A Break- The Academy Award Nominations

It has been an historic week with more than I have been able to put into writing at one time. But thankfully yesterday the BIG news of the week came out: the nominations for the Academy Awards. So, a day later but no less essential in its content, here they are (* = I have already seen):

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Richard Jenkins in "The Visitor" (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in "Frost/Nixon" (Universal)
*Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)
*Brad Pitt in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
*Josh Brolin in "Milk" (Focus Features)
*Robert Downey Jr. in "Tropic Thunder" (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in "Changeling" (Universal)
Melissa Leo in "Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Amy Adams in "Doubt" (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in "Doubt" (Miramax)
*Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in "The Wrestler" (Fox Searchlight)

Achievement in directing
*"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Fincher
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal) Ron Howard
*"Milk" (Focus Features) Gus Van Sant
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) Stephen Daldry
*"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) Danny Boyle

Best motion picture of the year (Tomatometer rating)
*"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (72%) (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
"Frost/Nixon" (91%) (Universal)
*"Milk" (92%) (Focus Features)
"The Reader" (60%) (The Weinstein Company)
*"Slumdog Millionaire" (95%) (Fox Searchlight)

What? No Kate or Leo for Revolutionary Road? No Springsteen for Best song?

And none, absolutely NONE for Gran Torino.

Here's a list of numbers of awards:

- FEATURE FILMS WITH TWO OR MORE NOMINATIONS -
(This list does not include Short Films or Documentary Short Subjects.)
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"-- 13
"Slumdog Millionaire"-- 10
"The Dark Knight"-- 8
"Milk"-- 8
"WALL-E"-- 6
"Doubt"-- 5
"Frost/Nixon"-- 5
"The Reader"-- 5
"Changeling"-- 3
"Revolutionary Road"-- 3
"The Duchess"-- 2
"Frozen River"-- 2
"Iron Man"-- 2
"Wanted"-- 2
"The Wrestler"-- 2