Broadcast Film Critics Association’s Critics Choice Awards 2008 (Variety)

“Milk” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” tied with eight nominations apiece in the 14th Broadcast Film Critics Association’s Critics Choice Awards.

Both were among the 10 pics nommed for best picture. “Milk,” which got off to a strong platform start last month, also picked up key noms for lead actor Sean Penn, supporting co-star James Franco and director Gus Van Sant. “Button,” which opens Christmas Day, had Brad Pitt listed for best actor, along with supporting turns by Cate Blanchett and Taraji P. Henson.

Other titles nommed for best picture included “Changeling,” “The Dark Knight,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Wall-E” and “The Wrestler.”

Tied with six noms each were “Dark Knight,” “Slumdog” and “Doubt.” One mild surprise was dual noms for Kate Beckinsale as best actress and Vera Farmiga as best supporting actress for “Nothing But the Truth.”

While the BFCA, like many orgs handing out awards at this time of year, likes to claim Oscar bellwether status, its newest category has little bearing on the main Academy races: best action film. The nominees are: “Dark Knight,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” “Iron Man,” “Quantum of Solace” and “Wanted.”

Founded in 1995, the BFCA has nearly 200 members reviewing pics for TV, radio or web outlets.

“At the Movies” duo Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz co-hosted the announcement of the noms in Gotham’s Times Square. Proceedings were aired live on VH1, which will broadcast the kudocast Jan. 8 from the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Nominees were read off by thesp Rosie Perez.

Nominees for the 14th annual Critics’ Choice Awards

BEST PICTURE

Changeling

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Doubt

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

Wall-E

The Wrestler

BEST ACTOR

Clint Eastwood – Gran Torino

Richard Jenkins – The Visitor

Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn – Milk

Brad Pitt – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Kate Beckinsale – Nothing But the Truth

Cate Blanchett – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie – Changeling

Melissa Leo – Frozen River

Meryl Streep – Doubt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin – Milk

Robert Downey, Jr. – Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Doubt

Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

James Franco – Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Penelope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis – Doubt

Vera Farmiga – Nothing But the Truth

Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei – The Wrestler

Kate Winslet – The Reader

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Doubt

Milk

Rachel Getting Married

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

David Fincher – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard – Frost/Nixon

Christopher Nolan – The Dark Knight

Gus Van Sant – Milk

BEST WRITER (Original or Adapted Screenplay)

Simon Beaufoy – Slumdog Millionaire

Dustin Lance Black – Milk

Peter Morgan – Frost/Nixon

Eric Roth – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

John Patrick Shanley – Doubt

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Bolt

Kung Fu Panda

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

Wall-E

Waltz With Bashir

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS (Under 21)

Dakota Fanning – The Secret Life of Bees

David Kross – The Reader

Dev Petal – Slumdog Millionaire

Brandon Walters – Australia

BEST ACTION MOVIE

The Dark Knight

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Iron Man

Quantum of Solace

Wanted

BEST COMEDY

Burn After Reading

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Role Models

Tropic Thunder

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

“John Adams”

“Recount”

“Coco Chanel”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

A Christmas Tale

Gomorrah

I’ve Loved You So Long

Let the Right One In

Mongol

Waltz With Bashir

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

I.O.U.S.A.

Man On Wire

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

Standard Operating Procedure

Young At Heart

BEST SONG

“Another Way to Die” – Jack White and Alicia Keys/Jack White – Quantum of Solace

“Down to Earth” – Peter Gabriel/Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman – Wall-E

“I Thought I Lost You” – Miley Cyrus and John Travolta/Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele – Bolt

“Jaiho” – Sukhwinder Singh/A.R. Rahman and Gulzar – Slumdog Millionaire

“The Wrestler” – Bruce Springsteen/Bruce Springsteen – The Wrestler

BEST COMPOSER

Alexandre Desplat – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Clint Eastwood – Changeling

Danny Elfman – Milk

Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard – The Dark Knight

A.R. Rahman – Slumdog Millionaire