The nominees for the 81st Annual Academy Awards were announced and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button lead the pack with 12 nominations, followed by Slumdog Millionaire with 10. None of cast members from Slumdog were nominated, and the Leonardo Decaprio and Kate Winslet-vehicle Revolutionary Road was almost totally snubbed, with only one major nod coming in the form of a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Michael Shannon.

Gus van Sant's Milk did better than at the Golden Globes, picking up four major nominations, and surprise nominations included Best Actress nominee Melissa Leo in Frozen River, a film that's done well with critics but has been marginally seen by audiences. Heath Ledger, who died a year ago this month, picked up an expected nomination for Best Supporting Actor in The Dark Knight.

Here are the major nominees:

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

Best Actor:
Sean Penn - Milk
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Actress:
Kate Winslet - The Reader
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River

Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Josh Brolin - Milk
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Best Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Amy Adams - Doubt
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Best Director:
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Stephen Daldry - The Reader

Best Animated Feature:
WALL-E
Kung Fu Panda
Bolt

You can click here to see the full list of nominees. The event will broadcast live on February 22 from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

—Sasha Perl-Raver