Watch Republic Day 2009 Celebrations live from Rajpath

Watch Republic Day 2009 Celebrations live from Rajpath here

'Slumdog…' becomes India's star-spangled Oscar dream

British filmmaker Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches Bollywood style musical “Slumdog Millionaire” has finally brought the elusive and coveted Oscar dream within grabbing distance of India - with music maestro A.R. Rahman nominated for three Oscars in the main category.

The film has got 10 nominations, of which three are for the film's music - one for best original score and two for the best original songs - “Jai ho” and “O saya”, for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. The lyrics of 'Jai ho' have been penned by noted lyricist Gulzar.

Other nominations include for best motion picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best film editing, best sound editing, best sound mixing and best cinematography. The winners will be announced Feb 22 at Kodak Theatre here.

“The nominations have given me a great feeling. My inspiration to compose the music was the movie, its thought and the message in the film," said an ecstatic Rahman after receiving news of the nominations in Chennai. He had won the Golden Globe for the best original score for the movie.

"Slumdog Millionaire", which is based on diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel "Q & A", is a moving tale of a slum boy's win at a TV reality show. Apart from Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Freida Pinto, the film stars British-Indian debutant Dev Patel.

Releasing Friday in India, the movie has already raked in $43 million at the US box office and jumped itself back to the US Top 10.

The movie ends in the trademark Bollywood musical style with a joyous song called “Jai ho”, which has won much applause from Western critics.

Renowned film critic Ty Burr from The Boston Globe raved about the end sequence.

“The Bollywood dance scene that explodes under the closing credits feels both incongruous and earned: Young India kicking up its heels. You may even feel like dancing in the aisles yourself,” he said.

Rahman's composition has appealed to other international critics as well.

Lauding 'Slumdog…”'s music, Mal Vincnet from The Virginian-Post had said: “A festive musical score by A.R. Rahman, complete with a best-song candidate in the lively 'Jai Ho' Bollywood finale, and you have a film that is as engaging to listen to as it is to watch.”

Michael Sragow from The Baltimore Sun said: "Boyle brings down the curtain with a musical number that registers as a gift from movie heaven. He breaks your heart, then heels it - and sends you out with a song."

The movie triumphed at various awards across the globe. Screen Actors Guild Awards, London Critics Circle Award, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Satellite Awards, Toronto Film Festival, British Independent Film Award - to name a few.

The major win was at the Golden Globes, considered to be a precursor to the Oscars.

"We were not expecting so much at all. We were hoping...but 10 nominations is so unreal! And A.R. Rahman has made a wonderful track record. He totally deserves the three nominations and has made the country proud. Without his music, 'Slumdog…' wouldn't have been the same," Freida told IANS.

In the Oscar run, Brad Pitt starrer reverse-ageing drama "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leads the race with 13 nominations.

The runners-up are "Batman Begins" sequel "The Dark Knight" and Elliot Graham's biopic on San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk "Milk" - receiving eight nominations each.

While Sean Penn got nominated as best actor in a leading role category, Josh Brolin has received the best actor nomination in a supporting role for "Milk".

Late Australian actor Heath Ledger received the highly anticipated posthumous nomination for the best supporting actor for his performance as the iconic villain The Joker in "The Dark Knight".

Veteran actress Meryl Streep received her 15th nomination at the Oscars for "Doubt", alongside British actress Kate Winslet for best actress in Stephen Daldry's "The Reader".

"The Reader" and "Doubt" in all have received five nominations each.

81ST Oscar Nominations: Films with two or more nominations

FEATURE FILMS WITH TWO OR MORE NOMINATIONS -

Picture	Distribution Company	Nominations
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"	Paramount and Warner Bros.	13
"Slumdog Millionaire"	Fox Searchlight	10
"The Dark Knight"	Warner Bros.	8
"Milk"	Focus Features	8
"WALL-E"	Walt Disney	6
"Doubt"	Miramax	5
"Frost/Nixon"	Universal	5
"The Reader"	The Weinstein Company	5
"Changeling"	Universal	3
"Revolutionary Road"	DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage	3
"The Duchess"	Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films	2
"Frozen River"	Sony Pictures Classics	2
"Iron Man"	Paramount and Marvel Entertainment	2
"Wanted"	Universal	2
"The Wrestler"	Fox Searchlight	2

81ST Oscar Nominations

NOMINATIONS BY CATEGORY - 81ST AWARDS -

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)

Best animated feature film of the year

• "Bolt" (Walt Disney)

  Chris Williams and Byron Howard

• "Kung Fu Panda" (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount)

  John Stevenson and Mark Osborne

• "WALL-E" (Walt Disney)

  Andrew Stanton

Achievement in art direction

• "Changeling" (Universal)

  Art Direction: James J. Murakami Set Decoration: Gary Fettis

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo

• "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)

  Art Direction: Nathan Crowley Set Decoration: Peter Lando

• "The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films)

  Art Direction: Michael Carlin Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway

• "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

  Art Direction: Kristi Zea Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Achievement in cinematography

• "Changeling" (Universal)

  Tom Stern

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  Claudio Miranda

• "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)

  Wally Pfister

• "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)

  Chris Menges and Roger Deakins

• "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

  Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design

• "Australia" (20th Century Fox)

  Catherine Martin

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  Jacqueline West

• "The Duchess" (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films)

  Michael O'Connor

• "Milk" (Focus Features)

  Danny Glicker

• "Revolutionary Road" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

  Albert Wolsky

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 documentary feature

• "The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)" (Cinema Guild) A Pandinlao Films Production

  Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath

• "Encounters at the End of the World" (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment) A Creative Differences Production

  Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser

• "The Garden" A Black Valley Films Production

  Scott Hamilton Kennedy

• "Man on Wire" (Magnolia Pictures) A Wall to Wall Production

  James Marsh and Simon Chinn

• "Trouble the Water" (Zeitgeist Films) An Elsewhere Films Production

  Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

• "The Conscience of Nhem En" A Farallon Films Production

  Steven Okazaki

• "The Final Inch" A Vermilion Films Production

  Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant

• "Smile Pinki" A Principe Production

  Megan Mylan

• "The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306" A Rock Paper Scissors Production

  Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall

• "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)

  Lee Smith

• "Frost/Nixon" (Universal)

  Mike Hill and Dan Hanley

• "Milk" (Focus Features)

  Elliot Graham

• "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

  Chris Dickens

Best foreign language film of the year

• "The Baader Meinhof Complex" A Constantin Film Production - Germany
• "The Class" (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haut et Court Production - France
• "Departures" (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners Production - Japan
• "Revanche" (Janus Films) A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production - Austria
• "Waltz with Bashir" (Sony Pictures Classics) A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production - Israel

Achievement in makeup

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  Greg Cannom

• "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)

  John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan

• "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (Universal)

  Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  Alexandre Desplat

• "Defiance" (Paramount Vantage)

  James Newton Howard

• "Milk" (Focus Features)

  Danny Elfman

• "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

  A.R. Rahman

• "WALL-E" (Walt Disney)

  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 and Maya Arulpragasam

Best motion picture of the year

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.) A Kennedy/Marshall Production

  Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers

• "Frost/Nixon" (Universal) A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production

  Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers

• "Milk" (Focus Features) A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production

  Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers

• "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company) A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production

  Nominees to be determined

• "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production

  Christian Colson, Producer

Best animated short film

• "La Maison en Petits Cubes" A Robot Communications Production

  Kunio Kato

• "Lavatory - Lovestory" A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production

  Konstantin Bronzit

• "Oktapodi" (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L'école de l'image Production

  Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand

• "Presto" (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production

  Doug Sweetland

• "This Way Up" A Nexus Production

  Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film

• "Auf der Strecke (On the Line)" (Hamburg Shortfilmagency) An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production

  Reto Caffi

• "Manon on the Asphalt" (La Luna Productions) A La Luna Production

  Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont

• "New Boy" (Network Ireland Television) A Zanzibar Films Production

  Steph Green and Tamara Anghie

• "The Pig" An M & M Production

  Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh

• "Spielzeugland (Toyland)" A Mephisto Film Production

  Jochen Alexander Freydank

Achievement in sound editing

• "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)

  Richard King

• "Iron Man" (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment)

  Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes

• "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

  Tom Sayers

• "WALL-E" (Walt Disney)

  Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood

• "Wanted" (Universal)

  Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten

• "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)

  Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick

• "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

  Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty

• "WALL-E" (Walt Disney)

  Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt

• "Wanted" (Universal)

  Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in visual effects

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron

• "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros.)

  Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin

• "Iron Man" (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment)

  John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Adapted screenplay

• "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)

  Screenplay by Eric Roth Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord

• "Doubt" (Miramax)

  Written by John Patrick Shanley

• "Frost/Nixon" (Universal)

  Screenplay by Peter Morgan

• "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)

  Screenplay by David Hare

• "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

  Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay

• "Frozen River" (Sony Pictures Classics)

  Written by Courtney Hunt

• "Happy-Go-Lucky" (Miramax)

  Written by Mike Leigh

• "In Bruges" (Focus Features)

  Written by Martin McDonagh

• "Milk" (Focus Features)

  Written by Dustin Lance Black

• "WALL-E" (Walt Disney)

  Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

"Slumdog Millionaire" gets ten Oscar nominations

OSCARS: 10 nominations for "Slumdog Millionaire"

"Slumdog Millionaire"

* Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
* Best Director: Danny Boyle
* Adapted screenplay: Simon Beaufoy
* Original score: A.R. Rahman
* Original song: "Jai Ho" - A.R. Rahman
* Original song: "O Saya" - A.R. Rahman and MIA (only three nominations in this category. "Down to Earth" from "Wall-E" was the third)
* Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
* Film editing: Chris Dickens
* Sound editing: Tom Sayers
* Sound mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

Oscars announced on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, 8 pm ET; 5 pm Hollywood time; 6:30 am Monday Bollywood time.

What makes the nominations even more significant is that the film was not recognized in any of the acting categories (I was really hoping Dev Patel would have received a nod along with Heath Ledger). This is a little film with no recognizable actors (at least for Hollywood) and yet the Academy chose to give the film 10 nods, including the major categories -- best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best editing and best score.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," a drama in which Brad Pitt plays a man who ages backward, led the field of Oscar contenders with 13 nominations, organizers said on Thursday (January 22).

"Slumdog Millionaire," the tale of an impoverished orphan's improbable victory on an Indian television game show, followed with 10, while the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" and the gay-rights saga "Milk" each landed eight. "Benjamin Button," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Milk" will vie for best picture at the 81st annual Academy Awards on February 22, alongside "The Reader" and "Frost/Nixon."

The nominations for "Benjamin Button" included best actor for Pitt, best director for David Fincher, best supporting actress for Taraji P Henson and best adapted screenplay. As expected, late Australian actor Heath Ledger was nominated for his supporting role as the villainous Joker in "The Dark Knight."

Ledger died of an accidental prescription-pill overdose exactly a year ago, at the age of 28. The other nominations for "Dark Knight" were in technical categories. Meryl Streep, 59, already the all-time acting Oscar record holder with 14 nominations, landed her 15th with "Doubt," in which she plays a vindictive nun. Kate Winslet received one nomination, taking her career total to six. This time, the 33-year-old British actress was cited for her lead role as a former Nazi prison guard in "The Reader."

Can 'Dark Knight' leap into Oscars history?

It's no joke.

The decade's biggest blockbuster, " The Dark Knight," could become the first superhero movie to be nominated for an Oscar for best film when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the nominations for the 81st Annual Academy Awards early Thursday morning.The critically acclaimed Batman adventure has been developing a lot of momentum lately especially with its nominations for the Producers Guild of America top prize, the Directors Guild of America Award, the Writers Guild of America Award and several crafts honors.

At least one "Knight" nomination is all but certain -- best supporting actor for the late Heath Ledger, who died a year ago today of an overdose of prescription pills.

This year's critics' darling, the indie hit " Slumdog Millionaire," is also expected to perform well in the nominations, especially since it swept the Golden Globe Awards less than two weeks ago.

" Frost/Nixon," "Milk" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" are also top contenders for major awards.

Will Slumdog bag an Oscar nomination?

Slumdog Millionaire is all set for the Oscars. Stars across the world seem to be saying--Slumdog Millionaire--Jai ho. India's track record at the Oscars hasn't been good so far. Only three Indian films--Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan have ever been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category.

India's true claim to fame came with the movie Gandhi. Bhanu Athaiya won for Best Costume Design in 1982. Satyajit Ray later got the Oscar's Lifetime Achievement award. From the voices in Hollywood to those right here in India, expectations are running high. As it is said, every dog has its day. The question, however, is--will Slumdog have its day at the Oscars.

Heath Ledger set for Oscar nomination on anniversary of death

HEATH Ledger's family face a bittersweet anniversary of his death tomorrow, with the talented young actor almost certain to be nominated for an Oscar a year to the day after he died.

Ledger is expected to get a nod for best supporting actor for playing The Joker in The Dark Knight – his last full film role before his death from an accidental prescription drug overdose in New York.
The Academy Awards nomination ceremony will be held just after midnight tonight Australian time.
But while Ledger appears a sure thing, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman and almost 20 other Australian Oscar hopefuls are not such certainties.

Months of multi-million-dollar campaigns have been aimed at swaying the 6000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Will Blanchett rebound from snubs at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards and pick up a nomination for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?

If so, it will be Blanchett's fourth Oscar nomination in five years. Or does the Academy think it is time for Blanchett to have a year off?