Brad Pitt and Sean Penn movies tee up for Oscars

An early indication of the way the Oscar nominations are likely to go came today with the announcement of the shortlist for the Producers Guild of America (PGA) awards. Among those up for the best picture award are three movies that have already been nominated for Golden Globes, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett (both pictured), Frost/Nixon and Danny Boyle's Indian-based quiz show drama, Slumdog Millionaire.

The Dark Night, the Batman film starring the later Heath Ledger, and Milk, the biopic of the gay rights activist Harvey Milk starring Sean Penn, also feature on the best picture list.

Penn will be pleased: as reported here, he was recently lambasted in the gay magazine the Advocate for publicly stating his sympathies for two well-known anti-gay dictators, Raul Castro, the Cuban leader, and Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, and many felt this could jeopardise his chances of a much-coveted Oscar nomination. The PGA endorsement suggests this has not been as damaging as some commentators have made out.

In the television category, Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage and the US version of Ricky Gervais's The Office, are nominated for best TV comedy. Man on Wire, about the Frenchman who wire-walked between the Twin Towers in New York, is one of three films up for the best documentary prize. Damages, Dexter and Lost are up for the TV drama prize, as are Boston Legal and Mad Men.

However, most interest is always directed at the PGA's choice of films. While it is not always a guarantee, its choice last year, the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, went on to win top prize at the Academy Awards. ·