Nate Silver Turns Crystal Ball on Oscars

Benjamin Button , Frost/Nixon lag as Oscars near

(NEWSER) - Kate Winslet and Slumdog Millionaire won big at last night's BAFTA ceremony—one more sign that the actress and film are steaming toward Oscar wins, reports the Independent. Here's the line up for the British awards:

• Winslet won Best Actress for The Reader, competing against her own second nomination for acting in Revolutionary Road.
• Danny Boyle's Slumdog clinched 7 BAFTAs, including awards for Best Film and Director.

Heath Ledger receives posthumous award

(NEWSER) - Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner at the Critics' Choice Awards last night, taking home five trophies, including best film and best director (Danny Boyle), MTV News reports. Heath Ledger, meanwhile, continued his posthumous honors, picking up best supporting actor (and a standing ovation) for his turn as the Joker in The Dark Knight. More»

Funny and un-funny moments abound at ceremony

(NEWSER) - Oscar night was filled with highs and lows, from the predictably inspirational moments when Kate Winslet finally won and Heath Ledger’s family received his posthumous award, to the cheap shot of producers cutting to Angelina Jolie’s face during Jennifer Aniston’s presenter speech. More from the Los Angeles Times. Best:

• Sean Penn opened his acceptance speech by greeting “you Commie, homo-loving sons-of-a-gun.”

Benjamin Button, Slumdog lead the pack

(NEWSER) - Exactly a year after his death, Heath Ledger has been nominated for an Academy Award, AP reports. Ledger's Supporting Actor nod was the only nom for The Dark Knight, while The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire rose to the top with 13 and 10 nominations respectively. Other nominees:

• Best Picture: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire
• Best 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

(NEWSER) - Warner Bros. is tiptoeing around the possible Oscar nomination for Heath Ledger, the late star of Dark Knight, writes Rachel Abramowitz in the Los Angeles Times. Hollywood insiders contend that a nod for Ledger is almost certain, but the studio must tread the line between boosting his chances and exploiting popular sympathy for the actor. The company line is that it is promoting all the film's actors equally. More»