Heath Ledger, Mickey Rourke, Slumdog Millionaire are Notable 2009 Oscar Award Nominations

The star-studded list of Oscar nominees is usually unveiled on a Tuesday about four weeks before the event. This year, that Tuesday would have been January 20. However, on account of the Inauguration Day ceremony, the announcement of nominees was pushed back to early today, Thursday, January 22.

The diabolical Joker has won late Heath Ledger, an Oscar nomination for his role in the Dark Knight. Ledger stands an immense chance of becoming only the second actor to win a posthumous Oscar. Ledger died last Jan. 22 from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. The Oscar nominations came out on the first anniversary of Ledger's death. Ledger has already won for Best Supporting Actor at the 2009 Golden Globes, and the Critics Choice Awards.

The fresh and low-budget Slumdog Millionaire took home four awards at the Golden globes and swept the Critics Choice Awards. The Oscars appear to be following the trend; Slumdog Millionaire dominates the Oscar Nominations list, too, with 13 nods.

The year 2009 is shaping up to be a great one for Kate Winslet who has already pocketed two Golden Globes for the best dramatic actress prize for Revolutionary Road, the supporting-actress trophy for The Reader and the supporting-actress trophy at the Critics Choice Awards. Winset is up for an Oscar for the best actress prize for The Reader.

The best actor can fly either way. Mickey Rourke bagged the Golden Globes award for the best actor for The Wrestler, but Sean Penn took home the gold for Milk at the Critics Choice Awards.

The acclaimed Israeli film Waltz with Bashir is a storng contender for the best foreign-language film.

The list of nominees follows:

Source: http://www.oscar.com/nominees/?pn=nominees

Best motion picture of the year

· The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

· Frost/Nixon

· Milk

· The Reader

· Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in directing

· 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 Performance by an actor in a leading role

· Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)

· Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon)

· Sean Penn (Milk)

· Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

· Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

Best Performance by an actress in a leading role

· Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)

· Angelina Jolie (Changeling)

· Melissa Leo (Frozen River)

· Meryl Streep (Doubt)

· Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Best Performance by an actor in a supporting role

· Josh Brolin (Milk)

· Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder)

· Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)

· Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

· Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)

Best Performance by an actress in a supporting role

· 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 animated feature film of the year

· Bolt

· Kung Fu Panda

· WALL•E

Achievement in art direction

· Changeling

· The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

· The Dark Knight

· The Duchess

· Revolutionary Road

Achievement in cinematography

· Changeling

· The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

· The Dark Knight

· The Reader

· Slumdog Millionaire

Adapted screenplay

· Eric Roth & Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

· John Patrick Shanley (Doubt)

· Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon)

· David Hare (The Reader)

· Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire)

Original screenplay

· Courtney Hunt (Frozen River)

· Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky)

· Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)

· Dustin Lance Black (Milk)

· Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon (WALL•E)

Achievement in costume design

· Australia

· The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

· The Duchess

· Milk

· Revolutionary Road

Achievement in makeup

· The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

· The Dark Knight

· Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best documentary feature

· The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)

· Encounters at the End of the World

· The Garden

· Man on Wire

· Trouble the Water

Best foreign language film of the year

· The Baader Meinhof Complex

· The Class

· Departures

· Revanche

· Waltz With Bashir

Achievement in film editing

· The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

· The Dark Knight

· Frost/Nixon

· Milk

· Slumdog Millionaire

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (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

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (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

Achievement in sound editing

· The Dark Knight

· Iron Man

· Slumdog Millionaire

· WALL•E

· Wanted

Achievement in sound mixing

· The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

· The Dark Knight

· Slumdog Millionaire

· WALL•E

· Wanted

Achievement in visual effects

· The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

· The Dark Knight

· Iron Man