2009 Oscar Nominees Announced

The 2009 Oscar nominations were announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009. As expected, many nominees were familiar, having already received nominations and wins at this year's Golden Globes. This year, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leads the pack with 13 nominations. The sleeper hit of the year, "Slumdog Millionaire," came in second with 10 nominations.

This year, a few first-time Oscar nominees made the list, including Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married" and Taraji P. Henson for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Mickey Rourke continues his comeback by receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role in "The Wrestler."

Pitt and Rourke are joined by Frank Langella for "Frost/Nixon," Sean Penn for "Milk," and Richard Jenkins for "The Visitor."

It was no surprise that the late Heath Ledger received a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his devilish portrayal of The Joker in "The Dark Knight." He's already won the Golden Globe for this role. His fellow nominees include Josh Brolin for "Milk," Robert Downey, Jr. for "Tropic Thunder," Philip Seymour Hoffman for "Doubt," and Michael Shannon for "Revolutionary Road."

Kate Winslet won't be pulling off a double as she did at this year's Golden Globes. She did not receive a Best Actress nomination for her role in "Revolutionary Road." However, she received a nomination in this category for "The Reader." She is joined by Meryl Streep for "Doubt," Anne Hathaway, Melissa Leo for "Frozen River," and Angelina Jolie for "Changeling." Leonardo DiCaprio was also shut of the nominations for his role as Winslet's husband in "Revolutionary Road."

This year should be exciting because of the new faces that were nominated for Oscars. The ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 22, 2009.

The following is a recap of this year's Oscar nominees in major categories:

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"

Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"

Sean Penn, "Milk"

Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"

Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"

Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"

Meryl Streep, "Doubt"

Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, "Milk"

Robert Downey, Jr., "Tropic Thunder"

Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"

Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, "Doubt"

Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Viola Davis, "Doubt"

Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"

Best Picture

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

"Frost/Nixon"

"Milk"

"The Reader"

"Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Director

David Fincher, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Ron Howard, "Frost/Nixon"

Gus Van Sant, "Milk"

Stephen Daldry, "The Reader"

Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Original Screenplay

Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"

Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Martin McDonough, "In Bruges"

Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"

Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, "WALL-E"

Best Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

John Patrick Shanley, "Doubt"

Peter Morgan, "Frost/Nixon"

David Hare, "The Reader"

Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Animated Feature Film

"Bolt"

"Kung Fu Panda"

"WALL-E"

Original Score

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Alexandre Desplat

"Defiance," James Newton Howard

"Milk," Danny Elfman

"Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman

"WALL-E," Thomas Newman

Original Song

"Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, "WALL-E"

"Jai Ho" by A.R. Rahman and Gulzar, "Slumdog Millionaire"

"O Saya" by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Documentary Feature

"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"

"Encounters at the End of the World"

"The Garden"

"Man on Wire"

"Trouble the Water"

Best Foreign Film

"The Baader Meinhof Complex," Germany

"The Class," France

"Departures," Japan

"Revanche," Austria

"Waltz With Bashir," Israel

Best Animated Short Film

"La Maison en Petits Cubes"

"Lavatory - Lovestory"

"Oktapodi"

"Presto"

"This Way Up"

Best Live Action Short Film

"Auf der Strecke (On the Line)"

"Manon on the Asphalt"

"New Boy"

"The Pig"

"Spielzeugland (Toyland)"

A complete list all categories can be found at http://www.imdb.com/features/rto/2009/oscars.