The Producers Guild of America (PGA) on Monday morning, the 5th of January, unveiled nominees for their 20th annual film and television awards with summer blockbuster "The Dark Knight" and traveler tale "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" starring Brad Pitt among nominees for best-produced movie.
"The Dark Knight" was 2008's No. 1 box office performer with global ticket sales just under $1 billion where Heath Ledger thrilled audiences by playing the villain The Joker.
The nominees include Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven and Emma Thomas in "The Dark Knight", Kathleen Kennedy & Frank Marshall and Cean Chaffin who brought attention to "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" – the tale of a man who ages backward, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner who interpreted "Frost/Nixon".
Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen who played in "Milk" and Christian Colson in "Slumdog Millionaire," a story about a poor Indian man attempting to win a TV game show are also expected to be awarded with the golden statue. All 5 movies are early favorites for best picture nominations. Notably missing from the PGA list were Golden Globe best picture nominees "The Reader" and "Revolutionary Road."
Beside those five films, "Bolt" (withthe voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus), "Kung Fu Panda" and "Wall-E" have also been nominated for the 2009 PGA. The three animation films put their producers, Clark Spencer ("Bolt"), Melissa Cobb ("Kung Fu Panda") and Jim Morris ("Wall-E") in competition for Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures.
Favorite documentary films are also picked by the PGA, represented by the producers of "Man on Wire," telling of a man who in 1974 walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center Towers, will compete with director Errol Morris' look at Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse in "Standard Operating Procedure" and a story of survival after Hurricane Katrina, "Trouble in the Water."
Along with its film honors, the PGA also appreciates work for U.S. television programs. In the category for best production of a TV drama, "Boston Legal" and "Lost" will compete with "Mad Men," "Dexter" and "Damages."
"Deadliest Catch," "Frontline," "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List," "60 Minutes" and "This American Life" were nominated for producer of the year in nonfiction television.
Nominees in the live entertainment/competition category were "The Amazing Race," "The Colbert Report," "Project Runway," "Top Chef" and "Real Time With Bill Maher."
Last year's PGA winner, "No Country for Old Men," went on to win the Oscar for best film.
Producers Guild of America will hand out its awards at a black-tie gala ceremony on Saturday, the 24th of January. The event will take place at the Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles.
