jackman (Australia)
In the Mix
(10) Josh Brolin (W.)
(11) Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon)
(12) Ralph Fiennes (The Reader)
On the Outside
(13) Benicio Del Toro (Che)
(14) Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey)
(15) Tom Cruise (Valkyrie)
(16) Mark Ruffalo (What Doesn’t Kill You)

Penelope Cruz, here with co-star Ben Kingsley, in Elegy

BEST ACTRESS
Projected Nominees
(1) Meryl Streep (Doubt)
(2) Kate Winslet (Revolutionary Road)
(3) Nicole Kidman (Australia)
(4) Cate Blanchett (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
(5) Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)
Major Threats
(6) Kristin Scott Thomas (I’ve Loved You So Long)
(7) Angelina Jolie (Changeling)
(8) Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
(9) Kate Beckinsale (Nothing But the Truth)
In the Mix
(10) Keira Knightley (The Duchess)
(11) Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky)
(12) Penelope Cruz (Elegy)
On the Outside
(13) Michelle Williams (Wendy and Lucy)
(14) Dakota Fanning (The Secret Life of Bees)
(15) Emma Thompson (Last Chance Harvey)

Young Brandon Walters gives a breakthrough performance in Australia

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Projected Nominees
(1) Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
(2) Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
(3) Liev Schreiber (Defiance)
(4) Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)
(5) Alan Alda (Nothing But the Truth)
Major Threats
(6) James Franco (Milk)
(7) David Kross (The Reader)
(8) Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire)
(9) Brandon Walters (Australia)
In the Mix
(10) Josh Brolin (Milk)
(11) Robert Downey, Jr. (Tropic Thunder)
On the Outside
(12) Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky)
(13) Woody Harrelson (Seven Pounds)
(14) Jamie Bell (Defiance)
(15) Ethan Hawke (What Doesn’t Kill You)

Taraji P. Henson has a key supporting role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Projected Nominees
(1) Kate Winslet (The Reader)
(2) Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
(3) Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
(4) Rosemary DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married)
(5) Viola Davis (Doubt)
Major Threats
(6) Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)
(7) Vera Farmiga (Nothing But the Truth)
(8) Queen Latifah (The Secret Life of Bees)
(9) Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long)
In the Mix
(10) Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds)
(11) Amy Adams (Doubt)
(12) Kathy Bates (Revolutionary Road)
On the Outside
(13) Debra Winger (Rachel Getting Married)
(14) Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
(15) Hiam Abbass (The Visitor)

Justin Haythe adapted Richard Yates novel into the screenplay for Revolutionary Road

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Projected Nominees
(1) Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
(2) Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)
(3) Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon)
(4) Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road)
(5) John Patrick Shanley (Doubt)
Major Threats
(6) David Hare (The Reader)
(7) Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan (The Dark Knight)
In the Mix
(8) Clayton Frohman, Edward Zwick (Defiance)
(9) Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Secret Life of Bees)

Woody Allen wrote Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Projected Nominees
(1) Baz Luhrmann, Stuart Beattie (Australia)
(2) Nick Schenk (Gran Torino)
(3) Dustin Lance Black (Milk)
(4) Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married)
(5) Tom McCarthy (The Visitor)
Major Threats
(6) Woody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
(7) Robert D. Siegel (The Wrestler)
(8) Grant Nieporte (Seven Pounds)
(9) Andrew Stanton (WALL-E)
In the Mix
(10) Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)
(11) Rod Lurie (Nothing But the Truth)
(12) Charlie Kaufman (Synechdoche, New York)