ACADEMY AWARDS ~ RESULTS

Best Motion Picture of the Year
"Slumdog Millionaire" ~ Christian Colson

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Sean Penn for "Milk"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Kate Winslet for "The Reader"

Best Achievement in Directing
Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
"Okuribito" (Japan)

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
"Slumdog Millionaire" ~ A.R. Rahman, Sampooran Singh Gulzar ~ Jai Ho

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
"Slumdog Millionaire" ~ A.R. Rahman

Best Achievement in Editing
"Slumdog Millionaire" ~ Chris Dickens

Best Achievement in Sound
"Slumdog Millionaire" ~ Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
"The Dark Knight" ~ Richard King

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" ~ Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
"Smile Pinki" ~ Megan Mylan

Best Documentary, Features
"Man on Wire" ~ James Marsh, Simon Chinn

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight"

Best Short Film, Live Action
"Spielzeugland" ~ Jochen Alexander Freydank

Best Achievement in Cinematography
"Slumdog Millionaire" ~ Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Achievement in Makeup
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" ~ Greg Cannom

Best Achievement in Costume Design
"The Duchess" ~ Michael O'Conner

Best Achievement in Art Direction
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" ~ Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

Best Short Film, Animated
"La Maison en Petits Cubes" ~ Kunio Kato

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
"WALL-E" ~ Andrew Stanton

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
"Slumdog Millionaire" ~ Simon Beaufoy

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
"Milk" ~ Dustin Lance Black

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Box Office: "The Dark Knight" -- UPDATE

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about "The Dark Knight" having a box office performance just shy of $1 billion. Well folks, after being re-released in various traditional and IMAX theaters in the U.S., the film has hopped the $1 billion hurdle!

As of today, the film's worldwide box office performance stands at $1.001 billion ~ including $533.1 million in U.S. cinemas and $468 million overseas.

"The Dark Knight" is the fourth highest-grossing film of all time, trailing behind "Titanic" ($1.84 billion), "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" ($1.12 billion), and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($1.07 billion).

Box Office: "The Dark Knight"

Since its release on July 18, 2008, "The Dark Knight" has grossed an astonishing $997,049,935 worldwide -- the fourth-highest grossing film of all time.

In an attempt to cross the $1 billion mark, Warn Bros. re-released the film in traditional and IMAX theaters in the United States this past Friday, January 23, 2009.

Do you think it'll make it? Would crossing the $1 billion mark further the film's chances of winning Oscars?