The nominations for the BAFTA TV Awards — the British equivalent of the Emmy Awards — are almost exclusively home-grown this year. Only "Wallander" — the Kenneth Branagh detective series that will play on "Masterpiece Mystery" in the coming months — has the requisite American production partner to make it Emmy eligible. Branagh earned his fourth TV nod from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for producing this adaptation of the bestselling series by Swedish crime writer Henning Mankell. The show competes in the drama series category against a trio of past champs: "Spooks" (2003), "Shameless" (2005) and "Doctor Who" (2006).

Branagh was snubbed in the best actor race, which pits three actors from single drama biopics — Stephen Dillane ("The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall"), Jason Isaacs ("The Curse of Steptoe") and previous nominee Ken Stott ("Hancock and Joan") — against Ben Whishaw for the miniseries "Criminal Justice."

Contending for best actress, also a catch-all category that includes performances in one-offs, minis and series, are three first-time nominees — June Brown ("EastEnders"), Maxine Peake ("Hancock and Joan") and Andrea Risborough ("Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley") — and one previous winner, Anna Maxwell Martin ("Poppy Shakespeare").

The international category is all American with three drama series — "Dexter," "Mad Men" and "The Wire" — up against "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart."

The award show broadcast, hosted by Graham Norton at the Royal Festival Hall, is scheduled to air on BBC1 on April 26. The BAFTA website has the full list of nominees.

BAFTA splits up its awards between on-air and behind-the-scenes talent and will announce nominees for the Craft BAFTAS next week with that ceremony to be held May 17.

An earlier version of this post incorrectly referred to "Hancock and Joan" as "Hancock and June" and this error has been corrected.

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By winning best picture at the BAFTA Awards, "Slumdog Millionaire" just became the second film, after "American Beauty," to sweep the top prizes from all of these awards: Golden Globes, National Board of Review, Critics Choice and the four guilds — producers, directors, writers and actors (ensemble award at SAG).

Last year "No Country for Old Men" won all of those prizes except BAFTA and the Golden Globe — "Atonement" claimed both of those best-picture prizes. In 2005, "Brokeback Mountain" nearly pulled off such a sweep, but National Board of Review went for "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Crash" won best ensemble acting at SAG.

This impressive derby trot by "Slumdog Millionaire" does not come close to matching the greatest sweep ever in the history of showbiz awards — "Schindler's List" (1993). Back then, the SAG ensemble award and Critics Choice Awards didn't exist, but it swept up all best-picture prizes from every other major Hollywood awards group. It even pulled off a rare sweep of the critics trifecta: New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. and National Society of Film Critics. All three disagreed this year. The Angelenos picked "Wall-E," New Yorkers got "Milk" and the national society danced off with "Waltz With Bashir." Curiously, all three critics' awards went their own way in 1999 when "American Beauty" paved the way for "Slumdog Millionaire's" romp at other top awards this year.

Ever since BAFTA moved up its awards calendar in 2000 so that its ceremony would precede the Oscar show — and therefore, presumably, influence it — the two awards agreed only twice on best picture: "Gladiator" (2000) and "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" (2003).

However, they've overlapped much more frequently in the acting races: 18 of the past 32 performance awards. Most impressive is that they agreed completely over the past two years. What about now?

Three of the four stars hailed as the Oscar front-runners by most award gurus came through at BAFTA: Kate Winslet ("The Reader"), Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight") and Penélope Cruz ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona").

However, Sean Penn ("Milk") lost to Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler"). Both have won top awards during the derby so far: Penn bagged SAG, Rourke claimed the Golden Globe. Both have momentum and mega-buzz. By boosting "The Wrestler" star, this BAFTA victory turns the Oscar best-actor slugfest into a real heavyweight bout.

Beware: Over the past eight years, BAFTA has correctly predicted Oscar's best-actor champs only four times — but they were the past four champs. Four out of five nominees agree in both categories this year. Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire") bumped Oscar nominee Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor") at BAFTA.

Confused about how BAFTA Awards voting differs from the Oscars, SAG and other kudos? BAFTA chairman David Parfitt took time Friday to call Gold Derby to take us through the paces. Listen to our full podcast chat. HERE you can download the MP3 file. (You may need to hold down your computer's control key while clicking.)

First off, what's the overlap between BAFTA and Oscars voters? "We don't know, of course. It's hard to find out," Parfitt says, but he offers some helpful information. Some Oscars consultants say that there are about 500 AMPAS members in the U.K. Surely, they're almost all BAFTA members too. Add to that many of the BAFTA members living in the U.S. "We've got 1,200 members between L.A. and New York," Parfitt says.

Considering how restrictive the Oscars are about membership, let's guess that no more than half of that BAFTA gang also belongs to the Oscar academy. My guess is that means that there's probably an overlap of 1,000 voters between the two voting groups, which both have between 5,000 and 6,000 total voting members.

Parfitt explains all of the fine details: how to qualify to become a BAFTA member, how much dues cost (350 pounds for folks in the U.K., 250 pounds for members beyond) and how much the top ticket costs is to attend the BAFTA Awards ceremony (750 pounds).

But what's most interesting is his explanation of how the voting process works and how it differs from U.S. showbiz awards.

"We have three rounds of voting," he says. Basically, everybody votes for the first round, which results in "long lists" with 15 contenders in each category that will be whittled down next to five nominees. Five of those contenders are chosen by each category's corresponding peer group — Parfitt calls them "chapters" — and those chapter choices are highlighted on the lists so all voters can see what the experts like. "We don't have a chapter vote in performance categories," he notes.

"In round two, the whole membership votes in the main categories to determine the nominations," Parfitt explains. "In round three, the whole membership votes in the performance categories, best film and best foreign film.

The Oscars' five best picture nominees line up exactly with the contenders for the top prize at Sunday's BAFTAs. "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" lead the pack at the BAFTA Awards with 11 nominations each while "Frost/Nixon" and "Milk" have six and three bids,  respectively. Surprise nominee "The Reader" — which many believe bumped "The Dark Knight" from the top race on both sides of the Atlantic — got five nods in total. (And, as is the case with the Oscars, "The Dark Knight" has eight nominations here.)

Since the BAFTAs were moved up in 2000 to take place while academy members are still voting for the Oscars, these laurels have foreseen only two best picture  winners — "Gladiator" (2000) and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003). However, the BAFTAs do far better at predicting the acting Oscar winners. Both last year and in 2006, all four BAFTA champs went on to win at the Oscars.

With dueling lead actress nominations, Kate Winslet can't be the double winner at BAFTA that she was at the Golden Globes for "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader." Winslet won only the first of her five BAFTA nods — a supporting award in 1995 for "Sense and Sensibility." Also in the running for BAFTA best actress are two other Oscar contenders — first-time BAFTA nominee Angelina Jolie for "Changeling" (which has seven nods in all) and 1982 BAFTA best actress Meryl Streep ("The French Lieutenant's Woman"), who earned her 12th nom for "Doubt" (which has three nods in total). The BAFTA field is rounded out by Kristin Scott Thomas, who earned her third nod for "I've Loved You So Long." Missing from the BAFTA roster are Anne Hathaway, who made the long list even though "Rachel Getting Married" had yet to run in the U.K., and Melissa Leo, showcased in "Frozen River," which also has yet to open.

Four of the five BAFTA best actor contenders are also in the running at the Oscars — the three first-time BAFTA nominees Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"), Brad Pitt  ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler"), as well as Sean Penn, who scored his third nod for "Milk." BAFTA pick Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire") was bounced at the Oscars by Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor"), who did make the BAFTA long list.

Three of the supporting actor Oscar nominees compete at the BAFTAs — 1992 BAFTA best actor Robert Downey Jr. ("Chaplin") for "Tropic Thunder," 2005 BAFTA best actor Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote") for "Doubt," and one-time BAFTA nominee Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain") for "The Dark Knight." The BAFTA complement is completed with Brad Pitt for "Burn After Reading" and first-time BAFTA nominee Brendan Gleeson for "In Bruges." While Oscar hopeful Josh Brolin ("Milk") was on the BAFTA long list, Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road") was not.

And three of the BAFTA supporting actress nominees will also go on to contend at the Oscars — 2006 best actress nominee Penelope Cruz contending for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and BAFTA newcomers Amy Adams("Doubt") and Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler"). Oscar hopeful Viola Davis ("Doubt") was on the BAFTA long list, but Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") was not. Curiously, last year's supporting actress winner Tilda Swinton made two appearances on the long list and got a nod for "Burn After Reading" rather than "Benjamin Button." The fifth BAFTA nominee is another first-timer — Freida Pinto ("Slumdog Millionaire").

Four of the five Oscar-nominated directors also made the cut with BAFTA —  two-time BAFTA nominee Stephen Daldry ("The Reader") and one-time contender Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon") and newcomers Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") and David Fincher ("Benjamin Button"). The fifth BAFTA slot went to one-time nominee Clint Eastwood ("Changeling") rather than Gus Van Sant ("Milk").

Four of the five Oscar-nominated adapted screenplays are contenders: "Benjamin Button" by one-time BAFTA nominee Eric Roth ("Forrest Gump"), "Frost/Nixon" by 2006 BAFTA winner Peter Morgan ("The Last King of Scotland"), "Slumdog Millionaire" by one-time BAFTA nominee Simon Beaufoy ("The Full Monty"), and "The Reader" by one-time nominee David Hare ("The Hours"). The fifth Oscar nominee — John Patrick Shanley ("Doubt") — was on the BAFTA long list, but newcomer Justin Haythe got the last BAFTA slot for "Revolutionary Road."

Two of the Oscar original screenplay contenders compete here: newcomers Martin McDonagh ("In Bruges") and Dustin Lance Black ("Milk"). Snubbed by the Oscars were Joel & Ethan Coen  ("Burn After Reading"), Philippe Claudel ("I've Loved You So Long"), and J. Michael Straczynski ("Changeling") in favor of two BAFTA long-listed scripters — Mike Leigh ("Happy-Go-Lucky") and the "Wall-E" trio Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Peter Docter — and BAFTA-ineligible Courtney Hunt ("Frozen River").

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Photo: L.A. Times

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"Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke aren't the slam-dunk front-runners to win the BAFTA," warns our forums moderator Darrin "DoubleD" Dortch. "Frank Langella and Dev Patel are definitely in this race, too."

However, HollywoodStar is among our forum posters who sticks out his neck to say that Penn will, indeed, win best actor at this Sunday's BAFTA Awards. He's probably right. Penn's the Oscar front-runner and BAFTA Awards have predicted all four of the Oscars' acting races correctly for the past two years.

But NovicMode pipes in: "Rourke and Winslet just won best actor and best actress, respectively, at the London Critics Awards. 'The Wrestler' won best picture. Could this be foreshadowing of the BAFTAs?" Follow more of the hubbub, suspense, chatter and dishing in the Gold Derby forums.

The BAFTA Awards will be bestowed Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Royal Opera House in London. They can be viewed on U.S. television on BBC America at 8 p.m. EST/ 5 p.m. PST. Here's a full list of nominees.

RELATED POSTS:

BAFTA Awards boost Oscar hopes of 'Benjamin Button' and 'Slumdog Millionaire'

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Compare BAFTA nominations to the finalists on BAFTA's long list

Flashback: Gold Derby coverage of BAFTA wins last year

Photo: Fox Searchlight

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"Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" both have a leading 11 nods at BAFTA. While one of the "Slumdog Millionaire" bids is for best British picture, if it wins that award, history tells us it will be out of the running for the top prize. Since BAFTA reintroduced the award for best British film in 1992, separate from the top prize for best picture, no movie has won both prizes.

So "Slumdog Millionaire" fans should be rooting for one of the competition in the best British picture race — "Hunger," a biopic of IRA activist Bobby Sands that won director Steve McQueen the Golden Camera prize at Cannes; "In Bruges," Martin McDonagh's dark comedy about hit men on holiday; the documentary" Man on Wire" which follows in the footsteps of Phillippe Petit's 1974 walk between the two World Trade Center towers; and the ABBA songfest "Mamma Mia!" which recently edged out "Titanic" to become the top-grossing film of all time in the United Kingdom.

From 1947 to 1967, the BAFTA Awards named two top pictures — best film and best British film. Home-grown fare was eligible to compete in the wide-open category as well and at least one British film a year contended. In 1948, the best film winner was the British made "Hamlet" (which also took the top Oscar). However, it lost the best British film award to "The Fallen Idol." It took till 1952 before a British film — "The Sound Barrier" — won both prizes. Seven more films managed that feat — "Richard III" (1955); "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957; also best picture Oscar); "Room at the Top" (1958); "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962; also best picture Oscar); "Tom Jones" (1963; also best picture Oscar); "Dr. Strangelove" (1965 — same four films in both races); and "A Man for All Seasons" (1967; also 1966 best picture Oscar).

From 1968 to 1991, the BAFTA award for best British film was eliminated, but at least one British production contended for best picture every year but 1979. In those 24 years, seven British films won the best picture prize — "Sunday Bloody Sunday"(1971); "Chariots of Fire" (1981, also best picture Oscar); "Gandhi" (1982, also best picture Oscar); "Educating Rita" (1983); "The Killing Fields" (1984); "A Room With A View" (1986); and "The Commitments" (1991). Perhaps because that last film, a light-hearted romp about a budding band in Dublin, beat both "Dances With Wolves" and "The Silence of the Lambs," BAFTA reintroduced the British film award the following year.

Over the last 16 years, six British films have taken the top prize — "Howards End" (1992); "Four Weddings and a Funeral" (1994); "Sense and Sensibility" (1995 — tied with "The Usual Suspects"); "The Full Monty" (1997); "The Queen" (2006); and "Atonement" (2007). While the first three were not also nominated as best British film, the last three lost that race to "Nil By Mouth," "The Last King of Scotland," and "This Is England" respectively.

Back in 2000, the powers that be at BAFTA moved these British film awards ahead on the kudos calendar so that they would take place while voting for the Oscars was still under way. Since then, the BAFTAs have predicted only two of the eight Oscars bestowed for best picture — "Gladiator" (2000) and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003). However, 18 of the 32 BAFTA acting champs have gone on to win Academy Awards.

All four of last year's Oscar winners — Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Javier Bardem and Tilda Swinton — and the quartet that prevailed in 2006 — Forest Whitaker, Helen Mirren, Alan Arkin and Jennifer Hudson — first won at BAFTA. From 2000 to 2005, the BAFTA track record was not as impressive, although the occasional delayed release of a film in the U.K. skewed the results.

In 2005, Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote") and Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line") won both prizes while Jake Gyllenhaal ("Brokeback Mountain") beat double BAFTA nominee George Clooney ("Syriana," "Good Night, and Good Luck"). Thandie Newton ("Crash") took supporting actress with eventual Oscar winner Rachel Weisz ("The Constant Gardener") competing in lead at BAFTA.

With "Million Dollar Baby" not eligible in 2004, only Jamie Foxx ("Ray") and Cate Blanchett ("The Aviator") matched up. In 2003, only Renee Zellweger ("Cold Mountain") repeated, with Charlize Theron ("Monster") not in the running and "Mystic River" stars Sean Penn and Tim Robbins losing to Bill Murray ("Lost in Translation") and Bill Nighy ("Love Actually"). 2002 went two for four with Nicole Kidman ("The Hours") and Catherine Zeta Jones ("Chicago") winning both, while Day-Lewis ("Gangs of New York") beat Oscar winner Adrien Brody ("The Pianist") and Christopher Walken ("Catch Me If You Can") bested Oscar winner Chris Cooper ("Adaptation").

Two of the five front-runners at this year's Oscars — "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" — led the pack at the BAFTAs with 11 nominations each, including best picture nods. Another two — "Frost/Nixon" and "Milk" — fared far less well, though they count best picture nods among their six and three BAFTA bids respectively. And while the fifth favorite at the Oscars — "The Dark Knight" — managed eight BAFTA nods, it was bumped from the best picture race by "The Reader" (which had five nods in total).

See the complete list of new BAFTA nominees HERE. Check out last year's BAFTA nominations and the BAFTA bids for the previous year.

While the BAFTA laurels have foreseen only two best-picture Oscars winners — "Gladiator" (2000) and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003) — since these kudos were moved up in 2000 to take place while academy members are still voting, they do far better at predicting the acting awards. Both last year and in 2006, all four BAFTA champs went on to win at the Oscars.

With dueling lead actress nominations, Kate Winslet can't be the double winner she was at the Golden Globes for "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader." Winslet won only the first of her five BAFTA nods — a supporting award in 1995 for "Sense and Sensibilty." Also in the running for best actress are first-time BAFTA nominee Angelina Jolie for "Changeling" (which has seven nods in all), 1982 BAFTA best actress Meryl Streep ("The French Lieutenant's Woman"), who earned her twelfth nom for "Doubt" (which has three nods in total), and Kristin Scott Thomas, who earned her third nod for "I've Loved You So Long."

The biggest surprise is the omission of Sally Hawkins, who has already won the Golden Globe as well as both Gotham and LA critics awards for "Happy-Go-Lucky." Yet, this British film was roundly snubbed. Also out of the running is Critics Choice winner Anne Hathaway who made the long list even though "Rachel Getting Married" has yet to open in the U.K.

Four of the five best actor contenders — Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"), Dev Patel ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler") — are first-time BAFTA nominees while Sean Penn scored his third nod for "Milk."

Pitt also competes in the supporting-actor race for "Burn After Reading" against 1992 BAFTA best actor Robert Downey, Jr. ("Chaplin") for "Tropic Thunder", first-time nominee Brendan Gleeson for "In Bruges", 2005 BAFTA best actor Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote") for "Doubt," and one-time BAFTA nominee Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight".

Last year's supporting actress winner Tilda Swinton ("Michael Clayton") repeats in that race for "Burn After Reading" against 2006 best actress nominee Penelope Cruz contending for "Vicky Christina Barcelona" and a trio of BAFTA newcomers — Amy Adams("Doubt"), Freida Pinto ("Slumdog Millionaire"), and Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler").

Two of the five DGA nominees — British born Christopher Nolan ("The Dark Knight") and Gus Van Sant ("Milk") — were snubbed in favor of two-time BAFTA directing nominee Stephen Daldry ("The Reader") and the one-time nominated Clint Eastwood who is up for "Changeling" (his other Oscar pony "Gran Torino" has not opened in the UK yet). Of the other three contenders, Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon") has one BAFTA directing nod while Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") and David Fincher ("Benjamin Button") are newcomers to this race.

• Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly makes this astute observation about the wide-open nature of the lead acting races at the upcoming Academy Awards. "In the last five years, every eventual lead-acting Oscar winner, with the exception of "La Vie en Rose's" Marion Cotillard last year, won the Broadcast Critics award and a Golden Globe before picking up the big prize. So in a sense, all the other nine winners — Daniel Day-Lewis, Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Reese Witherspoon, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hilary Swank, Jamie Foxx, Charlize Theron and Sean Penn — were basically foregone conclusions come Oscar night. This year, however, is a completely different story. For the first time since 2003, the BFCA winners and Globe winners were different performers in both lead-acting races." ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

• Sasha Stone of Awards Daily previews tomorrow's BAFTA nominations, winnowing down the long lists released last week. "It should average roughly 2/3rds what the Oscar nominations will be able. Since so many Brits have now won Oscars we can sometimes look to the BAFTA in ways we never could before. Last year’s Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard both won BAFTAs before they went on to win Oscars. On the other hand, "Atonement" won their Feature prize and No Country for Old Men won the Oscar. They don’t seem particularly interested in reflecting the Academy’s taste but rather, in influencing it. They used to hold their awards after the Oscars, in fact. But a few years back they positioned them before the Oscars, then the Academy pushed their own awards back a month and that caused chaos to ensue. Somehow, it keeps on chugging along anyway." AWARDS DAILY

• Guy Lodge dares to scoot out onto some thin limbs to make BAFTA predix while Kris Tapley begins to unveil his choices for best film cinematography of 2008. IN CONTENTION

• Current Grammy Award nominees Kenny Chesney, Coldplay, Jonas Brothers, Lil Wayne, and Katy Perry are the first performers announced for the upcoming Feb. 8 awardscast. Lil Wayne leads with eight nominations, four-time Grammy winner Coldplay has seven nods, while Chesney, the Jonas Brothers, and Perry each have a single nom. GRAMMYS

• The 2004 Emmy Award winning comedy series "Arrested Development" has hit a bump on the road to the big screen, according to a TV Guide interview with series star Jason Bateman. "I think Michael Cera is clearly the guy that has come out of 'Arrested Development' with a very big plate, so I think he's trying to really give some responsible thought to what makes sense for him to do with his career," he said. "The guy is 20 years old and I'm sure he doesn't want to screw up this opportunity." If Cera does not come back, it will put a damper on Hurwitz's premise for the flick. Although he toyed with the idea of a prequel, featuring a kid CG version of Cera, Hurwitz, also a producer on Sit Down, Shut Up, said his plan now is to jump ahead in time. "We're going to pick up five years later, and family dynamics change, but they also kind of stay the same," he said. "So hopefully we'll just explore where they are now." TV GUIDE

• Tony Award winner and Emmy nominated star Kristin Chenoweth had mixed news on the fate of "Pushing Daisies." As per TV Guide, "The final episodes, when and if they eventually air, won't resolve all of the plotlines on the show but show creator Bryan Fuller has an idea for a movie that would. "It would wrap up a lot of the unanswered questions that people will have once they finally air our final episodes," said the singer-actress." TV GUIDE

• One of the hot prospects for next year's Tony Awards — a musical version of "The Addams Family" — is being workshopped in Manhattan this month. This tryout stars two-time Tony Award winner Nathan Lane as Gomez and multiple Tony and Emmy Award winner Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. Says Playbill, "With a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (librettists of the 2006 Tony Award-winning best musical, "Jersey Boys") and music and lyrics by Drama Desk award-winning composer-lyricist Andrew Lippa ("The Wild Party"), the musical is wholly original and not based on Addams Family material from other media — don't expect the TV series or the films." PLAYBILL

• Playbill is also reporting that casting is now complete for "33 Variations," the Moises Kaufman play that marks the return of Oscar winner Jane Fonda to Broadway after 45 years. Rounding out the cast of eight are Samantha Mathis and Colin Hanks. The piece marks the Broadway debut of Kaufman ("The Laramie Project") and "concerns Katherine Brandt (Jane Fonda), trying to solve a centuries-old mystery about the world's greatest composer — Beethoven. Her obsession takes her from present-day New York to 19th-century Austria. As the music that consumes Katherine comes to life on stage, she races against time to find common ground with her daughter (Mathis) and to embrace the legacy of her own life." PLAYBILL

Photos: Paramount Vantage, ABC, Fox

While the Academy Awards tease us with  lists of semifinalist pre-nominations in only certain categories — like foreign film and some of the technical ones — the BAFTAs have "long lists," as they're called, in almost all categories. Indeed, 15 films are in the running in most of the races. The final five contenders in each category will be announced Jan. 15 (the week before the Oscars' nods are unveiled) with the awards fest on Feb. 8 (two weeks before the Academy Awards ceremony).

This year, nine films have made it over the threshold of 10 BAFTA long-list mentions with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Frost/Nixon" leading with 14 each, followed by "Changeling," "The Dark Knight," "The Reader," "Revolutionary Road" and "Slumdog Millionaire" with 13 apiece while "Milk" and "Burn After Reading" have 11 each. All of them are in contention for best picture, as are nine-times-mentioned "Doubt," "The Wrestler" and "In Bruges"; eight-timer "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"; "Wall-E" with six mentions; and five-timer "I've Loved You So Long."

Last year, "Atonement" led the BAFTA long list with 17 mentions, followed by 13 for "American Gangster," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "No Country for Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood." On the big night, "Atonement" — the only British film among the final five best-picture nominees — won that race as well as production design. All four acting winners — Daniel Day-Lewis ("There Will Be Blood"), Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose"), Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men") and Tilda Swinton ("Michael Clayton") — went on to repeat at the Oscars. In 2006, one of the two pix that tied for the most long-list bids, "The Queen," won best picture, but three years ago the big leader, "Memoirs of a Geisha," didn't even get a nom in the top race.

Among the acting contenders, Ralph Fiennes, who won the supporting award in 1993 for "Schindler's List," is on that long list for three films — "The Duchess," "In Bruges," and "The Reader." His costar from "The Reader," Kate Winslet, is contending in the lead race for that role, though she is being touted in the supporting category stateside. The reason for that demotion is so that Winslet, a five-time Oscar loser, does not dilute her chances for a lead nod for "Revolutionary Road." As she is also on the BAFTA long list for that role, it will be interesting to see which of these, if either, gets her into the final five at BAFTA. If the two roles cancel each other out, Winslet , who won her only BAFTA (out of five noms) back in 1995 for her supporting role in "Sense and Sensibility," will be ruing this promotion by her British brethren.

Meryl Streep is also a double contender on the leading-actress long list for "Doubt" and "Mamma Mia!" As that ABBA musical has supplanted "Titanic" as the all-time top-grossing film in the UK, Streep could land her ninth lead nom for that frolic rather than the dour "Doubt." Surprisingly, Streep's first two Oscar-nominated performances — supporting turns in "The Deer Hunter" and "Kramer vs. Kramer" — saw her competing in the lead category at BAFTA. She lost both of those races, as well as her three supporting ones. The only BAFTA Streep won was for her 1981 leading role in "The French Lieutenant's Woman." Her 1982 Oscar-winning performance in "Sophie's Choice" was not seen in the UK until 1983, and she lost that race to Julie Walters for "Educating Rita."

John Malkovich ("Changeling" and "Burn After Reading") and Tilda Swinton ("Benjamin Button" and "Burn After Reading") are both double supporting nominees. And the director list mirrors that of the best-picture race with the exception of DGA ineligible Andrew Stanton ("Wall-E"), who got bumped by Steve McQueen ("Hunger").

BEST FILM — TOP 15
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight "
"Doubt"
"Frost/Nixon"
"In Bruges"
"I've Loved You So Long"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"Wall-E"
"The Wrestler"

DIRECTOR — TOP 15
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight "
"Doubt"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Hunger"
"In Bruges"
"I’ve Loved You So Long"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"The Wrestler"

LEADING ACTOR — TOP 15
Benicio del Toro — "Che: Part One"
Brad Pitt — "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Christian Bale — "The Dark Knight"
Colin Farrell — "In Bruges"
Dev Patel — "Slumdog Millionaire"
Frank Langella — "Frost/Nixon"
George Clooney — "Burn After Reading"
Javier Bardem — "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Josh Brolin- "W."
Leonardo DiCaprio — "Revolutionary Road"
Michael Fassbender — "Hunger"
Michael Sheen — "Frost/Nixon"
Mickey Rourke — "The Wrestler"
Richard Jenkins — "The Visitor"
Sean Penn — "Milk"

LEADING ACTRESS — TOP 15
Angelina Jolie — "Changeling"
Anne Hathaway — "Rachel Getting Married"
Cate Blanchett — "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Frances McDormand — "Burn After Reading"
Kate Winslet — "Revolutionary Road"
Kate Winslet — "The Reader"
Keira Knightley — "The Duchess"
Kristin Scott Thomas — "I’ve Loved You So Long"
Meryl Streep — "Mamma Mia!"
Meryl Streep — "Doubt"
Nicole Kidman — "Australia"
Penelope Cruz — "Elegy"
Rebecca Hall — "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Sally Hawkins — "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Scarlett Johansson — "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

SUPPORTING ACTOR — TOP 15
Brad Pitt — "Burn After Reading"
Brendan Gleeson — "In Bruges"
David Kross — "The Reader"
Eddie Marsan — "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Heath Ledger — "The Dark Knight"
John Malkovich — "Burn After Reading"
John Malkovich — "Changeling"
Josh Brolin — "Milk"
Kevin Bacon — "Frost/Nixon"
Peter O’Toole — "Dean Spanley"
Philip Seymour Hoffman — "Doubt"
Ralph Fiennes — "The Duchess"
Ralph Fiennes — "In Bruges"
Ralph Fiennes — "The Reader"
Robert Downey Jr. — "Tropic Thunder"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS — TOP 15
Amy Adams — "Doubt"
Charlotte Rampling — "The Duchess"
Elsa Zylberstein — "I've Loved You So Long"
Emma Thompson- "Brideshead Revisited"
Freida Pinto — "Slumdog Millionaire"
Judi Dench — "Quantum of Solace"
Julie Walters — "Mamma Mia!"
Kathy Bates — "Revolutionary Road"
Marisa Tomei — "The Wrestler"
Penélope Cruz — "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rebecca Hall — "Frost/Nixon"
Tilda Swinton — "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Tilda Swinton — "Burn After Reading"
Vera Farmiga — "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
Viola Davis — "Doubt"

ANIMATED FILM — TOP 5
"Kung Fu Panda"
"Persepolis"
"The Tale of Despereaux"
"Wall-E"
"Waltz With Bashir"

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY — TOP 15
"The Baader Meinhof Complex"
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight "
"Dean Spanley"
"Defiance"
"Doubt"
"The Duchess"
"Frost/Nixon "
"Gomorrah"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Persepolis"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY — TOP 15
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"Che Part One"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"Hunger"
"In Bruges"
"I’ve Loved You So Long"
"Milk"
"Rachel Getting Married"
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
"The Visitor"
"W."
"Wall-E"
"Waltz With Bashir"
"The Wrestler"

MAKE UP & HAIR — TOP 15
"Australia"
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Brideshead Revisited"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"The Duchess"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"Tropic Thunder"
"The Wrestler"

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS — TOP 15
"Australia"
"Changeling"
"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"
"Cloverfield"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Hancock"
"Hellboy II: The Golden Army"
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
"Iron Man"
"Quantum of Solace"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"Tropic Thunder"
"Wall-E"
"Waltz With Bashir"

SOUND — TOP 15
"Australia"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Frost/Nixon"
"In Bruges"
"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
"Iron Man"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Quantum of Solace"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"Wall-E"

EDITING — TOP 15
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas"
"Burn After Reading"
"Changeling"
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"The Dark Knight"
"Doubt"
"Frost/Nixon"
"In Bruges"
"Man on Wire"
"Milk"
"Quantum of Solace"
"The Reader"
"Revolutionary Road"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
"The Wrestler"