| Category | Should Win | Will Win | Should Have Been Nominated |
 |  |  |  |
| Best Director | Gus Van Sant, "Milk" | Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire" | Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor" |
| Best Actor | Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor" | Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler" | Benicio Del Toro, "Che" |
| Best Actress | Melissa Leo, "Frozen River" | Kate Winslet, "The Reader" | Kristin Scott Thomas, "I've Loved You So Long" |
| Best Supporting Actor | Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder" | Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" | Michael Sheen, "Frost/Nixon" |
| Best Supporting Actress | Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" | Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" | Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married" |
| Best Original Screenplay | "Frozen River" | "Milk" | "Rachel Getting Married" |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | "Frost/Nixon" | "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" | "Boy A" |
| Best Documentary Feature | "Man on Wire" | "Man on Wire" | "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" |
Making a Trophy Case
Washington Post Critic Ann Hornaday's Oscar Picks
Transcript: The Social Scene
Hank Stuever and Amy Argetsinger shared everything they saw behind the scenes during the Oscars and the after-parties.
WEB EDITOR: Jen Chaney - washingtonpost.com
