Days before the event, a list of winners was posted on various sites on the internet. Lending to it's authenticity, it was allegedly signed by Academy President Sid Ganis. The listed included Heath Ledger and Mickey Rourke as big winners for the night. Cinematical: Oscar Winners Leaked? (February 18,2 009) Academy officials immediately denied the authenticity of the list.Yahoo! News: Oscar ReP : Leaked Winners List A Fraud (February 20, 2009)

The Brad Pitt starring vehicle The Curious Case of Benjamin Button led all films with 13 nominations, including one for Best Picture . The awards season favorite Slumdog Millionaire directed by Danny Boyle, came in second with 10 Oscar nominations. The Gus Van Sant directed Milk landed 8 nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Sean Penn and a Best supporting actor nomination for Josh Brolin. The record setting, box office hit The Dark Knight also received 8 nominations, including one posthumously for Heath Ledger for his portrayal as The Joker. The Dark Knight however, failed to earn a Best Picture nomination.Extra.com: Oscar Nominees announce (January 22, 2009)