Hollywood heavyweights Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Kate Winslet lead the Academy Award nominations, announced today.
Brad Pitt will take on Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn in the best leading male category, whilst his partner Angelina Jolie will once again be competing against double Golden Globe winner Kate Winslet for best actress.
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button is the film to beat after scooping an astounding 13 Oscar nominations - only 1997 blockbuster Titanic and Bette Davis' 1950 classic All About Eve have achieved more, with 14 nods each.
Late star Heath Ledger won a nomination for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight exactly a year after his tragic death.
He will compete in the Best Supporting Actor category against Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt), and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road).
Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Frost/Nixon and Milk will all vie for the coveted Best Motion Picture gong at the forthcoming ceremony on 22 February.
And each of the film's directors - David Fincher, Danny Boyle, Stephen Daldry, Ron Howard and Gus Van Sant respectively - are up for the Achievement in Directing prize.
The award nominations were announced at a press conference in Los Angeles this morning by Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker, who took home the Best Actor Oscar in 2007 for his role in The Last King Of Scotland.
And the nominations are:
Performance by an actor in a leading role
The Visitor - Richard Jenkins
Frost/Nixon - Frank Langella
Milk -Sean Penn
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt
The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Milk - Josh Brolin
Tropic Thunder - Robert Downey Jr.
Doubt - Philip Seymour Hoffman
The Dark Knight - Heath Ledger
Revolutionary Road - Michael Shannon
Performance by an actress in a leading role
Rachel Getting Married - Anne Hathaway
Changeling - Angelina Jolie
Frozen River - Melissa Leo
Doubt - Meryl Streep
The Reader - Kate Winslet
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Doubt - Amy Adams
Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Penélope Cruz
Doubt - Viola Davis
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Taraji P. Henson
The Wrestler - Marisa Tomei
Best motion picture of the year
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
Frost/Nixon - Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
Milk - Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
The Reader - Nominees to be determined
Slumdog Millionaire - Christian Colson
We remember Heath's life on the one year anniversary of his death
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