AND THE WINNER IS…

Meryl Streep stars in Doubt

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

Danny Boyle, pictured here with Frieda Pinto, directed Slumdog Millionaire

BEST DIRECTOR
Projected Nominees
(1) David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
(2) Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
(3) Baz Luhrmann (Australia)
(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) ▲
(10) Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight)
(11) Andrew Stanton (WALL-E) ▲
(12) Edward Zwick (Defiance) ▲
In the Mix
(13) Gabriele Muccino (Seven Pounds)
(14) Darren Aranofsky (The Wrestler)
(15) Jonathan Demme (Rachel Getting Married)
On the Outside
(16) Tom McCarthy (The Visitor)
(17) Woody Allen (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
(18) Joel Hopkins (Last Chance Harvey)

Sean Penn, here opposite James Franco, in Milk

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

Nicole Kidman stars in Australia

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) Kate Beckinsale (Nothing But the Truth) ▲
(9) Melissa Leo (Frozen River)
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)

Alan Alda, right, plays a fashion-obsessed, high-priced lawyer in Nothing But the Truth

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

Marisa Tomei plays a stripper in The Wrestler

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) Kathy Bates (Revolutionary Road) ▲
(5) Viola Davis (Doubt)
Major Threats
(6) Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)
(7) Rosemary DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married)
(8) Elsa Zylberstein (I’ve Loved You So Long)
(9) Queen Latifah (The Secret Life of Bees)
In the Mix
(10) Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds)
(11) Amy Adams (Doubt)
(12) Debra Winger (Rachel Getting Married)
(13) Vera Farmiga (Nothing But the Truth)
On the Outside
(14) Frieda Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire)
(15) Hiam Abbass (The Visitor)

Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon, written for the stage/adapted for the screen by Peter Morgan

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)
(8) Clayton Frohman, Edward Zwick (Defiance) ▲
In the Mix
(9) Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Secret Life of Bees)

Andrew Stanton wrote (and directed) the charming animated film WALL-E

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