The Countdown to the Oscars have begun. There’s a definite buzz in the air and movie lovers are gearing up for the biggest movie event of the year. Let’s go through the top five categories together: Best Score, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Film. It will go down to the wire. The winner takes it all, sure, but there’s a lot of interest in the nominations as well, so we might as well have a look at them.

The Oscar nominations for the Best Score will be a toughly contested one. There’s Tomas Newman with Wall-E. He’s the toughest challenge to Danny Elfman (Milk). Then you have Alexandre Desplat’s score for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Add to the list James Newton Howard for Defiance and the Indian genius A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire and you have a cracking list on our hands. I have seen Slumdog Millionaire and I can vouch that the score of the movie can very well clinch the Best Score for Rahman at the Oscars this year. He’s also nominated for two songs from Slumdog Millionaire in the Best Original Song category. Winning this one will be special though!

Adrian has seen Gus Van Sant’s movie Milk. He’s all for Danny Elfman grabbing the Oscar for this movie. He’s been nominated for four Academy Awards and has won a Grammy for Batman and an Emmy for the theme of Desperate Housewives. Thomas Newman’s score for the Sci-Fi movie Wall-E also has a positive buzz about it and so does the The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Alexandre Desplat has a real chance by what I hear. While I want Slumdog Millionaire to bag it, Adrian is all for Milk. We had an argument over this and I’m waiting patiently to see who wins. If it’s a third person winning it, great! But if it’s his choice who wins it, I have to be ready for some real taunts!

It’s sure going to be a tough one at the Best Score nominations for the Academy Awards 2009. Whom do you think will win?