NUTSHELL: Beyond a few tweaks, there isn’t much to write home about with this update. There are as many reasons for or against a number of contenders throughout, though it’s all simple guesswork until we get into the fall. Oliver Stone’s “W” makes an appearance in the form of Josh Brolin’s lead performance possibilities, now that the director has announced his intentions to release the film before the current administration exits the White House. But that’s the only real “news” of the past two and a half months. We’ll let the charts settle until August or September.

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BEST PICTURE
1	“Frost/Nixon” Universal Pictures	—
2	“Revolutionary Road” Paramount Vantage	—
3	“The Soloist” DreamWorks SKG	—
4	“Doubt” Miramax Films	—
5	“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Paramount Pictures	—
6	“Milk” Focus Features	—
7	“The Reader” The Weinstein Company
8	“Australia” 20th Century Fox
9	“Body of Lies” Warner Bros. Pictures
10	“The Argentine”/“Guerrilla” Focus Features	—

DIRECTING
1	Ron Howard “Frost/Nixon”	—
2	Joe Wright “The Soloist”	—
3	David Fincher “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”	—
4	Sam Mendes “Revolutionary Road”	—
5	Gus Van Sant “Milk”
6	John Patrick Shanley “Doubt”	—
7	Stephen Daldry “The Reader”
8	Baz Luhrmann “Australia”
9	Ridley Scott “Body of Lies”
10	Steven Soderbergh “The Argentine” (or “Guerrilla”)	—

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
1	Frank Langella “Frost/Nixon”	—
2	Jamie Foxx “The Soloist”	—
3	Benicio Del Toro “The Argentine” (or “Guerrilla”)
4	Sean Penn “Milk”
5	Brad Pitt “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (or “Burn After Reading”)	—
6	Leonardo DiCaprio “Revolutionary Road” (or “Body of Lies”)	—
7	Phillip Seymour Hoffman “Doubt” (or “Synecdoche, New York”)	NEW
8	Josh Brolin “W”	NEW
9	Hugh Jackman “Australia”
10	Will Smith “Seven Pounds”

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
1	Meryl Streep “Doubt”	—
2	Angelina Jolie “Changling”	—
3	Kate Winslet “Revolutionary Road” (or “The Reader”)	—
4	Julianne Moore “Blindness” (or “Savage Grace”)
5	Anne Hathaway “Dancing with Shiva”	NEW
6	Nicole Kidman “Australia”	—
7	Sally Hawkins “Happy-Go-Lucky”	NEW
8	Kate Beckinsale “Nothing But the Truth”	NEW
9	Drew Barrymore “Grey Gardens”	NEW
10	Penélope Cruz “Elegy” (or “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”)

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
1	Heath Ledger “The Dark Knight”	—
2	Michael Sheen “Frost/Nixon”	—
3	Josh Brolin “Milk”	—
4	Robert Downey Jr. “The Soloist” (or “Tropic Thunder”)	—
5	Russell Crowe “Body of Lies”	—
6	James Franco “Pineapple Express” (or “Milk”)	NEW
6	John Malkovich “Changeling” (or “Burn After Reading”)
7	Demian Bechir “The Argentine” (or “Guerrilla”)	NEW
8	Alan Alda “Nothing But the Truth”	NEW
9	Michael Shannon “Revolutionary Road”	NEW

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
1	Cate Blanchett “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”	—
2	Kathy Bates “Revolutionary Road”
3	Taraji P. Henson “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”	NEW
4	Samantha Morton “Synecdoche, New York”
5	Amy Adams “Doubt”
6	Viola Davis “Doubt”	NEW
7	Carice van Houten “Body of Lies”
8	Catherine Keener “The Soloist”
9	Renée Zellweger “Appaloosa”
10	Rachel Weisz “The Brothers Bloom”	NEW

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
1	“Frost/Nixon” Written by Peter Morgan Based on his play	—
2	“Revolutionary Road” Written by Justin Haythe Based on the novel by Richard Yates	—
3	“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Written by Eric roth Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald	—
4	“Doubt” Written by John Patrick Shanley Based on his play	—
5	“Body of Lies” Written by William Monahan, Steven Zaillian Based on the book by David Ignatius	—
6	“Blindness” Written by Don McKellar Based on the novel by José Saramago	—
7	“The Reader” Written by David Hare Based on the novel by Bernhard Shlink	—
8	“Defiance” Written by Clay Frohman, Edward Zwick Based on the book by Nechama Tec	—
9	“Appaloosa” Written by Ed Harris, Robert Knott Based on the book by Robert B. Parker
10	“Miracle at St. Anna” Written by James McBride Based on his novel	NEW

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
1	“The Soloist” Written by Susannah Grant	—
2	“Milk” Written by Dustin Lance Black	—
3	“Happy-Go-Lucky” Written by Mike Leigh	NEW
4	“Wall-E” Written by Andrew Stanton
5	“Hamlet 2” Written by Pam Brady, Andrew Fleming	—
6	“Australia” Written by Stuart Bettie, Ronald Harwood, Baz Luhrmann	—
7	“Synecdoche, New York” Written by Charlie Kaufman	—
8	“Seven Pounds” Written by Grant Nieporte	—
9	“Changeling” Written by J. Michael Straczynski
10	“The Argentine”/”Guerrilla” Written by Peter Buchman	—

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
1	“Wall-E” Walt Disney Pictures	—
2	“Kung Fu Panda” DreamWorks SKG	—
3	“9” Focus Features	—
4	“Coraline” Focus Features	NEW
5	“Igor” The Weinstein Company	NEW
6	“Horton Hears a Who!” 20th Century Fox
7	“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” DreamWorks SKG
8	“Space Chimps” 20th Century Fox	NEW
9	“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” Warner Bros. Pictures	NEW
10	“The Tale of Despereaux” Universal Pictures