"Slumdog Millionaire" child star Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, center, stands amid the remains of his demolished home in Mumbai, India, Thursday. City workers bulldozed the home of Azharuddin Thursday as part of the demolition of dozens of shanties in a Mumbai slum.

MUMBAI — City workers bulldozed the home of a “Slumdog Millionaire” child star Thursday as part of the demolition of dozens of shanties in a Mumbai slum.

Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail was asleep when a police officer woke him up and told him to leave his family’s home, he said. Shortly after that, the shack and about 30 more were destroyed.

“A police officer took a bamboo stick to hit me, and I was frightened,” said 10-year-old Azhar.

Authorities say his family will be given a new home elsewhere.

Eight Oscars and $326 million in box office receipts have so far done little to improve the lives of the film’s two impoverished child stars, Azhar and Rubina Ali — who were plucked from the slum to star in the blockbuster.

They have been showered with gifts and brief bursts of fame, but their day-to-day lives are little changed.

Thursday morning, city workers flanked by policemen arrived as part of a slum demolition drive — common in India’s chaotic cities, where officials struggle to keep crowding under control.

“They didn’t give prior notice. We didn’t even get a chance to take out our belongings,” said Shameem Ismail, Azhar’s mother, who has lived in the shanty town for more than 15 years. She has no legal right to the land.

“I don’t know what I am going to do,” she said, sitting on a bed she had dragged from the wreckage. Next to her was a plastic bag stuffed with belongings.

U.D. Mistry, an official with the city’s Bombay Municipal Corporation, said the razing was part of a “pre-monsoon demolition drive.

He said only illegally built shanties — not homes that were legally owned — were bulldozed.

“They were removed. That is the principle,” he said, adding he was not aware that the child star lived in that slum.

Mistry said residents who have lived in the shanty town for more than 15 years — including Azhar’s family — would be resettled elsewhere in government-built housing. He gave no other details, and such official promises of resettlement often amount to nothing. When slum-dwellers are given housing, it is often in poor-quality buildings on the outskirts of cities and far from jobs.

“Slumdog” filmmakers say they’ve done their best to help the young stars. They set up a trust, called Jai Ho, after the hit song from the film, to ensure the children get proper homes, a good education and a nest egg when they finish high school. They also donated $747,500 to a charity to help slum kids in Mumbai.

Producer Christian Colson has described the trust as substantial, but won’t tell anyone how much it contains — not even the parents — for fear of making the children vulnerable to exploitation.

ST. LOUIS – Mickey Carroll, the diminutive actor whose appearance in an iconic film classic granted him lifelong fame, died at his home Thursday morning. He was 89.

Carroll, whose real name is Michael Finocchiaro, grew up in St. Louis and made it to Hollywood to perform in the “Wizard of Oz” role that defined his life. He spent a lot of time on charitable work, and would talk to anyone, at any time, about his part as a Munchkin in the movie.

Of the 125 Munchkins who starred in the “Wizard of Oz,” only seven are still alive. Most recently, actor Clarence Swensen, who played one of the Munchkin soldiers, passed away in late February at the age of 91.

There’s an odd twist to Carroll’s story. About the same time he died, a lawyer was filing suit on his behalf, asking for an accounting of his finances, and raising concerns that his caretaker Linda Dodge had improperly taken control of his finances and his personal affairs.

Dodge said Carroll moved in with Dodge and her husband in December as his health deteriorated. Carroll’s nephew, Frank Parenti, also moved in.

Dodge has become caretaker not only of Carroll’s health, but his memory too, pushing for him to be included in various Walks of Fame, and having him promoted at various events celebrating the “Wizard of Oz” movie. She said he played three roles in the film: as a soldier, a fiddler and town crier.

But attorney Patrick McCarthy said Carroll’s family believes he was also being manipulated and had signed paperwork giving Dodge control of his life.

McCarthy said the state department in charge of adult affairs is investigating the case and a probate judge has called for a hearing next week to hear the allegations.

Among them are that Carroll signed a power of attorney when he was in fact mentally incapable of doing so.

In addition, McCarthy said there needs to be an accounting of Carroll’s finances and he wonders why Dodge kept Carroll from talking to his family members. Dodge denies wrongdoing and said the suit is just a family spat over money, as much as $1 million.

A Catholic Mass for Carroll on Wednesday at the St. Louis Cathedral will be preceded by a court hearing on the matter.

Woody Allen

NEW YORK – A clothing company known for its racy ads is fighting a $10 million lawsuit brought by Woody Allen, arguing that it can’t have damaged his reputation by using his image because the film director has already ruined it himself.

The 73-year-old Allen started the fight against American Apparel Inc. when he sued the company last year for using his image on the company’s billboards in Hollywood and New York and on a Web site.

Allen, who does not endorse products in the United States, said he had not authorized the displays, which the Los Angeles-based company said were up for only a week.

Now the company plans to make Allen’s relationships to actress Mia Farrow and her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn the focus of a trial scheduled to begin in federal court in Manhattan on May 18, according to the company’s lawyer, Stuart Slotnick.

“Woody Allen expects $10 million for use of his image on billboards that were up and down in less than one week. I think Woody Allen overestimates the value of his image,” Slotnick said.

“Certainly, our belief is that after the various sex scandals that Woody Allen has been associated with, corporate America’s desire to have Woody Allen endorse their product is not what he may believe it is.”

One billboard featured a frame from “Annie Hall,” a film that won Allen a best-director Oscar. The image showed Allen dressed as a Hasidic Jew with a long beard and black hat and Yiddish text. The words “American Apparel” also were on the billboard.

Allen’s lawsuit said the billboard falsely implied that Allen sponsored, endorsed or was associated with American Apparel.

Slotnick said it was not a cheap shot to bring up Allen’s sex life in a lawsuit over the billboard and Internet ads.

“It’s certainly relevant in assessing the value of an endorsement,” he said, noting that Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps lost endorsement power after a photograph surfaced of him using marijuana.

Farrow starred in several of Allen’s movies during a relationship with the director that ended in 1992, when she discovered he was having an affair with her oldest adopted daughter, then 22. Allen married Soon-Yi Previn in 1997.

During a bitter custody fight, Farrow accused Allen of sexually abusing their adopted daughter Dylan, 7. Allen was exonerated of the abuse charges, but Farrow won sole custody of the children.

Leslee Dart, a spokeswoman for Allen, said Friday that she does not believe Allen wants to comment on the litigation at this point.

American Apparel is known for its provocative ads of scantily dressed young models in tight-fitting and sometimes see-through garments.

Allen testified at a December deposition that he considered the company’s advertising to be “sleazy” and “infantile.”

Lawyers for American Apparel have complained that Allen has refused to turn over much of the information they have demanded to prepare for trial.

Among their demands were documents concerning any endorsement requests that were withdrawn after the sex scandal with Farrow and Previn became public.

The documents defined sex scandal as “your relationship with Soon-Yi Previn including the discovery … (of) nude pictures you took of Soon-Yi Previn.”

The lawyers also requested documents concerning Allen’s public image and reputation, including his contention during his deposition that he was a “special kind of entity” or a “special taste.”

Allen’s attorneys said the request for documents related to the sex scandal and custody battle were “vexatious, oppressive, harassing” and not relevant.

Slotnick said he could not discuss whether there were any settlement talks under way but he hinted that the company may be open to avoiding a trial.

“All I can say is that the company has apologized for the use of Mr. Allen’s image, however brief. And the company apologized if they offended Mr. Allen’s sensibilities,” he said.

In this April 27, 2000, file photo adult film star Marilyn Chambers arrives at a screening of "Rated X," at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in Beverly Hills.

LOS ANGELES — A friend of adult film star Marilyn Chambers says the actress has been found dead at her home in northern Los Angeles County.

Peggy McGinn says the 56-year-old Chambers was found by her 17-year-old daughter Sunday night and the cause of death has not been determined.

Chambers starred in the 1972 film “Behind the Green Door,” which was more widely distributed and attracted a more mainstream audience than the usual adult fare.

Chambers, whose given name was Marilyn Briggs, was once a model for Ivory Snow. She was among the first porn superstars when the stag films of the 1940s through 1960s gave way to the more polished sex films of the 1970s.

In this May 4, 1973 file photo adult film star Marilyn Chambers poses in San Francisco.

Efron

NEW YORK – Zac Efron has dropped out of his role in a remake of “Footloose.”

Paramount Pictures says the “High School Musical” heartthrob is no longer attached to the upcoming film. The studio did not give a reason in its Tuesday statement, but said it remains committed to director Kenny Ortega and producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

Efron soared to stardom in the “High School Musical” franchise as music-loving jock Troy. The 21-year-old actor sang and danced in the 2007 movie musical “Hairspray,” and was primed to bust some moves in the update of the 1984 classic “Footloose.”

Efron stars as a middle-aged guy who wakes up as his teenaged self in “17 Again,” slated for release April 17.

In this 2005, file photo, actress Natasha Richardson is shown at her opening night performance in the Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of "A Streetcar Named Desire."

NEW YORK – Tributes have begun to pour in from across the show business generations for Natasha Richardson, the Tony Award-winning actress who died after suffering a head injury on a ski slope.

“She was a wonderful woman and actress and treated me like I was her own,” said Lindsay Lohan, who as a preteen starred with Richardson in a remake of “The Parent Trap” in 1998. “My heart goes out to her family. This is a tragic loss.”

Actress Judi Dench told the BBC that Richardson was “a really great actress” who had “an incredibly luminous quality, that you seldom see, and a great sense of humor.”

“It’s just so shocking, really shocking, and I hope that everybody leaves the family quietly to somehow pick up the pieces,” Dench said.

Sam Mendes, who produced the Broadway musical “Cabaret” for which Richardson won a Tony, said, “It defies belief that this gifted, brave, tenacious, wonderful woman is gone.”

Richardson fell during a private lesson Monday at a ski resort in Quebec. She was not wearing a helmet. The 45-year-old actress was seemingly fine afterward, but about an hour later, she complained that she didn’t feel well. She was hospitalized Tuesday in Montreal and later flown to a hospital in New York.

Alan Nierob, the Los Angeles-based publicist for Richardson’s husband, Liam Neeson, confirmed her death Wednesday without giving details on the cause.

There were no details on funeral arrangements.

Neeson and Richardson’s sister, actress Joely Richardson, were seen leaving Lenox Hill hospital Wednesday. Actress Lauren Bacall also visited the hospital.

Yves Coderre, director of operations at the emergency services company that sent paramedics to the Mont Tremblant resort where Richardson suffered her fall, told The Globe and Mail newspaper Wednesday the paramedics who responded were told they were not needed.

“They never saw the patient,” Coderre told The Globe and Mail. “So they turned around.”

Coderre said another ambulance was called later to Richardson’s luxury hotel. By that point, her condition had gotten worse and she was rushed to a hospital.

Richardson’s career highlights included the film “Patty Hearst” and a Tony-winning performance in a stage revival of “Cabaret.”

Richardson was a proper Londoner who came to love the noise of New York, an elegant blonde with large, lively eyes, a bright smile and a hearty laugh.

Jane Fonda on Wednesday recalled meeting a young Richardson on the set of “Julia,” the 1977 film Fonda starred in opposite Richardson’s mother, Vanessa Redgrave.

“She was a little girl but already beautiful and graceful. It didn’t surprise me that she became such a talented actor,” Fonda recalled on her blog. “It is hard to even imagine what it must be like for her family. My heart is heavy.”

As an actress, Richardson was equally adept at passion and restraint, able to portray besieged women both confessional (Tennessee Williams’ Blanche DuBois) and confined (the concubine in the futuristic horror of “The Handmaid’s Tale”).

Like other family members, she divided her time between stage and screen. On Broadway, she portrayed Sally Bowles in the 1998 revival of “Cabaret.” She also appeared in New York in a production of Patrick Marber’s “Closer” (1999) as well as the 2005 revival of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire,” in which she played Blanche opposite John C. Reilly’s Stanley Kowalski.

She met Neeson when they made their Broadway debuts in 1993, co-starring in “Anna Christie,” Eugene O’Neill’s drama about a former prostitute and the sailor who falls in love with her.

The New York Times critic Frank Rich called her “astonishing” and said she “gives what may prove to be the performance of the season.”

Her most notable film roles came earlier in her career. Richardson played the title character in Paul Schrader’s “Patty Hearst,” a 1988 biopic about the kidnapped heiress for which the actress became so immersed that even between scenes she wore a blindfold, the better to identify with her real-life counterpart.

Richardson was directed again by Schrader in a 1990 adaptation of Ian McEwan’s “The Comfort of Strangers” and, also in 1990, starred in the screen version of Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

She later co-starred with Neeson in “Nell” and with Mia Farrow in “Widows’ Peak.” More recent movies, none of them widely seen, included “Wild Child,” “Evening” and “Asylum.”

Richardson was born in London in 1963, the performing gene inherited not just from her parents (Redgrave and director Tony Richardson), but from her maternal grandparents (Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson), an aunt (Lynn Redgrave) and an uncle (Corin Redgrave). Her younger sister, Joely Richardson, also joined the family business.

She also is survived by two sons, Micheal, 13, and Daniel, 12.

Friends and family members remembered Natasha as an unusually poised child, perhaps forced to grow up early when her father left her mother in the late ’60s for Jeanne Moreau. (Tony Richardson died in 1991).

Interviewed by The Associated Press in 2001, Natasha Richardson said she related well to her family if only because, “We’ve all been through it in one way or another and so we’ve had to be strong. Also we embrace life. We are not cynical about life.”

Her screen debut came at 4, when she appeared as a flower girl in “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” directed by her father, whose movies included “Tom Jones” and “The Entertainer.” The show business wand had already tapped her the year before, when she saw her mother in the 1967 film version of the Broadway show “Camelot.”

“She was so beautiful. I still look at that movie and I can’t believe it. It still makes me cry, the beauty of it,” Richardson said.

She studied at London’s Central School of Speech and Drama and was an experienced stage actress by her early 20s, appearing in “On the Razzle,” “Charley’s Aunt” and “The Seagull,” for which the London Drama Critics awarded her most promising newcomer.

She and her mother acted together, most recently on Broadway to play the roles of mother and daughter in a one-night benefit concert version of “A Little Night Music,” the Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical.

Before meeting up with Neeson, Richardson was married to producer Robert Fox, whose credits include the 1985 staging of “The Seagull” in which his future wife appeared.

She sometimes remarked on the differences between her and her second husband — she from a theatrical dynasty and he from a working-class background in Northern Ireland.

“He’s more laid back, happy to see what happens, whereas I’m a doer and I plan ahead,” Richardson told The Independent on Sunday newspaper in 2003. “The differences sometimes get in the way but they can be the very things that feed a marriage, too.”

She once said that Neeson’s serious injury in a 2000 motorcycle accident — he suffered a crushed pelvis after colliding with a deer in upstate New York — had made her really appreciate life.

“I wake up every morning feeling lucky — which is driven by fear, no doubt, since I know it could all go away,” she told The Daily Telegraph newspaper in 2003.

The cast and crew of the film "Slumdog Millionaire" celebrate winning best motion picture of the year during the 81st Academy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES – “Slumdog Millionaire” took the best-picture Academy Award and seven other Oscars on Sunday, including director for Danny Boyle, whose ghetto-to-glory story paralleled the film’s unlikely rise to Hollywood’s summit.

The other top winners: Kate Winslet, best actress for the Holocaust-themed drama “The Reader”; Sean Penn, best actor for the title role of “Milk”; Heath Ledger, supporting actor for “The Dark Knight”; and Penelope Cruz, supporting actress for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

A story of hope amid squalor in Mumbai, India, “Slumdog Millionaire” came in with 10 nominations, its eight wins including adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing and both music Oscars (score and song).

“Just to say to Mumbai, all of you who helped us make the film and all of those of you who didn’t, thank you very much. You dwarf even this guy,” Boyle said, holding up his directing Oscar.

The filmmakers accepted the best-picture trophy surrounded by both the adult professional actors who appeared among the cast of relative unknowns and some of the children Boyle cast from the slums of Mumbai.

The film follows the travails and triumphs of Jamal, an orphan who artfully dodges a criminal gang that mutilates children to make them more pitiable beggars. Jamal witnesses his mother’s violent death, endures police torture and struggles with betrayal by his brother, while single-mindedly hoping to reunite with the lost love of his childhood.

Fate rewards Jamal, whose story unfolds through flashbacks as he recalls how he came to know the answers that made him a champion on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

As he took the stage to accept his prize for playing slain gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk, Penn gleefully told the crowd: “You commie, homo-loving sons of guns.”

He followed with condemnation of anti-gay protesters who demonstrated near the Oscar site and comments about California’s recent vote to ban gay marriage.

“For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think it’s a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that support,” Penn said. “We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone.”

For his demented reinvention of Batman villain the Joker, Ledger became only the second actor ever to win posthumously, his triumph coming exactly 13 months after his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

His Oscar for the Warner Bros. blockbuster was accepted by Ledger’s parents and sister on behalf of the actor’s 3-year-old daughter, Matilda.

“I have to say this is ever so humbling, just being amongst such wonderful people in such a wonderful industry,” said his father, Kim Ledger. “We’d like to thank the academy for recognizing our son’s amazing work, Warner Bros., and Christopher Nolan in particular for allowing Heath the creative license to develop and explore this crazy Joker character.”

Since his death, the 28-year-old Ledger has gained a mythic aura akin to James Dean, another rising star who died well before his time.

The Joker was his final completed role, a casting choice that initially drew scorn from fans who thought Ledger would not be up to the task given Jack Nicholson’s gleefully campy rendition of the character in 1989′s “Batman.”

In the months before Ledger’s death, buzz on his wickedly chaotic performance swelled as marketing for the movie centered on the Joker and the perverted clown makeup he hid behind.

Ledger’s death fanned a frenzy of anticipation for “The Dark Knight,” which had a record $158.4 million opening weekend last summer.

The previous posthumous Oscar recipient was Peter Finch, who won best actor for 1976′s “Network” two months after his death.

Cruz triumphed as a woman in a steamy three-way affair with her ex-husband and an American woman in Woody Allen’s romance.

“Has anybody ever fainted here? Because I might be the first one,” Cruz said, who went on with warm thanks to Allen. “Thank you, Woody, for trusting me with this beautiful character. Thank you for having written all these years some of the greatest characters for women.”

“OK, that fainting thing, Penelope,” Winslet joked later as she accepted her best-actress prize for “The Reader,” in which she plays a former concentration camp guard in an affair with a teen. “I’d be lying if I haven’t made a version of this speech before. I think I was probably 8 years old and staring into the bathroom mirror, and this would be a shampoo bottle. But it’s not a shampoo bottle now.”

It was Winslet’s first win after five previous losses.

“Slumdog” writer Simon Beaufoy, who adapted the script from Vikas Swarup’s novel “Q&A,” said there are places he never could imagine being.

“For me, it’s the moon, the South Pole, the Miss World podium, and here,” Beaufoy said.

The epic love story “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which led with 13 nominations, had three wins, for visual effects, art direction and makeup.

“The Dark Knight” had a second win, for sound editing.

“Milk” writer Dustin Lance Black offered an impassioned tribute to Milk.

“If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by the churches, by the government, by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights, federally, across this great nation of ours,” Black said.

“Man on Wire,” James Marsh’s examination of tight-rope walker Philippe Petit’s dazzling stroll between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, was chosen as best documentary.

The acting categories were presented by five past winners of the same awards, among them last year’s actress winners, Marion Cotillard and Tilda Swinton, plus Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Kevin Kline, Sophia Loren, Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLaine and Robert De Niro.

It was a much different style for the Oscars as each past recipient offered personal tributes to one of the nominees, without clips of the nominated performances. Awards usually are done in chit-chat style between a couple of celebrity presenters.

After last year’s Oscars delivered their worst TV ratings ever, producers this time aimed to liven up the show with some surprises and new ways of presenting awards. Rather than hiring a comedian such as past hosts Jon Stewart or Chris Rock, the producers went with actor and song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman, who has been host of Broadway’s Tony Awards.

Instead of the usual standup routine, Jackman did an engaging musical number to open the show, saluting nominated films with a clever tribute.

Jackman later did a medley staged by his “Australia” director Baz Luhrmann with such performers as Beyonce Knowles and “High School Musical” stars Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron.

“Slumdog Millionaire” went into the evening after a run of prizes from earlier film honors.

The film nearly got lost in the shuffle as Warner Bros. folded its art-house banner, Warner Independent, which had been slated to distribute “Slumdog Millionaire.” It was rescued from the direct-to-video scrap heap when Fox Searchlight stepped in to release the film.

“Slumdog” composer A.R. Rahman, a dual Oscar winner for the score and song, said the movie was about “optimism and the power of hope.”

“All my life, I’ve had a choice of hate and love,” Rahman said. “I chose love, and I’m here.

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ON THE WEB

Academy Awards: www.oscars.org

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COMPLETE LIST OF OSCAR WINNERS

Complete list of winners at the 81st annual Academy Awards, presented Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles:

• Motion Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

• Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk.”

• Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”

• Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight.”

• Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

• Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

• Foreign Film: “Departures,” Japan.

• Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

• Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, “Milk.”

• Animated Feature Film: “WALL-E.”

• Art Direction: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

• Cinematography: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

• Sound Mixing: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

• Sound Editing: “The Dark Knight.”

• Original Score: “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman.

• Original Song: “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman and Gulzar.

• Costume: “The Duchess.”

• Documentary Feature: “Man on Wire.”

• Documentary (short subject): “Smile Pinki.”

• Film Editing: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

• Makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

• Animated Short Film: “La Maison en Petits Cubes.”

• Live Action Short Film: “Spielzeugland (Toyland).”

• Visual Effects: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Academy Award winners previously announced this season:

• Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (Oscar statuette): Jerry Lewis

• Gordon E. Sawyer Award (Oscar statuette): Pixar Animation co-founder Ed Catmull

Cast of Slumdog Millionaire, from left, Madhur Mittal, Irrfan Khan, Anil Kapoor, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto arrive for the 81st Academy Awards Sunday in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — The young stars of “Slumdog Millionaire” were greeted with cheers and blew kisses in return as they walked the red carpet into Sunday’s Academy Awards, where the rags-to-riches story was a surefire favorite.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, 15. “We never thought we’d be here but we are.”

In keeping with its theme of bottomless optimism amid adversity, “Slumdog Millionaire” has led a charmed life, dodging a flirtation with straight-to-DVD, winning over critics and climbing toward $100 million hit status. The film has won top honors at all key earlier awards ceremonies, with one to go.

Now its cast of unknowns — from new celebrities Dev Patel and Freida Pinto to kids plucked by director Danny Boyle from the slums of Mumbai, India — have taken a trip to Hollywood’s glitziest party.

“It’s a non-traditional film and depicts the differences between the haves and the have-nots,” said Kristine Bednarz, 38, of San Diego, who had a coveted seat among enthusiastic fans in bleachers outside the Kodak Theatre.

“I hope they win. I’m sold! Well done kids,” fan Eli Berg, 23, of Los Angeles, exclaimed in the bleachers after six of the film’s young actors arrived.

For best picture, “Slumdog Millionaire” faces off against the romantic epic “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the Richard Nixon saga “Frost/Nixon,” the Harvey Milk tale “Milk” and the Holocaust-themed drama “The Reader.”

Shot in India on a modest budget of $14 million, “Slumdog Millionaire” traces the life of a Mumbai orphan who overcomes poverty, betrayal, police torture and other hardships on his way to a reunion with his childhood love and success on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

The film nearly got lost in the shuffle as Warner Bros. folded its arthouse banner, Warner Independent, which had been slated to distribute “Slumdog Millionaire.” It was rescued from the direct-to-video scrap heap when Fox Searchlight stepped in to release the film.

It wasn’t all sunshine for “Slumdog Millionaire” going into the Oscars, though. A few raindrops fell on the red carpet at midmorning amid forecasts of a 30 percent chance of showers on Hollywood’s big night. And hope of warm feelings between the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers was lost late Saturday night when SAG’s board of directors rejected the producers’ “last, best and final offer” for a new contract.

After last year’s Oscars delivered their worst TV ratings ever, producers this time say they aim to liven up the show with some surprises and new ways of presenting awards. While some details have surfaced in the past week, most plans have remained a secret, including the identities of celebrities who are presenting the trophies.

The host is no secret. The producers have tapped 40-year-old Australian entertainer Hugh Jackman, who has hosted Broadway’s Tony Awards three times, to emcee the Oscars for the first time.

“If I hadn’t done the Tonys, I think I’d be a lot more nervous than I am,” Jackman said.

Sunday’s ceremony, airing live on ABC, features a mix of fresh faces and old Oscar hands in the acting categories. Two-time winner Meryl Streep extended her record to 15 nominations, this time for best actress in “Doubt,” while other past Oscar recipients and nominees include Sean Penn (best actor for “Milk”), Kate Winslet (best actress for “The Reader”), Robert Downey Jr. (supporting actor for “Tropic Thunder”) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (supporting actor for “Doubt.”)

Newcomers include a rush of veteran performers, among them best-actress contenders Anne Hathaway (“Rachel Getting Married”) and Melissa Leo (“Frozen River”) and best-actor candidates Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”), Frank Langella (“Frost/Nixon”) and Richard Jenkins (“The Visitor”).

“The Dark Knight” co-star Heath Ledger is considered as strong a lock to win supporting actor as “Slumdog Millionaire” is to win best picture and director. Ledger, who died on Oscar nominations day last year, took comic-book villains to new heights with his delirious incarnation of Batman foe the Joker.

Past winner Angelina Jolie and her man, Brad Pitt, both are nominated. She’s up for best actress in “Changeling” and he’s competing for best actor in “Benjamin Button,” which leads with 13 nominations, followed by “Slumdog” with 10.

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ON THE WEB

Academy Awards:

www.oscars.org

Actor Joaquin Phoenix poses for a portrait on Tuesday in Beverly Hills, Calif.

LOS ANGELES – Joaquin Phoenix says there’s no hoax about it: He really has given up acting to become a hip-hop musician.

Phoenix has been spending his time laying down tracks for a rap album in the recording studio he built at his home, the two-time Academy Award nominee said Tuesday in an interview to promote what he claims is his final movie, “Two Lovers.”

After video hit the Internet last month capturing part of Phoenix’s debut rap performance at a Las Vegas club, speculation swirled that he was perpetrating an elaborate practical joke.

“I don’t know where that comes from,” Phoenix said. “If it comes from people that I’ve had a falling out with, that are (ticked) off at me?”

The video shows Phoenix, in a long, scraggly beard, rapping nearly inaudibly and ends with him losing his footing and falling off the stage. It was an inauspicious start, but Phoenix was adamant that his hip-hop career is real.

“There’s not a hoax,” Phoenix said. “Might I be ridiculous? Might my career in music be laughable? Yeah, that’s possible, but that’s certainly not my intention.”

Phoenix’s friend and brother-in-law, Casey Affleck, was on hand with a camera crew as he did interviews for “Two Lovers.” Affleck, who is shooting a documentary about Phoenix’s transition to music, said his friend is completely serious.

Phoenix, 34, said he had not expected anyone to care when he made the surprise announcement last fall that he was quitting Hollywood for music. At the time, fans assumed he might build on the country roots he laid down playing Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line,” on which he learned to play guitar and did his own singing.

His new rap persona added to the confusion, but Phoenix said he is a longtime fan of hip-hop, speaking fervently about Public Enemy, Ice Cube and other artists he admires.

Phoenix said he has no intention of returning to film after “Two Lovers,” a romantic drama co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow and reuniting him with James Gray, his director on “The Yards” and “We Own the Night.” The movie opens Feb. 13.

While Phoenix regrets that his coming-out party as a rapper came through poor-quality video over the Internet, he said people would have ridiculed him no matter how good his debut was.

“It sucks that, yeah, the footage is out there as like this incredibly bad sound, and you literally can’t hear what’s happening,” said Phoenix, who still has his bushy beard. “It was much better in the club, and I don’t know who said that people were booing … because that was not happening.

“Unless, of course, it’s a pretty big place, and maybe it was happening,” Phoenix added, laughing. “But it was not my experience. My experience afterward was I had a lot of dudes come up and say, `We really respect you for doing it, putting yourself out there, and going with it.’ Because I think true hip-hop heads know that it’s hard, it’s going to be a hard transition, and people are going to be lining up just to make fun of me.”

Christian Bale

LOS ANGELES – Dark Knight indeed.

Christian Bale can be heard in newly surfaced audio delivering a long, profanity-laced verbal thrashing to a cinematographer and anyone who tried to calm him down on the set of the upcoming movie “Terminator Salvation.”

The three-minute clip was posted Monday on the Web site TMZ.com and has become a viral sensation on the Internet — it’s even spawned a dance music remix of the audio tape.

In it, the actor who portrayed Batman in “The Dark Knight” rails against cinematographer Shane Hurlbut for apparently walking behind co-star Bryce Dallas Howard and through Bale’s line of sight, considered a film-set foul.

“If you do it one more time I ain’t walking on this set if you’re still hired!” Bale howls in one of the few publishable moments from the clip.

Later, he screams: “Do you want me to go and trash your lights? Do you want me to go and trash them? … Then why are you trashing my scene?”

The incident took place last July on the set at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, days before Bale would face assault allegations from his mother and sister in London. Charges were never filed because his family did not want to press the matter and because prosecutors said there was a lack of sufficient evidence.

Bale’s is the only voice that is audible on the tape, though he’s clearly responding to Hurlbut, the film’s director McG, and others trying to persuade him to relax.

“Let’s not take a (expletive) minute! Let’s go again!” he yells at one point.

A phone message left early Tuesday with a publicist for the 35-year-old actor wasn’t immediately returned.

Meanwhile, Bale has become an unwitting music sensation because of the incident.

Music producer Lucian Piane — who goes by the name RevoLucian online — remixed the verbal freak-out into a three-minute-long hypnotic dance track titled “Bale Out.” Piane uploaded the beat-driven track Monday to MySpace and YouTube, where it’s already received over 200,000 views.

He said he was drawn to the musicality of Bale’s rage-filled voice. He previously released remixes online featuring Sarah Palin, a ranting Bill O’Reilly and Andrew “Don’t Taze Me, Bro” Meyer. Piane said the satirical remixes are “just a hobby.”

“I think most people are enjoying it,” said Piane, who added that he created the pulsating tune in just three hours and is currently at work on RuPaul’s next album. “I don’t know if Christian Bale is enjoying it, but I hope he does. I think I’ve taken something that maybe made him look really bad and turned it into something that all these people are enjoying.”

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ON THE WEB

www.tmz.com/

www.revolucian.com

Actress Meryl Streep accepts the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for "Doubt" at the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES – Meryl Streep of the Roman Catholic drama “Doubt” and Sean Penn of the Harvey Milk film biography “Milk” won lead-acting honors Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The prize for overall cast went to the rags-to-riches saga “Slumdog Millionaire,” while Heath Ledger of Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight” and Kate Winslet of the Holocaust-themed drama “The Reader” took supporting honors.

“Can I just say there is no such thing as the best actress, there is no such thing as the greatest living actress,” said Streep, the Academy Awards record-holder with 15 acting nominations, including one for “Doubt,” in which she plays an old-school nun in a war of wills against a progressive priest.

“I am in a position where I have secret information, that I know this to be true,” she said. “I am so in awe of the work of the women this year — nominated, not nominated — so proud of us girls. And everybody wins when we get parts like this.”

Penn played gay-rights political pioneer Milk but said the film had a universal theme.

“As actors, we don’t play gay, straight. We don’t play any of these kinds (of roles). We play human beings, and this movie is something that all of us involved are so proud of,” Penn said. “This is a story about equal rights for all human beings.”

Ledger’s supporting-actor prize for his sociopathic reinvention of Batman bad guy the Joker put the late actor a step closer to becoming just the second performer to win a posthumous Academy Award. The first was Peter Finch, the best-actor recipient for 1976′s “Network.”

The award was accepted by “The Dark Knight” co-star Gary Oldman.

“I’m quite emotional,” Oldman said. “It is a great honor to be asked to accept this on behalf of Heath. He was an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary talent, and it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight.”

Oscar buzz has been flying over Ledger’s performance since before his death just over a year ago from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. With the SAG win and the Golden Globe, Ledger now looks like a virtual lock to receive the supporting-actor Oscar on Feb. 22.

Winslet offered a tribute to the late Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, both producers on “The Reader,” and said 2008 was a fabulous year for films.

“It’s really an honor to be included in what I think is such a remarkable year,” Winslet said. “I really feel like everybody should be given a medal.”

The role already earned Winslet the same prize at the Golden Globes, where she also won lead dramatic actress for “Revolutionary Road.” But at the Oscars, Winslet has just one nomination, as lead actress for “The Reader,” in which she plays a former concentration camp guard.

As it did at the Golden Globes, “30 Rock” swept the TV comedy honors, Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin taking the individual acting prizes and the show winning the ensemble cast award.

Fey, creator and star of the series set behind the scenes at a sketch-comedy show, lobbed a wisecrack at Hollywood producers, who have battled Hollywood trade guilds over actors, writers and others’ share of potential profits from Web programming.

Joking that one day, her young daughter would be old enough to watch reruns of “30 Rock” on the Internet, Fey said: “She’ll look up at me and say, `What do you mean, you don’t get residuals for this?”‘

Hugh Laurie, who won his second straight SAG prize for best actor in a TV drama for the medical show “House,” joked that he was disappointed one of his fellow nominees did not win.

“I actually had a hundred dollars on James Spader (of “Boston Legal”),” Laurie said. “This is just not my night.”

Sally Field earned the TV drama actress award for the family series “Brothers & Sisters,” while the advertising saga “Mad Men” was named best drama show. Accepting alongside his cast mates, “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm had kind words for the show’s “dozen of viewers.”

Before the show, “The Dark Knight” won SAG’s honor for best movie stunt ensemble, while “Heroes” took the same prize for television.

James Earl Jones was honored with the guild’s lifetime-achievement award for a career that included roles in “Dr. Strangelove,” “Field of Dreams,” “Cry, the Beloved Country” and “The Man,” in which he played the first black U.S. president.

The ceremony featured clips highlighting Jones’ rumbling bass voice as the mouthpiece of “Star Wars” villain Darth Vader, the noble patriarch in “The Lion King,” even cable news with his “This is CNN” announcements.

“I want to thank you for all the work that you do,” Jones told the audience, quoting the Book of Genesis on how God breathed life into man. “I don’t mean to embarrass anybody by comparing the actor to God, but once we’ve taken the role, we have a similar responsibility to breathe life into that role, and only the actor can do that.”

———

SAG WINNERS

Complete list of winners of the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:

Movies:

• Cast: “Slumdog Millionaire.”

• Actor in a leading role: Sean Penn, “Milk.”

• Actress in a leading role: Meryl Streep, “Doubt.”

• Supporting actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight.”

• Supporting actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”

• Stunt ensemble: “The Dark Knight.”

Television:

• Drama series cast: “Mad Men.”

• Actor in a drama series: Hugh Laurie, “House.”

• Actress in a drama series: Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters.”

• Comedy series cast: “30 Rock.”

• Actor in a comedy series: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock.”

• Actress in a comedy series: Tina Fey, “30 Rock.”

• Actor in a movie or miniseries: Paul Giamatti, “John Adams.”

• Actress in a movie or miniseries: Laura Linney, “John Adams.”

• Stunt ensemble: “Heroes.”

Life Achievement:

• James Earl Jones.

———

ON THE WEB

www.sagawards.com

Polls say more will watch awards show if ‘Dark Knight’ up for best picture

Heath Ledger's riveting turn as The Joker in "The Dark Knight" may earn him a posthumous Oscar.

Batman has had a busy year.

First he came to the rescue of the box office as “The Dark Knight” became the second-highest-grossing film of all time and pushed 2008 to record ticket sales. He gave comic-book films a newfound cachet among critics and awards voters.

Now he may be asked to save Oscar.

Though the film has become a magnet for trophy metal and turned the past two months into a running tribute to its late star, Heath Ledger, the movie’s enduring legacy may be shaped by Thursday’s Oscar nominations.

Ledger’s portrayal of the demented Joker is considered a lock to be nominated for best supporting actor (and he’s the odds-on favorite to win it). Many also consider the comic-book adaptation a contender for other Academy Award honors, including best director, cinematography and editing.

And Oscar could use a shot in the arm. To shake things up for this year’s telecast (Feb. 22 on ABC), the show has changed producers and is opting for star Hugh Jackman instead of a television personality as host.

But as the Oscars has continued to honor small, artsy films, the gala has drawn criticism that it’s out of touch with the masses, who are tuning in less and less. Last year’s ceremony, when “No Country for Old Men” won best picture, brought in only 32 million viewers, an all-time low.

Though no one is calling for the Oscars to become a popularity contest, critics say the academy has developed a bias against public favorites.

“For some reason, the academy has gotten away from recognizing what Hollywood does really well: entertain the masses,” says media critic Elayne Rapping, a professor of American studies at the University at Buffalo. “Not all popular movies are good; many of them are terrible. But there is something to be said for entertaining great numbers of people. Recognizing “The Dark Knight” could be a sea change in the way commercial movies are treated.”

That kind of talk makes “Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan cringe. He still considers the original Superman the best comic-book movie ever made and doesn’t buy that his Batman saga has brought a new pedigree to the genre. Nolan has been visibly uncomfortable accepting awards for Ledger, and he declined interview requests for this story.

So fans have taken up the Oscar crusade in his stead. And they’ve emerged from every corner.

Director Steven Spielberg sees “Dark Knight” a crucial counterweight to some of the smaller movies expected to vie for best picture, including “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Milk” and “Frost/Nixon.”

“I am really happy to see that “The Dark Knight” is making a last-minute run at recognition,” he said after the Golden Globes. “I was very happy with the Heath (Golden Globe) win and am looking forward to some more “Dark Knight” momentum. . . . That balances things out.”

For Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, star of movies including “The Game Plan” and “The Scorpion King,” “The Dark Knight” represents a chance for commercially viable films to be taken as seriously as art-house dramas and sweeping historical epics.

“It has always bothered me how quickly critics and (awards) voters dismiss something just because a lot of people like it,” he says. “I really hope (“The Dark Knight”) gets nominated. I think it could dispel that disconnect between people who see the movies and the people who judge and write about them.”

For moviegoers, a “Dark Knight” nomination could be the difference between watching the telecast or not. When asked whether they were more inclined to watch the Oscars this year if “Dark Knight” was up for best picture, 71 percent of the more than 2,500 respondents to a USA TODAY online vote said “yes.” An additional 11 percent said they would at least catch the supporting-actor and best-picture categories. Meanwhile, 18 percent wouldn’t be persuaded to tune in.

The results match a survey of 7,000 moviegoers by movie-ticket reseller Fandango, which also found 71 percent would be more inclined to watch the telecast if “The Dark Knight” was nominated.

A “Dark Knight” nomination, suggests Kris Tapley of the awards site InContention.com, could be the secret to nabbing those elusive Internet-addicted viewers.

“You’ve got “Wolverine” (star Jackman) hosting the show, the Joker being honored, and “Iron Man” perhaps getting some recognition,” Tapley says. “This could be the year that populism and critical attention finally dovetail.”

Yet no one considers a best-picture nomination for “The Dark Knight” a sure thing, despite its achievements. It grossed $531 million domestically, second only to “Titanic’s” $600 million. (“Titanic” won best picture.) It will be re-released on 250 regular and IMAX screens Friday.

“Knight” also bowled over critics, earning recommendations from 94 percent of the nation’s film reviewers, according to RottenTomatoes.com. That makes it one of the best reviewed movies of the year, along with “Iron Man” and “WALL-E,” two films not expected to make the best-picture cut. The Joker’s trademark “Why so serious?” has become the catchphrase of the season, much like last year’s “I drink your milkshake” from best-picture nominee “There Will Be Blood.”

Still, “The Dark Knight” is viewed as being on the bubble, behind “Slumdog,” “Milk,” “Frost/Nixon” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Other movies looking to make the final five are “Doubt,” “The Wrestler” and “Gran Torino.”

And although Ledger’s death helped propel the movie’s box-office performance and probably will earn him an acting nomination, the tragedy could prove a hindrance in the best-picture race, analysts say. Academy members are loath to honor a movie for sentimental reasons.

“You can argue that ‘The Dark Knight’ is getting all this attention because of a perfect storm of events,” Tapley says. “We had been hearing that Ledger was doing great things with the part way before he died. So it was going to be big, and he was going to get noticed. But is the movie this big if there’s not some rubbernecking due to his death? Probably not.”

Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which was nominated for 13 Academy Awards.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The romantic fantasy “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” led Academy Awards contenders Thursday with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson, and a directing slot for David Fincher.

Other best-picture nominees are “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”

As expected, Heath Ledger had a supporting-actor nomination for “The Dark Knight” on the one-year anniversary of his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. But the Batman blockbuster was shut out from other top categories such as best picture and director.

“Slumdog Millionaire” lived up to its rags-to-riches theme, coming in second with 10 nominations, including a directing spot for Danny Boyle and two of the three song slots.

Real-life couple Pitt and Angelina Jolie both will be going to the Oscars as nominees. Jolie had a best-actress nomination for the missing-child drama “Changeling.”

The acting categories were loaded with surprises. Kate Winslet won two Golden Globes, best dramatic actress for “Revolutionary Road” and supporting actress for “The Reader.” But she was nominated for lead actress at the Oscars for “The Reader” and shut out for “Revolutionary Road.”

Actors considered longshots also sneaked in, among them lead-actor nominee Richard Jenkins for “The Visitor,” best-actress contender Melissa Leo for “Frozen River” and supporting-actor pick Michael Shannon for “Revolutionary Road.”

Winslet reunited with “Titanic” co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for “Revolutionary Road,” but he also was shut out for a nomination on that film.

Other best-actress nominees were Anne Hathaway for “Rachel Getting Married” and Meryl Streep for “Doubt.” It was a record 15th nomination for Streep, who already had more Oscar nominations than any other actor.

Joining Pitt and Jenkins in the best-actor category were Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; and Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler.”

But perhaps the biggest surprise overall was the so-so results for “The Dark Knight,” which had been picking up momentum as one Hollywood trade guild after another picked it as one of the year’s best films.

The largest blockbuster in years, “The Dark Knight” had eight nominations, but other than Ledger’s honor, it scored only in technical categories such as cinematography, visual effects and editing.

Before his death, Ledger’s reinvention of the Joker as a mad-dog anarchist already was bringing him Oscar buzz. After Ledger died on Oscar nominations day a year ago, an almost mythical aura grew around the actor, helping to fuel a record $158.4 million opening weekend for “The Dark Knight” last summer.

Long viewed as the favorite, Ledger won the supporting-actor prize at the Golden Globes. If the same happens on Oscar night, Ledger would be only the second performer to receive an Oscar posthumously, following Peter Finch, the best-actor winner for 1976′s “Network.”

Ledger is the seventh actor to earn a posthumous nomination. Along with Finch, others include James Dean, nominated for best actor twice after his death, with 1955′s “East of Eden” and 1956′s “Giant.”

The other actors nominated after their deaths were Spencer Tracy (1967′s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”); Ralph Richardson (1984′s “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes”); Massimo Troisi (1995′s “The Postman”); and Jeanne Eagels (1929′s “The Letter”).

Directors of all five best-picture nominees all were nominated. Along with Boyle and Fincher, the directing category includes Ron Howard for “Frost/Nixon,” Gus Van Sant for “Milk” and Stephen Daldry for “The Reader.”

Featuring a cast of unknowns, “Slumdog Millionaire” mixes the humorous and the horrific in a love story about an orphan from the streets of Mumbai who becomes a champion on India’s version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”

The film’s newcomer cast was shut out in acting categories, but its 10 nominations included slots for screenplay, cinematography and musical score.

“Slumdog Millionaire” nearly became a casualty of 2008′s collapse of studio arthouse divisions. Warner Independent had been set to release the film, which went into limbo after Warner Bros. shut down the specialty banner. The film faced the prospect of going straight to DVD until 20th Century Fox division Fox Searchlight stepped in to release it theatrically.

So far playing in relatively narrow release, “Slumdog Millionaire” has climbed to nearly $45 million at the domestic box office, with plenty of shelf life left to make good on its modest $14 million production budget.

The film dominated the Golden Globes, sweeping all four of its categories, including best drama and director.

Like “Slumdog Millionaire,” “The Wrestler” presents an on-screen drama whose theme parallels the comeback story of Rourke. Playing a former wrestling star with one last shot at glory, Rourke returns to the promise of his early career, before his bad-boy behavior made him virtually unemployable in Hollywood.

“The Wrestler” earned Rourke the Golden Globe for dramatic actor. The film also won a Globe for the title song by Oscar winner Bruce Springsteen. But Springsteen missed out on a song nomination for “The Wrestler.”

Along with the two tunes from “Slumdog Millionaire,” the third song nominated was one co-written by Peter Gabriel for the animated blockbuster “WALL-E.”

The robot romance “WALL-E” is the latest Pixar Animation blockbuster coming in as the favorite for the animated-feature Oscar. “WALL-E” is up against the martial-arts comedy “Kung Fu Panda” and the dog tale “Bolt.”

A win for the critically adored “WALL-E” would be the fourth feature-length animation Oscar for Pixar, giving the outfit behind “Ratatouille,” “Finding Nemo” and “The Incredibles” half of the eight trophies since the category was added in 2001.

Oscar nominees are chosen in most categories by specific branches of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, such as actors, directors and writers. The academy’s full membership of about 6,000 was eligible to vote for best-picture nominations and can cast ballots for the winners in all categories at the Oscar ceremony itself.

The 81st Oscars will be presented Feb. 22 in a ceremony airing on ABC from Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre.

This year’s Oscars already present a departure from previous shows. Rather than a comedian, such as past hosts Billy Crystal, Chris Rock or Jon Stewart, the emcee this time is Hugh Jackman, star of the “X-Men” flicks and a Tony Award winner for best actor in a musical.

Rock, the Oscar host four years ago, has some advice for Jackman about handling the crowd of nominees, most of whom go home empty-handed.

“I’ll tell him what Billy told me. An hour and a half into the show, most of the audience has lost, so you have to take that into account as you go on with the show,” Rock said this week at the Sundance Film Festival. “But I’m sure he’ll be great, singing and dancing and doing his thing.”

Heath Ledger’s riveting turn as The Joker in “The Dark Knight” earned him a posthumous Oscar nomination.

———

OSCAR NOMINATIONS

Complete list of 81st annual Academy Award nominations announced Thursday:

Best Picture

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Actor

Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”; Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler.”

Actress

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”; Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”; Meryl Streep, “Doubt”; Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”

Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, “Milk”; Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”; Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”; Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road.”

Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, “Doubt”; Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”; Viola Davis, “Doubt”; Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler.”

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.”

Foreign Film

“The Baader Meinhof Complex,” Germany; “The Class,” France; “Departures,” Japan; “Revanche,” Austria; “Waltz With Bashir,” Israel.

Adapted Screenplay

Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; John Patrick Shanley, “Doubt”; Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon”; David Hare, “The Reader”; Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Original Screenplay

Courtney Hunt, “Frozen River”; Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”; Martin McDonagh, “In Bruges”; Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”; Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, “WALL-E.”

Animated Feature Film

“Bolt”; “Kung Fu Panda”; “WALL-E.”

Art Direction

“Changeling,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Duchess,” “Revolutionary Road.”

Cinematography

“Changeling,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Reader,” “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Sound Mixing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “WALL-E,” “Wanted.”

Sound Editing

“The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “WALL-E,” “Wanted.”

Original Score

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Alexandre Desplat; “Defiance,” James Newton Howard; “Milk,” Danny Elfman; “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman; “WALL-E,” Thomas Newman.

Original Song

“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E,” Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

Costume

“Australia,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Duchess,” “Milk,” “Revolutionary Road.”

Documentary Feature

“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon),” “Encounters at the End of the World,” “The Garden,” “Man on Wire,” “Trouble the Water.”

Documentary (short subject)

“The Conscience of Nhem En,” “The Final Inch,” “Smile Pinki,” “The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306.”

Film Editing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Makeup

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “Hellboy: The Golden Army.”

Animated Short Film

“La Maison en Petits Cubes,” “Lavatory — Lovestory,” “Oktapodi,” “Presto,” “This Way Up.”

Live Action Short Film

“Auf der Strecke (On the Line),” “Manon on the Asphalt,” “New Boy,” “The Pig,” “Spielzeugland (Toyland).”

Visual Effects

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man.”

Academy Award winners previously announced this year

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (Oscar statuette)

Jerry Lewis

Gordon E. Sawyer Award (Oscar statuette)

Pixar Animation co-founder Ed Catmull

———

ON THE WEB

www.oscars.org

Trudie Styler (left), director Joe Berlinger (center) and Sting pose together at MSN Green and Self Magazine's dinner honoring the documentary film "Crude" during the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday in Park City, Utah.

PARK CITY, Utah – Sting drew cheers with an impromptu jam session at the Sundance Film Festival, but his real purpose was to bring attention to a film dealing with the singer’s other passion: rainforest preservation.

Joe Berlinger’s “Crude” traces 15 years of a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of Ecuador residents who claim that oil producer Chevron Corp. is liable for contaminating water supplies around the headwaters of the Amazon River.

Sting and wife Trudie Styler are founders of the Rainforest Foundation, and they became involved at Berlinger’s behest. The film chronicles Styler’s fact-finding trip to Ecuador and includes footage of Sting performing with the Police at last summer’s Live Earth music marathon on behalf of global-warming issues.

“I have a walk-on in this film and nothing else. I’m here to support the missus,” Sting said in an interview alongside Styler, Berlinger and plaintiffs’ attorneys Pablo Fajardo and Steven Donziger.

“I think it’s a great battle to fight,” said Sting, whose Sundance visit included performing with the house band at a lodge sponsored by Gibson guitars.

“All the things we’ve been arguing against and about are involved in this film. The right to breathe clean air, to drink fresh water, to feed your children and have a healthy life. No one has the right to stand in the way of that.”

Berlinger, whose documentaries include “Brother’s Keeper,” “Paradise Lost” and “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” heads into the rainforests in “Crude” to record field arguments with the judge and legal teams involved in the lawsuit. He also interviews indigenous people who claim oil-tainted water has caused cancer, skin lesions and other ailments.

“I’m used to seeing great environmental and humanitarian tragedies and problems, and throwing Sting’s light around that raises dollars to help relieve them. But I didn’t bargain for the devastation I saw when I got there,” Styler said. “Speaking with mothers who were nurturing their children with murky, brown, petrol-smelling, horrible water containing many, many contaminants. … They are in dire need of help.”

Plaintiffs’ claim Texaco, which was bought by Chevron in 2001, left an environmental mess when it departed Ecuador in the early 1990s after decades of oil drilling.

Chevron contends it was absolved of liability by a 1998 agreement between Ecuador and Texaco, which carried out a $40 million cleanup.

The Rainforest Foundation is helping to bring in tanks to capture rain and provide clean drinking water as a stopgap measure, but the plaintiffs say Chevron needs to pay for long-term measures.

“We’re all conscious of the fact that the world without petroleum would basically stop,” said Fajardo, the plaintiffs’ lead attorney, speaking in Spanish translated by Donziger, an American attorney consulting on the case.

“If these companies act to a greater responsibility, respecting life, I believe we could coexist with oil companies. The problem isn’t petroleum in and of itself. It’s how it’s drilled in our case.”

“Crude,” one of 16 films in Sundance’s U.S. documentary competition, presents a fairly balanced portrait of the case, with Chevron’s side of the story well represented.

The company’s attorneys and chief environmental scientist argue that its former partner, Petroecuador, continued polluting the area after Texaco departed and that its own research did not support plaintiffs’ claims that oil contamination presented health risks.

Berlinger said he set out to present all sides of the story, but he came away with a strong conviction himself.

“When we destroy the rainforest, we destroy our own livelihood. When we fill up our gas tanks in this country with relatively cheap gasoline compared to the rest of the world, it’s at the expense of other people who have lived in harmony with nature,” Berlinger said. “That was a life-changing epiphany for me. I had heard it as catch-phrases before, but I had never truly felt it.”

ON THE WEB

http://festival.sundance.org/2009

Actor John Cazale (right) is shown with Al Pacino in this image released by HBO.

PARK CITY, Utah – The most star-studded entry at the Sundance Film Festival is a short documentary about an actor whose intense face is known to just about any serious cinema fan but whose name often escapes them.

“I Knew It Was You” features interviews with Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, Francis Ford Coppola and others, all paying tribute to the guy whose long, sad face leaves people saying: “I know him. Isn’t that Fredo from ‘The Godfather’?”

John Cazale made only five films, among them the first two “Godfather” flicks, before dying of cancer at age 42 in 1978. But all five were nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards, including “Dog Day Afternoon,” “The Conversation” and “The Deer Hunter.”

“Five best-picture nominations. A perfect record,” said Richard Shepard, who directed “I Knew It Was You,” a 40-minute documentary that premiered in Sundance’s short-films program and eventually will air on HBO. “It’s insane, isn’t it?”

The acclaimed theater actor became one of Hollywood’s premier character actors with his five films, starting with Coppola’s “The Godfather,” in which he played hapless Fredo, the weak link in the Corleone crime family.

The immortal line from Pacino’s Michael Corleone to older brother Fredo in “The Godfather Part II” — “I know it was you. You broke my heart” — gave the documentary its title.

Cazale broke hearts on screen with portrayals of volatile, vulnerable, vacillating men, including Pacino’s tragic bank-robbing partner in “Dog Day Afternoon.”

“He’s fearless, because he’s not worried about looking good. A lot of actors are so conscientious about being the GUY. They’re afraid to look weak, always trying to have the bravado, have the coolness,” said filmmaker Brett Ratner (“X-Men: The Last Stand,” the “Rush Hour” flicks), one of the documentary’s producers. “He was OK being vulnerable. I don’t know, he just touched me, his humanity. I fell in love with it. In `Dog Day Afternoon,’ it broke my heart. … I cry, weep at the end.”

Shepard, director of the hit man tale “The Matador,” said Cazale is his favorite actor, and the documentary got its start out of his frustration at being able to find so little information about him on the Internet and in film books.

“It’s ridiculous, and it just infuriated me,” Shepard said. “I was like, I’ve got to do something about it. Someone should make a movie.”

So Shepard started making a movie, along with producer Stacey Reiss. They landed interviews with Streep, “Dog Day Afternoon” director Sidney Lumet and Cazale’s brother. Then they approached Ratner, because Shepard recalled reading that the filmmaker also was a Cazale fan.

Ratner secured financing from HBO. Then the floodgates opened as one top Hollywood name after another jumped at the chance to share recollections and observations of Cazale.

Besides the actor’s many collaborators, the documentary includes interviews with such Cazale admirers as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Steve Buscemi and Sam Rockwell.

“What was amazing was how many people wanted to do it,” Reiss said. “These people get asked all the time to be in documentaries, and it was just an outpouring of support. I think they all were just so happy that other people were going to get to know this person that they cared about and loved so much.”

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Sundance Film Festival: http://festival.sundance.org/2009