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Slumdog Millionaire leads Oscars race

MORE GONGS ON THE WAY? Boyle at the Golden Globes recently

SLUMDOG Millionaire, the rags-to-riches tale set in Mumbai, has topped its Hollywood success with Oscar recognition.

Directed by Radcliffe's Danny Boyle, the story centres around orphan Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel, a contestant on the Hindi version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

The film has already won a clutch of Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards and was a high-profile Bafta nominee, receiving 11 nods.

Other best picture nominees include Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which scooped 13 Academy Awards nominations.

The late Heath Ledger was given a supporting actor nomination for Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight.

Elsewhere, Kate Winslet was nominated for a best actress Oscar for her role in The Reader.

Golden Globes

Winslet has already taken home two Golden Globes and and has been nominated twice this year for a Bafta in the leading actress category.

She will battle it out for an Oscar against Meryl Streep for Doubt, Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married, Angelina Jolie for Changeling and Melissa Leo for Frozen River.

Boyle and Stephen Daldry (The Reader) will battle in the best director category against Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon, Gus Van Sant for Milk and David Fincher for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button.

The nominations were read out by Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker.

FULL LIST OF OSCAR NOMINATIONS:

1. Best Picture:
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,
Frost/Nixon,
Milk,
The Reader,
Slumdog Millionaire.

2. Actor:
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor;
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon;
Sean Penn, Milk;
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button;
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler.

3. Actress:
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married;
Angelina Jolie, Changeling;
Melissa Leo, Frozen River;
Meryl Streep, Doubt;
Kate Winslet, The Reader.

4. Supporting Actor:
Josh Brolin, Milk;
Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder;
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt;
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight;
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Foreign Film:
The Baader Meinhof Complex, Germany;
The Class, France;
Departures, Japan;
Revanche, Austria;
Waltz With Bashir, Israel.

8. 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.

9. Original Screenplay:
Courtney Hunt, Frozen River;
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky;
Martin McDonagh, In Bruges;
Dustin Lance Black, Milk;
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, WALL-E.

10. Animated Feature Film:
Bolt;
Kung Fu Panda;
WALL-E.

11. Art Direction:
Changeling,
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,
The Dark Knight,
The Duchess,
Revolutionary Road.

12. Cinematography:
Changeling,
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,
The Dark Knight,
The Reader,
Slumdog Millionaire.

13. Sound Mixing:
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,
The Dark Knight,
Slumdog Millionaire,
WALL-E,
Wanted.

14. Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight,
Iron Man,
Slumdog Millionaire,
WALL-E,
Wanted.

15. 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.

16. Original Song:
Down To Earth from WALL-E, Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman;
Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman and Gulzar;
O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

17. Costume:
Australia,
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,
The Duchess,
Milk,
Revolutionary Road.

18. Documentary Feature:
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon),
Encounters At The End Of The World,
The Garden,
Man on Wire,
Trouble the Water.

19. Documentary (short subject):
The Conscience of Nhem En,
The Final Inch,
Smile Pinki,
The Witness - From The Balcony Of Room 306.

20. Film Editing:
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,
The Dark Knight,
Frost/Nixon,
Milk,
Slumdog Millionaire.

21. Makeup:
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,
The Dark Knight,
Hellboy II: The Golden Army.

22. Animated Short Film:
La Maison en Petits Cubes,
Lavatory - Lovestory,
Oktapodi,
Presto,
This Way Up.

23. Live Action Short Film:
Auf Der Strecke (On the Line),
Manon On The Asphalt,
New Boy,
The Pig,
Spielzeugland (Toyland).

24. Visual Effects:
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button,
The Dark Knight,
Iron Man.

The 81st Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 22.