The 2009 Awards Season Has Started!

[MacGuffin]

Three-way tie at top of Spirit Award noms
'Ballast,' 'Frozen River,' 'Rachel' all grab six nominations
Source: Hollywood Reporter

With six nominations each, "Ballast," a drama about survival in the Mississippi Delta, "Frozen River," a portrait of two single moms on the Canadian border, and "Rachel Getting Married," the account of a dysfunctional family wedding, led the nominees for Film Independent's Spirit Awards, announced Tuesday morning.

All three films were nominated for best feature along "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler."

Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," a twisty, M.C. Escher-like film, was singled out as the winner of the group's Robert Altman Award, give to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Kaufman will share the award with casting director Jeanne McCarthy and his actors Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams when the Spirit Awards are handed out Feb. 21.

"Synecdoche" also figure in the best first feature lineup, along with Antonio Campos' "Afterschool," Barry Jenkins' "Medicine for Melancholy," Christopher Zalla's "Sangre De Mi Sangre" and Alex Rivera's "Sleep Dealer."

The actresses who will compete for best female lead include Summer Bishil ("Towelhead"), Anne Hathaway ("Rachel"), Melissa Leo ("River"), Tarra Riggs ("Ballast") and Michelle Williams ("Wendy and Lucy").

The actors in the best male lead category are Javier Bardem ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor"), Sean Penn ("Milk"), Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker") and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler").

"Rachel" also scored two nominations in the supporting female category for Rosemarie De Witt and Debra Winger. Also nominated are Penelope Cruz ("Vicky"), Rosie Perez ("The Take") and Misty Upham ("River").

Nominated for best supporting male are James Franco ("Milk"), Anthony Mackie ("The Hurt Locker"), Charlie McDermott ("River"), JimMyron Ross ("Ballast") and Haaz Sleiman ("Visitor").

When it came to best director, the nominations mixed it up a bit. Of the five best feature nominees, "Rachel's" Jonathan Demme, "Ballast's" Lance Hammer and "River's" Courtney Hunt all earned nominations. But "Wendy's" Kelly Reichardt and "Wrestler's" Darren Aronofksy didn't make the cut. Instead, the nominations embraced Ramin Bahrani, who directed "Chop Shop," and Tom McCarthy, who directed "The Visitor."

Hammer and Hunt were also nominated for best first screenplay, along with Dustin Lance Black ("Milk"), Jonathan Levine ("The Wackness") and Jenny Lumet ("Rachel").

Woody Allen will be invited to visit the awards, which take place in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, since he was nominated for his "Vicky Christina Barcelona" screenplay. His fellow nominees in the screenplay category are Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck ("Sugar"), Kaufman ("Synecdoche"), Howard A. Rodman ("Savage Grace") and Christopher Zalla ("Sangre De Mi Sangre").

Cited for their cinematography are Maryse Alberti ("Wrester), Lol Crawley ("Ballast"), James Laxton ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Harris Savides ("Milk") and Michael Simmonds ("Chop Suey").

The Spirits handed out nominations for best foreign film to Laurent Cantet's "The Class" from France, Matteo Garrone's "Gomorra" (Italy), Steve McQueen's "Hunger" (U.K./Ireland), Abdellatif Kechiche's "Secret of the Grain" (France) and Carols Reygadas' "Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany). The most obvious omission was the Mumbai-set "Slumdog Millionaire," one of the critical hits of the season.

The documentary nominees are "The Betrayal," directed by Ellen Kuras & Thavisouk Phrasavath; "Encounters at the End of the World," Werner Herzog; "Man on Wire," James Marsh; "The Order of Myths," Margaret Brown, and "Up the Yangtze," Yung Chang.

Nominees for the John Cassavetes Award, given to the best first feature made for under $500,000 are "In Search of a Midnight Kiss," "Prince of Broadway," "The Signal," "Take Out" and "Turn the River."

The winner of the Acura Someone to Watch Award, given to a filmmaker who has not yet received "appropriate recognation" will be chosen from among directors Barry Jenkins ("Medicine for Melancholy"), Nina Paley ("Sita Sings the Blues") and Lynn Shelton ("My Effortless Brilliance").

Nominated for the Lacoste Truer Than Fiction Award given to an emerging director of non-fiction films are Brown ("The Order of Myths"), Sacha Gerevasi ("Anvil! The Story of Anvil") and Darius Marder ("Loot").

Nominees for the Piaget Producers Award are Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, producers of "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"; Jason Orans, producer of "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish," and Heather Rae, producer of "River" and "Ibid."

Among distributors, Sony Pictures Classics easily outpaced the competition by picking up 18 nominations and fielding two of the best feature nominees, "River" and "Rachel." IFC Films followed with 11 nominations.

Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh announced the nominations at the Sofitel L.A. hotel.

A list of nominees follows:

Best feature
"Ballast"
"Frozen River"
"Rachel Getting Married"
"Wendy and Lucy"
"The Wrestler"

Best director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Tom McCarthy, "The Visitor"

Best first feature
"Afterschool"
"Medicine for Melancholy"
"Sangre De Mi Sangre"
"Sleep Dealer"
"Synecdoche, New York"

Best screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre De Mi Sangre"

Best female lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"

Best male lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Best supporting female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"

Best supporting male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"

Best cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crawley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"

Best documentary
"The Betrayal"
"Encounters at the End of the World"
"Man on Wire"
"The Order of Myths"
"Up the Yangtze"

Best foreign film
"The Class" (France)
"Gomorra" (Italy)
"Hunger" (U.K./Ireland)
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)

Robert Altman Award
"Synecdoche, New York"

[MacGuffin]

'Slumdog' is NBR's best film of year
Clint Eastwood best actor for 'Gran Torino'
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Fox Searchlight's "Slumdog Millionaire," Danny Boyle's tale of a Mumbai orphan who beats the odds, was named best film of the year by the National Board of Review.

The New York-based organization, which is always one of the first out of the gate with year-end film kudos, bestowed its best actor honors on Clint Eastwood, who plays an ex-Marine at war with a changing world in "Gran Torino," and its best actress honors on Anne Hathaway, who appears as a disruptive, recovering addict in "Rachel Getting Married."

"Slumdog's" Dev Patel also was recognized for breakthrough performance by an actor. The film's screenwriter, Simon Beaufoy, was cited for best adapted screenplay, sharing that award with Eric Roth, who penned "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

The best original screenplay prize went to Nick Schenk for "Gran Torino."

"Button," the epic love story about a man whose life runs backwards, earned David Fincher the best director prize.

Supporting actor honors went to Josh Brolin, who plays the assassin Dan White in "Milk," and Penelope Cruz, who appears as a tempetuous divorcee in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" was named best foreign-language film, while James Marsh's "Man on Wire" was singled out as best documentary.

Pixar/Disney's "WALL-E" walked off with the prize for best animated feature.

Miramax's "Doubt" earned the prize for best supporting cast, with its Viola Davis cited for breakthrough performance by an actress.

"Frozen River's" Melissa Leo, who just took top acting honors at the Gotham Awards, shared the Spotlight Award with "The Visitor's" Richard Jenkins.

The Bvlgaricq Award for NBR Freedom of Expression went to Peter Askin's documentary "Trumbo."

The NBR, which is comprised of 122 film buffs, academics, professionals and historians, also cited its top ten films of the year. In alphabetical order, they are "Burn After Reading," "Changeling," "Button," "The Dark Knight," "Defiance," "Frost/Nixon," "Torino," "Milk," "WALL-E" and "The Wrestler."

Its five top foreign-language films are "Edge of Heaven," Let the Right One In," Roman de Gare," "A Secret" and "Waltz with Bashir."

Its top five docs are "American Teen," "The Betrayal" (Nerakhoon), "Dear Zachary," "Encounters at the End of the World" and "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired."

The group also gave its William K. Everson Film History Award to married film critics Molly Haskell and Andrew Sarris.

The awards will be presented at the NBR's annual gala on Jan. 14 at Cipriani's 42nd St. in New York.

[MacGuffin]

DC Critics honor 'Slumdog'
Rourke, Streep take best actor, actress
By VARIETY

Washington DC - The Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) today announced its selection of the surprise indie hit "Slumdog Millionaire" as Best Film of 2008. In total, the Fox Searchlight film won four awards including Best Director for Danny Boyle, Best Breakthrough Performance for Dev Patel and Best Adapted Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy.

Comeback master Mickey Rourke took home the belt for Best Actor for his gritty, raw portrayal of a washed up professional wrestler who can't give up the spotlight in Fox Searchlight's "The Wrestler," while Meryl Streep was awarded her first WAFCA award by winning Best Actress for her turn as a strict Catholic school nun seeking the truth in Miramax's "Doubt."

"In the face of massive marketing for big studio films, it is the ultimate underdogs who have emerged as critic's darlings and fan favorites," said Tim Gordon, president of WAFCA.

In other categories, the late Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for his stunning, captivating portrayal of the Joker in "The Dark Knight" from Warner Brothers Pictures, while Disney/Pixar's lovable, Chaplin-esque "Wall·E" was named Best Animated Feature, and Paramount's "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" was honored for Best Art Direction.

The cast of "Doubt" also walked away with Best Acting Ensemble, while Rosemarie DeWitt won Best Supporting Actress for "Rachel Getting Married" from Sony Pictures Classics.

The Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association is comprised of 46 DC-VA-MD based film critics from television, radio, print and the Internet. Voting was conducted from December 5 - 7, 2008.

Best Film: "Slumdog Millionaire"/Fox Searchlight

Best Director: Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire")

Best Actor: Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler")

Best Actress: Meryl Streep ("Doubt")

Best Ensemble: "Doubt"/Miramax

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight")

Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt ("Rachel Getting Married")

Best Breakthrough Performance: Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire")

Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire")

Best Original Screenplay: Jenny Lumet ("Rachel Getting Married")

Best Animated Feature: "Wall·E" /Disney & Pixar

Best Foreign Language Film: "Let the Right One In"/Magnolia Pictures and Magnet Releasing

Best Documentary: "Man on Wire"/Magnolia

Best Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"/Paramount

[MacGuffin]

It's like Tyler Durden has come drunk posting. Next I'm expecting to see:


YOU CAN USE MOTOR OIL TO FERTILIZE YOUR LAWN

or

RECYCLE YOUR PETS

[Fernando]

YOU ARE NOT SPECIAL.

[modage]

LA Film Critics Awards

The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. has named Disney/Pixar's "Wall-E" the best picture of the year, marking the first time in its history that it has given its top prize to an animated film.

Danny Boyle took the directing award for Fox Searchlight's "Slumdog Millionaire." Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," a Warner Bros. release, was the runner-up for both pic and director.

Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" received two awards, for actress Sally Hawkins and Leigh's screenplay, while Jia Zhangke's "Still Life" nabbed nods for foreign-language film and Yu Lik Wai's cinematography. "Slumdog" also won the music prize for A.R. Rahman's score.

Picture: "Wall-E"
Runner-up: "The Dark Knight"

Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"

Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"

Actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"

Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Runner-up: Eddie Marsan, "Happy-Go-Lucky"

Supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and "Elegy"
Runner-up: Viola Davis, "Doubt"

Screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"

Foreign-language film: "Still Life"
Runner-up: "The Class"

Documentary: "Man on Wire"
Runner-up: "Waltz With Bashir"

Animation: "Waltz With Bashir"

Cinematography: Yu Lik Wai, "Still Life"
Runner-up: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Production design: Mark Friedberg, "Synecdoche, New York"
Runner-up: Nathan Crowley, "The Dark Knight"

Music/score: A.R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Runner-up: Alexandre Desplat, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

New Generation: Steve McQueen, "Hunger"

Douglas E. Edwards independent/experimental film/video: James Benning, "RR" and "Casting a Glance"

[modage]

New York Film Critics Awards

Best Actress
    Sally Hawkins
    Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Screenplay
    Jenny Lumet
    Rachel Getting Married
Best Cinematographer
    Anthony Dod Mantle
    Slumdog Millionaire
Best Supporting Actor
    Josh Brolin
    Milk
Best Animated Film
    WALL-E
Best Director
    Mike Leigh
    Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actress
    Penelope Cruz
    Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best First Film
    Courtney Hunt
    Frozen River
Best Foreign Film
    4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
Best Actor
    Sean Penn
    Milk
Best Documentary
    Man on Wire
Best Picture
    Milk

[MacGuffin]

AFI unveils top 10 for 2008
'Button,' 'Milk,' 'Iron Man' make the film list

American Film Institute released the winners of its AFI Awards Sunday, including its annual top 10 list.

Org's top 10 movies of the year, in alphabetical order, are "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Frozen River," "Gran Torino," "Iron Man," "Milk," 'Wall-E," "Wendy and Lucy," and "The Wrestler."

"Slumdog Millionaire," which has been racking up honors this awards season, was not on the list. One of AFI's criteria is that a film has "significant creative and/or production elements from the United States."

Awards contenders "Revolutionary Road," "Reader" and "Doubt," which meet that criterion, were also left off the list.

The AFI top 10 TV programs of the year, including series, telepics and minis, are "Breaking Bad," "In Treatment," "John Adams," "Life," "Lost," 'Mad Men," "The Office," "Recount," "The Shield," and "The Wire."

Several series that garnered multiple nominations from the Golden Globes and guilds in the past week were left off the list, including: "30 Rock," "Entourage," "Weeds," "Damages," "Dexter," "House" and "True Blood." This is the first awards attention NBC's "Life" has ever received.

AFI kudos are selected with a 13-person jury process where members discuss and debate the merits of titles and provide detailed rationale for each selection. The jury's composed of "scholars, film artists, critics and AFI trustees."

"Entertainment Tonight" film critic Leonard Maltin chaired the film jury, while AFI Trustee Emeritus Richard Frank chaired the television jury. For a full list of jurors, visit Variety.com

Creative teams for the selections will be honored at a luncheon Jan. 9 at the Four Seasons Hotel in BevHills.

[MacGuffin]

'Wall-E' and 'Slumdog Millionaire' share Boston film critics' top award
The Boston Society of Film Critics had trouble deciding top honorees, leading to ties for best picture and actor.

Best picture (tie): "Wall-E," "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best actor (tie:: Sean Penn, "Milk"; Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best actress: Sally Hawkins, "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
Best supporting actress: Penélope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Best director: Gus Van Sant, "Milk," "Paranoid Park"
Best screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Best cinematography: Christopher Doyle, Rain Kathy Li, "Paranoid Park"
Best documentary: "Man on Wire"
Best foreign-language film: "Let the Right One In"
Best animated film: "Wall-E"
Best film editing: Chris Dickens, "Slumdog Millionaire"
Best new filmmaker: Martin McDonagh, "In Bruges"
Best ensemble cast: "Tropic Thunder"

[Stefen]

Awesome. Hopefully that will help Let The Right One In gain some momentum.

[MacGuffin]

Austin critics pick 'Dark Knight'
Christopher Nolan film named best of 2008

The Austin Film Critics Association has named "The Dark Knight" as the best picture of 2008.

The Warner Bros. film earned five awards in total, including director for Christopher Nolan, adapted screenplay, supporting actor for Heath Ledger and score.

Top acting wins went to Sean Penn for "Milk" and Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married." Taraji P. Henson won the supporting actress prize for her part in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Danny McBride took home the breakthrough artist award for his work in "Pineapple Express," "The Foot Fist Way" and "Tropic Thunder."

Documentary "Crawford" won the prize for best Austin film, which celebrates local filmmakers and productions.

And the winners are:

Top 10 Films:

"The Dark Knight

"Slumdog Millionaire"

"Milk"

"Synecdoche, New York"

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

"The Wrestler"

"Wall*E"

"Frost/Nixon"

"Let the Right One In"

"Gran Torino"

Picture:
"The Dark Knight"

Director:
Christopher Nolan, "The Dark Knight"

Actor:
Sean Penn, "Milk"

Actress:
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married

Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight

Supporting Actress:
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Original Screenplay:
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York

Adapted Screenplay:
"The Dark Knight," Jonthan Nolan & Christopher Nolan

Cinematography:
"The Fall," Colin Watkinson

Original Score:
"The Dark Knight," James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmerman

Foreign Language Film:
"Let the Right One In" ("Låt den rätte komma in") (Sweden)

Documentary Film:
"Man on Wire"

Animated Feature:
"Wall*E"

Breakthrough Artist Award:
Danny McBride, Pineapple Express/The Foot Fist Way/Tropic Thunder

First Film:
Nacho Vigalondo, "Timecrimes" ("Los Cronocrímenes")

Austin Film:
"Crawford"

[Fernando]

15th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
RICHARD JENKINS / Walter Vale - "THE VISITOR" (Overture Films)
FRANK LANGELLA / Richard Nixon - "FROST/NIXON" (Universal Pictures)
SEAN PENN / Harvey Milk - "MILK" (Focus Features)
BRAD PITT / Benjamin Button - "THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON" (Paramount Pictures)
MICKEY ROURKE / Randy - "THE WRESTLER" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
ANNE HATHAWAY / Kym - "RACHEL GETTING MARRIED" (Sony Pictures Classics)
ANGELINA JOLIE / Christine Collins - "CHANGELING" (Universal Pictures)
MELISSA LEO / Ray Eddy - "FROZEN RIVER" (Sony Pictures Classics)
MERYL STREEP / Sister Aloysius Beauvier - "DOUBT" (Miramax Films)
KATE WINSLET / April Wheeler - "REVOLUTIONARY ROAD" (Paramount Vantage)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
JOSH BROLIN / Dan White - "MILK" (Focus Features)
ROBERT DOWNEY, JR. / Kirk Lazarus - "TROPIC THUNDER" (Paramount Pictures)
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN / Father Brendan Flynn - "DOUBT" (Miramax Films)
HEATH LEDGER / Joker - "THE DARK KNIGHT" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
DEV PATEL / Older Jamal - "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
AMY ADAMS / Sister James - "DOUBT" (Miramax Flms)
PENÉLOPE CRUZ / Maria Elena - "VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA" (The Weinstein Company)
VIOLA DAVIS / Mrs. Miller - "DOUBT" (Miramax Films)
TARAJI P. HENSON / Queenie - "THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON" (Paramount Pictures)
KATE WINSLET / Hanna Schmitz - "THE READER" (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
DOUBT (Miramax)
FROST/NIXON (Universal Pictures)
MILK (Focus Features)
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (Paramount Pictures)


Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
RALPH FIENNES / Bernard Lafferty - "BERNARD AND DORIS" (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / John Adams - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)
KEVIN SPACEY / Ron Klain - "RECOUNT" (HBO)
KIEFER SUTHERLAND / Jack Bauer - "24: REDEMPTION" (FOX)
TOM WILKINSON / Benjamin Franklin - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURA DERN / Katherine Harris - "RECOUNT" (HBO)
LAURA LINNEY / Abigail Adams - "JOHN ADAMS" (HBO)
SHIRLEY MacLAINE / Coco Chanel - "COCO CHANEL" (Lifetime)
PHYLICIA RASHAD / Lena Younger - "A RAISIN IN THE SUN" (Lifetime)
SUSAN SARANDON / Doris Duke - "BERNARD AND DORIS" (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan - "DEXTER" (Showtime)
JON HAMM / Don Draper - "MAD MEN" (AMC)
HUGH LAURIE / Gregory House - "HOUSE" (FOX)
WILLIAM SHATNER / Denny Crane - "BOSTON LEGAL" (ABC)
JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore - "BOSTON LEGAL" (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker - "BROTHERS & SISTERS" (ABC)
MARISKA HARGITAY / Det. Olivia Benson - "LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT" (NBC)
HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko - "SAVING GRACE" (TNT)
ELISABETH MOSS / Peggy Olson - "MAD MEN" (AMC)
KYRA SEDGWICK / Dep. Chief Brenda Johnson - "THE CLOSER" (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy - "30 ROCK" (NBC)
STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott - "THE OFFICE" (NBC)
DAVID DUCHOVNY / Hank Moody - "CALIFORNICATION" (Showtime)
JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold - "ENTOURAGE" (HBO)
TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk - "MONK" (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly - "SAMANTHA WHO?" (ABC)
AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez - "UGLY BETTY" (ABC)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon - "30 ROCK" (NBC)
MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin - "WEEDS" (Showtime)
TRACEY ULLMAN / Various Characters - "TRACEY ULLMAN'S STATE OF THE UNION" (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)
DEXTER (Showtime)
HOUSE (Fox)
MAD MEN (AMC)
THE CLOSER (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
THE OFFICE (NBC)
WEEDS (Showtime)

[MacGuffin]

Chicago critics laud 'Wall-E'
Animated feature wins four awards

The Chicago Film Critics Association has named Disney/Pixar's "Wall-E" the best pic of 2008. In addition to top honors, the toon also picked up prizes for original screenplay for Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon, score for Thomas Newman and best animated feature.

Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" nabbed three nods for director, adapted screenplay for Simon Beaufoy and promising newcomer for Dev Patel.

In the acting categories, Mickey Rourke and Anne Hathaway continue to collect laurels with their turns in "The Wrestler" and "Rachel Getting Married," respectively.

The promising director award went to Tomas Alfredson for his vampire drama "Let the Right One In."

PICTURE: "Wall•E"
DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"
ACTOR: Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"
SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: "Wall•E" (Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: "Slumdog Millionaire" (Simon Beaufoy)
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "Let the Right One In"
DOCUMENTARY: "Man On Wire"
ANIMATED FEATURE: "Wall•E"
CINEMATOGRAPHY: "The Dark Knight" (Wally Pfister)
ORIGINAL SCORE: "Wall•E" (Thomas Newman)
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Dev Patel, "Slumdog Millionaire"
MOST PROMISING DIRECTOR: Tomas Alfredson, "Let the Right One In"

[MacGuffin]

'Bashir' takes top honors from National Society of Film Critics
The animated documentary was named best picture, with 'Happy-Go-Lucky' and 'Wall-E' tying for runner-up. Many leading Oscar contenders failed to make a splash with Film Critics society voters.

An animated Israeli film that's taken on unexpected timeliness in recent days won the top award Saturday from U.S. film critics.

"Waltz With Bashir," Ari Folman's animated documentary chronicling his coming to terms with repressed memories of his experiences with the Israeli army in the 1982 Lebanon War, was named best picture of 2008 by the National Society of Film Critics. The film was released in the U.S. only weeks before Israel's military offensive against Hamas in Gaza.

The daring film, which is nominated for a Golden Globe for best foreign language film and uses multiple animation techniques, has also earned numerous accolades including six awards from the Israeli Film Academy and best animated film from the Los Angeles Critics Assn.

Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" and Disney/Pixar's animated hit "Wall-E" tied for runner-up in the best picture category.

Leigh earned best director and screenplay for his humanistic comedy, with the film's Sally Hawkins winning best actress as the eternally optimistic Poppy, and Eddie Marsan winning best supporting actor as her cranky driving instructor.

Sean Penn is shaping up to be the leading contender for the best actor Oscar as he received the top honor from the society for his touching portrait of slain gay activist Harvey Milk in "Milk." He's already earned best actor from numerous critics' groups including both the L.A. and the New York Film Critics Circle, as well as nominations for the Critic's Choice Award, the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award.

Hawkins previously had been named best actress by both L.A. and New York and is nominated for a Golden Globe, but failed to get a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Leigh also earned best director from the New York film critics and screenplay from the L.A. group.

Best supporting actress went to veteran German performer Hanna Schygulla for "The Edge of Heaven," and nonfiction film honors went to "Man on Wire."

Ironically, several of the top nominees for the Golden Globes, including "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Doubt," "Frost/Nixon" and "Revolutionary Road," failed to cause a ripple with the Film Critics society, which consists of critics from major publications across the country.

This year's Cinderella story, "Slumdog Millionaire" won best cinematography for Anthony Dod Mantle.

Just as with the L.A. and New York film critics' groups, the society is known for its rather esoteric selections. In fact, over the past 31 years, the group has only agreed with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences four times in the best picture category -- the last being 2004's "Million Dollar Baby."

Ken Jacob's "Razzle Dazzle" was named best experimental film. And film heritage awards were announced for the "Murnau, Borzage and Fox" DVD set, for Sam Fuller's 1982 film "White Dog," for Flicker Alley for its DVD releases of rare silent American and European films, and the restoration of Kent Mackenzie's 1961 film, "The Exiles" by Ross Lipman at UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Forty-nine of the 63 members of the society voted Saturday afternoon at the 43rd annual meeting at the venerable Sardi's restaurant in New York City.

[MacGuffin]

PGA unveils film nominations
Winners will be announced on Jan. 24

The Producers Guild of America has tapped "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire" as nominees for its top feature award.

The winner, determined by voting of the 4,000 members of the PGA, will be announced Jan. 24 at the Hollywood Palladium.

The PGA's announcement Monday contained no major surprises. Nominees for its Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award include Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall and Cean Chaffin for "Benjamin Button"; Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven and Emma Thomas for "The Dark Knight"; Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner for "Frost/Nixon"; Dan Jinks & Bruce Cohen for "Milk"; and Christopher Colson for "Slumdog Millionaire."

The group also announced its documentary feature nominees: Simon Chin for "Man on Wire," Julie Bilson Ahlberg and Errol Morris for "Standard Operating Procedure," and Carl Deal and Tia Lessin for "Trouble the Water." The PGA launched the category last year with "Sicko" winning the first trophy.

Animated feature mentions went to Clark Spencer for "Bolt," Melissa Cobb for "Kung Fu Panda" and Jim Morris for "Wall-E." "Ratatouille" won the award last year.

The PGA Awards also will include kudos in five TV categories. Those nominations were unveiled last month.

"Button," "Frost/Nixon" and "Slumdog" received Golden Globe mentions for top drama along with SAG noms for the guild's ensemble trophy.

Winner of the PGA award has gone on to claim the best picture Oscar in 12 of the last 19 years. "No Country for Old Men" won both last year, but the orgs split during the three previous years as the PGA opted for "Little Miss Sunshine," "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Aviator" while Academy voters chose "The Departed," "Crash" and "Million Dollar Baby."

More than three-quarters of the PGA nominations have also subsequently secured Oscar mentions for picture. In addition to "No Country," both orgs tapped "Juno," "Michael Clayton" and "There Will Be Blood" last year while the PGA opted for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" and the Acad selected "Atonement."

The producing team of Jinks and Cohen won the PGA Award and the Oscar for "American Beauty" in 2000. Grazer won it in 1996 for "Apollo 13."

The PGA's selections of accredited producers have been used by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences over the past two years as guidelines in determining the nominated producers in the Oscars' picture category. The Academy currently has 462 voting members in its producers branch out of 5,810 total members.

And the nominees are:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures
"The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button," Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
"The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas
"Frost/Nixon," Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
"Milk," Dan Jinks & Bruce Cohen
"Slumdog Millionaire," Christian Colson

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
"Man On Wire," Simon Chinn
"Standard Operating Procedure," Julie Bilson Ahlberg, Errol Morris
"Trouble The Water," Carl Deal, Tia Lessin

The Producers Guild of America Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
"Bolt," Clark Spencer
"Kung Fu Panda," Melissa Cobb
"Wall-E," Jim Morris