As anticipated based on his Golden Globe Award win, Heath Ledger was posthumously made a 2009 Oscar nominee as Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Dark Knight. Ironically, it was on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Heath Ledger died on January 22, 2007, at the age of 28, from an accidental "toxic combination of prescription drugs."
But besides that, The Dark Knight was shut out from other top categories such as Best Picture and Director. It was placed among 2009 Oscar nominees for specialized categories such as Art Direction and (naturally) Visual Effects.
This was a big surprise, as it had been picking up buzz as one of the year's best films.
At the top among 2009 Academy Award nominees was the romantic fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button which led contenders with 13 nominations. Among them were Best Picture and Best Actor nominations for Brad Pitt and Best Supporting Actress for Taraji P. Henson. David Fincher was nominated for Best Director.
Slumdog Millionaire came in second with 10 nominations, including Best Director for Danny Boyle and two of the three song slots.
Among 2009 Academy Award nominees, we're going to see the husband-and-wife Brangelina duo at the Oscars. Both Brad Pitt (previously mentioned) and Angelina Jolie (Best Actress for Changeling) will be there.
Other nominations of note: Meryl Streep for Doubt; this is a record 15th nomination for Streep, who already held the record for Oscar nominations.
Here's the complete list of 2009 Oscar nominees (AKA the 81st annual Academy Awards, don't you know?):
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
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
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
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
* Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
* Angelina Jolie, Changeling
* Melissa Leo, Frozen River
* Kate Winslet. The Reader
* Meryl Streep, Doubt
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
* Amy Adams, Doubt
* Penélope 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
Original Screenplay
* Dustin Lance Black, Milk
* Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
* Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
* Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
* Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, WALL-E
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 Foreign Language Film of the Year
* The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
* The Class (France)
* Departures (Japan)
* Revanche (Austria)
* Waltz With Bashir (Israel)
Original Score
* Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* James Newton Howard, Defiance
* Danny Elfman, Milk
* A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
* Thomas Newman, WALL-E
Original Song
* "Down to Earth," Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; WALL-E
* "Jai Ho," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; Slumdog Millionaire
* "O Saya," A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam; Slumdog Millionaire
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
Achievement in Costume Design
* Australia
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Duchess
* Milk
* Revolutionary Road
Best Documentary Feature
* The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
* Encounters at the End of the World
* The Garden
* Man on Wire
* Trouble the Water
Best Documentary Short Subject
* The Conscience of Nhem En
* The Final Inch
* Smile Pinki
* The Witness—From the Balcony of Room 306
Achievement in Film Editing
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Dark Knight
* Frost/Nixon
* Milk
* Slumdog Millionaire
Achievement in Makeup
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
* The Dark Knight
* Frost/Nixon
* Milk
* Slumdog Millionaire
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)
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
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