The Oscars have whittled down the race for best visual effects from 15 to these seven contenders: "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," "Iron Man," "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor." On Jan. 15, members of the visual effects branch will view 15-minute excerpts and choose the three nominees that will be unveiled Jan. 22.

Just a few weeks ago this contenders' list had 15 semi-finalists. Booted from contention: "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," "Cloverfield," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "Hancock," "The Incredible Hulk," "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "Quantum of Solace" and "The Spiderwick Chronicles."

Over at InContention,com, Kris Tapley says he knows what the finalists are for best makeup even though they haven't yet been announced by the academy: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," "The Reader," "Synecdoche, New York," "Tropic Thunder" and "The Wrestler." "If there are any surprise omissions, it might be 'Frost/Nixon' or perhaps 'W.,' " Tapley says. "Oh, and 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.' "

Photos: Paramount, Warner Bros.