2009 Academy Awards Winners - Slumdog Millionaire Wins!

81st Academy Awards

The 81st Academy Awards have arrived and it's time to announce the winners of the most prestigious award in Hollywood. The ceremony is being held live at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood where host Hugh Jackman will be taking us on an Oscars journey like we've never seen before. While our own favorite film, The Dark Knight, didn't get as much Oscar love as we think it deserved, there is still a fine selection of other great nominees this year, including Slumdog Millionaire and Mickey Rourke, amongst others. The complete list of nominees below will be updated with the winners as they're announced live on the show tonight.

Read on for the complete list of nominees and winners and to let us know what your thoughts are!

This will be updated throughout the night to reflect the winners. Additionally, I occasionally might add a small bit of editorial commentary beneath each category. Winners are highlighted in BOLD below.

PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Winner! Slumdog Millionaire

Thoughts: It deserves it, I love this movie, congratulations to Danny Boyle and everyone involved, honestly!

DIRECTOR
Winner! Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Thoughts: I loved this movie, so of course I'm glad that Danny Boyle won. He's a wonderful person as well as a fantastic director. Congrats, Mr. Boyle!

ACTOR
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Winner! Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Thoughts: Wow, let me be the first to say, Sean Penn deserves this! He was exceptional, and I called it, the moment I saw Milk, I said he deserves it and should get it. I love Mickey Rourke, I think he should've also got it, but I'm just as happy with Sean Penn as well. Congratulations to both of them!

ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Winner! Kate Winslet - The Reader

Thoughts: Okay, Winslet isn't bad, but I wasn't impressed by her. Truthfully, I would've much rather seen Meryl Streep or Anne Hathaway win instead, because both of them really did an incredible job, whereas Winslet was just normal. I'm not a Kate Winslet fan and I'm not afraid to admit that I don't like her much, but oh well, I expected her to take this anyway. I guess maybe she does deserve it?

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Winner! Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Thoughts: Deserving in all sense of it, without question, and I'm glad he got this win! Congrats and RIP!

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - Doubt
Winner! Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Thoughts: I don't mind Penelope Cruz, but I would've preferred either of the Doubt winners instead, come on, both were so much better and so much more memorable!

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Winner! Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon - Wall-E

Thoughts: I loved Milk, and think it deserves this, but really, Wall-E, why not Wall-E?! Even my screenwriter friend thought the Wall-E script was the best one of the nominees!

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth & Robin Swicord - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
David Hare - The Reader
Winner! Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

Thoughts: As expected, don't have any complaints about this, since I loved Slumdog Millionaire and Beaufoy is a great writer, so he definitely deserves it!

ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Winner! Wall-E

Thoughts: Phew, I was REALLY worried this might not win, but of course, Pixar takes another one home!

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
The Class
Winner! Departures
Revanche
Waltz With Bashir

Thoughts: Wow, this might be a big upset? Everyone was expecting Waltz With Bashir, and I wanted The Class.

ART DIRECTION
Changeling
Winner! The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

Thoughts: First big upset? How did this win over The Dark Knight? Maybe Gotham City wasn't as distinct enough as the classic look of New Orleans and so on… Oh well!

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Tom Stern - Changeling
Claudio Miranda - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight
Chris Menges & Roger Deakins - The Reader
Winner! Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire

Thoughts: This won over The Dark Knight?! Okay, it deserves it, of course, it looked great, but Wally Pfister did something that no one else has ever done and deserve it even more than anyone else nominated!

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Winner! Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

Thoughts: Congrats, it was a great documentary, and it deserves it, I'm really glad it won!

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Winner! Smile Pinki
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

ANIMATED SHORT
Winner! La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

LIVE-ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Winner! Spielzeugland (Toyland)

VISUAL EFFECTS
Winner! The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

Thoughts: Alright, I'm sorry, but The Dark Knight deserved this hands down, and as great as the effects were in Benjamin Button, this is stupid to see The Dark Knight continually screwed. Come on, this is ridiculous, was the ever a moment you DIDN'T believe the VFX in The Dark Knight?

COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Winner! The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

MAKEUP
Winner! The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

FILM EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Winner! Slumdog Millionaire

Thoughts: Sure, why not? I don't really know how good or bad it was, but I remember it being kind of weird.

SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Winner! Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
Wanted

SOUND EDITING
Winner! The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
Wanted

ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Newton Howard - Defiance
Danny Elfman - Milk
Winner! A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
Thomas Newman - Wall-E

Thoughts: I love this soundtrack and just never expected it to win! The first time I saw Slumdog, I would say I loved the soundtrack more than almost anything, but never thought it would go on to win!

ORIGINAL SONG
"Down to Earth" from Wall-E
Winner! "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire
"O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire

Chime in below and let us know if you're happy with these winners and what your thoughts were on the ceremony and host Hugh Jackman. And of course, congratulations to all of the winners and nominees!

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