Here is the complete list of 84th Annual Academy Award nominations announced on Tuesday morning:

1. Best Picture: ‘‘The Artist,’’ ‘’The Descendants,’’ ‘’Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,’’ ‘’The Help,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Midnight in Paris,’’ ‘’Moneyball,’’ ‘’The Tree of Life,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

2. Actor: Demian Bichir, ‘‘A Better Life”; George Clooney, ‘‘The Descendants”; Jean Dujardin, ‘‘The Artist”; Gary Oldman, ‘‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”; Brad Pitt, ‘‘Moneyball.’’

3. Actress: Glenn Close, ‘‘Albert Nobbs”; Viola Davis, ‘‘The Help”; Rooney Mara, ‘‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”; Meryl Streep, ‘‘The Iron Lady”; Michelle Williams, ‘‘My Week With Marilyn.’’

4. Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh, ‘‘My Week With Marilyn”; Jonah Hill, ‘‘Moneyball”; Nick Nolte, ‘‘Warrior”; Christopher Plummer, ‘‘Beginners”; Max von Sydow, ‘‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.’’

5. Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, ‘‘The Artist”; Jessica Chastain, ‘‘The Help”; Melissa McCarthy, ‘‘Bridesmaids”; Janet McTeer, ‘‘Albert Nobbs”; Octavia Spencer, ‘‘The Help.’’

6. Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, ‘‘The Artist”; Alexander Payne, ‘‘The Descendants”; Martin Scorsese, ‘‘Hugo”; Woody Allen, ‘‘Midnight in Paris”; Terrence Malick, ‘‘The Tree of Life.’’

7. Foreign Language Film: ‘‘Bullhead,’’ Belgium; ‘‘Footnote,’’ Israel; ‘‘In Darkness,’’ Poland; ‘‘Monsieur Lazhar,’’ Canada; ‘‘A Separation,’’ Iran.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, ‘‘The Descendants”; John Logan, ‘‘Hugo”; George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, ‘‘The Ides of March”; Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin and Stan Chervin, ‘‘Moneyball”; Bridget O’Connor and Peter Straughan, ‘‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.’’

9. Original Screenplay: Michel Hazanavicius, ‘‘The Artist”; Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, ‘‘Bridesmaids”; J.C. Chandor, ‘‘Margin Call”; Woody Allen, ‘‘Midnight in Paris”; Asghar Farhadi, ‘‘A Separation.’’

10. Animated Feature Film: ‘‘A Cat in Paris”; ‘‘Chico & Rita”; ‘‘Kung Fu Panda 2”; ‘‘Puss in Boots”; ‘‘Rango.’’

11. Art Direction: ‘‘The Artist,’’ ‘’Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Midnight in Paris,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

12. Cinematography: ‘‘The Artist,’’ ‘’The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’The Tree of Life,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

13. Sound Mixing: ‘‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Moneyball,’’ ‘’Transformers: Dark of the Moon,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

14. Sound Editing: ‘‘Drive,’’ ‘’The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Transformers: Dark of the Moon,’’ ‘’War Horse.’’

15. Original Score: ‘‘The Adventures of Tintin,’’ John Williams; ‘‘The Artist,’’ Ludovic Bource; ‘‘Hugo,’’ Howard Shore; ‘‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,’’ Alberto Iglesias; ‘‘War Horse,’’ John Williams.

16. Original Song: ‘‘Man or Muppet’’ from ‘‘The Muppets,’’ Bret McKenzie; ‘‘Real in Rio’’ from ‘‘Rio,’’ Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown and Siedah Garrett.

17. Costume: ‘‘Anonymous,’’ ‘’The Artist,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Jane Eyre,’’ ‘’W.E.’’

18. Documentary Feature: ‘‘Hell and Back Again,’’ ‘’If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,’’ ‘’Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,’’ ‘’Pina,’’ ‘’Undefeated.’’

19. Documentary (short subject): ‘‘The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement,’’ ‘’God Is the Bigger Elvis,’’ ‘’Incident in New Baghdad,’’ ‘’Saving Face,’’ ‘’The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.’’

20. Film Editing: ‘‘The Artist,’’ ‘’The Descendants,’’ ‘’The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Moneyball.’’

21. Makeup: ‘‘Albert Nobbs,’’ ‘’Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,’’ ‘’The Iron Lady.’’

22. Animated Short Film: ‘‘Dimanche/Sunday,’’ ‘’The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,’’ ‘’La Luna,’’ ‘’A Morning Stroll,’’ ‘’Wild Life.’’

23. Live Action Short Film: ‘‘Pentecost,’’ ‘’Raju,’’ ‘’The Shore,’’ ‘’Time Freak,’’ ‘’Tuba Atlantic.’’

24. Visual Effects: ‘‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,’’ ‘’Hugo,’’ ‘’Real Steel,’’ ‘’Rise of the Planet of the Apes,’’ ‘’Transformers: Dark of the Moon.’’

Nominees for the Golden Globes were announced on Thursday. The 69th award ceremony will take place on January 15.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

• The Descendants – Ad Hominem Enterprises; Fox Searchlight Pictures
• The Help – DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media; Touchstone Pictures
• Hugo – Paramount Pictures presents a GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures
• The Ides of March – Columbia Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media Group, Crystal City Entertainment; Sony Pictures
• Moneyball – Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing International
• War Horse – DreamWorks Pictures; Touchstone Pictures

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

• Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis – The Help
• Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep – Iron Lady
• Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

• George Clooney – The Descendants
• Leonardo DiCaprio – J. Edgar
• Michael Fassbender – Shame
• Ryan Gosling – The Ides of March
• Brad Pitt – Moneyball

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• 50/50 – Summit Entertainment and Mandate Pictures; Summit Entertainment
• The Artist – a La Petite Reine-Studio 37-La Classe Americaine-JD Prod-France3 Cinema-Jouror Production-uFilms coproduction-The Weinstein Company
• Bridesmaids – Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Apatow Productions; Universal Pictures
• Midnight in Paris – A Mediapro, Versatil Cinema & Gravier Production; Sony Pictures Classics
• My Week with Marilyn – The Weinstein Company; The Weinstein Company

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• Jodie Foster – Carnage
• Charlize Theron – Young Adult
• Kristen Wiig – Bridesmaids
• Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn
• Kate Winslet – Carnage

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical

• Jean Dujardin – The Artist
• Brendan Gleeson – The Guard
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt – 50/50
• Ryan Gosling – Crazy, Stupid, Love.
• Owen Wilson – Midnight in Paris

Best Animated Feature Film

• The Adventures of Tintin – Paramount Pictures/Columbia Pictures/ Hemisphere Capital/Amblin Entertainment/Wingnut Films Production/ Kennedy/Marshall Production A Steven Spielberg Film; Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures
• Arthur Christmas – Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing International
• Cars 2 – Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Pictures
• Puss In Boots – DreamWorks Animation; Paramount Pictures
• Rango – Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink / GK Films Production;  Paramount Pictures

Best Foreign Language Film

• The Flowers of War (China) – (Jing Ling Shi San Chai) New Pictures Film Company; Wrekin Hill Entertainment
• In the Land of Blood and Honey (United States) – GK Films; FilmDistrict
• The Kid with a Bike (Belgium) – (Le Gamin au Velo) Les Films du Fleuve; Sundance Selects
• A Separation (Iran) – (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) Asghar Farhadi; Sony Pictures Classics
• The Skin I Live In (Spain) – (La piel que habito) El Deseo D.A., S.L.U.; Sony Pictures Classics

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Berenice Bejo – The Artist
• Jessica Chastain – The Help
• Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer – The Help
• Shailene Woodley – The Descendants

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

• Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn
• Albert Brooks – Drive
• Jonah Hill – Moneyball
• Viggo Mortensen – A Dangerous Method
• Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Best Director – Motion Picture

• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• George Clooney – The Ides of March
• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Alexander Payne – The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

• Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
• Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash – The Descendants
• George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – The Ides of March
• Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
• Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian – Moneyball

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

• Ludovic Bource – The Artist
• Abel Korzeniowski – W.E.
• Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Howard Shore – Hugo
• John Williams – War Horse

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

• “Hello Hello” – Gnomeo & Juliet (Music by Elton John, Lyrics by Bernie Taupin)
• “Keeper, The” – Machine Gun Preacher (Music and Lyrics by Chris Cornell)
• “Lay Your Head Down” – Albert Nobbs (Music by Brian Byrne, Lyrics by Glenn Close)
• “Living Proof, The” – The Help (Music by Thomas Newman, Mary J. Blige and Harvey Mason, Jr., Lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas)
• “Masterpiece” – W.E. (Music and Lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost and Jimmy Harry)

Best Television Series – Drama

• American Horror Story (FX) – Twentieth Century Fox Television
• Boardwalk Empire (HBO) – Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions, HBO Entertainment
• Boss (STARZ) – Lionsgate Television in association with Grammnet NH Productions, Roya Productions and Old Friends Productions
• Game of Thrones (HBO) – Bighead, Littlehead, 360 Television, Grok and Generator Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
• Homeland (SHOWTIME) – SHOWTIME Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

• Claire Danes – Homeland (SHOWTIME)
• Mireille Enos – The Killing
• Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (CBS)
• Madeleine Stowe – Revenge
• Callie Thorne – Necessary Roughness

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

• Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
• Bryan Cranston – Breaking Bad
• Kelsey Grammer – Boss (STARZ)
• Jeremy Irons – The Borgias
• Damian Lewis – Homeland (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Enlightened (HBO) – Ripcord Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
• Episodes (SHOWTIME) – SHOWTIME Presents, Hat Trick Productions, Crane Karik Productions
• Glee (FOX) – Ryan Murphy Television, Twentieth Century Fox Television
• Modern Family (ABC) – Twentieth Century Fox Television
• New Girl (FOX) – Chernin Entertainment in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Laura Dern – Enlightened (HBO)
• Zooey Deschanel – New Girl (FOX)
• Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)
• Laura Linney – The Big C (SHOWTIME)
• Amy Poehler – Parks and Recreation

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
• David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)
• Johnny Galecki – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Thomas Jane – Hung (HBO)
• Matt LeBlanc – Episodes (SHOWTIME) 

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Cinema Verite (HBO) – A Pariah Production in association with HBO Films
• Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) – A Carnival/Masterpiece Co-production
• The Hour (BBC AMERIC) – Kudo Film and Television/BBC America co-production
• Mildred Pierce (HBO) – A Killer Films/John Wells Production in association with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and HBO Miniseries
• Too Big to Fail (HBO) – A Spring Creek and a Deuce Three Production in association with HBO Films

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Romola Garai – The Hour (BBC AMERIC)
• Diane Lane – Cinema Verite (HBO)
• Elizabeth McGovern – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Emily Watston – Appropriate Adult
• Kate Winslet – Mildred Pierce (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Hugh Bonneville – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Idris Elba – Luther
• William Hurt – Too Big to Fail (HBO)
• Bill Nighy – Page Eight (Masterpiece)
• Dominic West – The Hour (BBC AMERIC)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Jessica Lange – American Horror Story (FX)
• Kelly MacDonald – Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
• Maggie Smith – Downton Abbey (Masterpiece)
• Sofia Vergara – Modern Family (ABC)
• Evan Rachel Wood – Mildred Pierce (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television

• Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (HBO)
• Paul Giamatti – Too Big to Fail (HBO)
• Guy Pearce – Mildred Pierce (HBO)
• Tim Robbins – Cinema Verite (HBO)
• Eric Stonestreet – Modern Family (ABC)

First thought: This is my new favorite baseball movie not named “Sandlot.”

But by the time five minutes had passed, I was delving deeper into my childhood evil dog and PF Flyers pastimes than anyone ever should have.

“Moneyball” is a masterpiece, but in every imaginable way it is the anti- “Sandlot.”

Where “Sandlot” was a childhood fantasy take on the purity of baseball, “Moneyball” is an adult look at the ugly business side of it.

The 2002 Oakland Athletics made an unlikely baseball run based on the statistical likelihood of their washout players getting on base, scoring runs and ultimately winning games.

The theory was that a small-market team with a $40 million payroll could complete and even out-duel the nine-figure salaries of the Red Sox and Yankees by picking up players no one else wanted but who had a proven statistical track record for getting on base. Sometimes that meant putting a catcher on first base and hoping for the best.

It half-worked. I won’t ruin the entire movie for you, just in case you aren’t a diehard baseball fan.

The movie is based on Michael Lewis’s 2003 book about the team, and it’s perfectly done with the right balance of humor, pure acting and movie-drama.

Like any good film, the acting makes it. Brad Pitt plays A’s general manager Billy Beane alongside Jonah Hill’s portrayal of real-life assistant Peter Brand, a student of the stats philosophy, known as sabermetrics. The two play off each other like, well like Brad Pitt and whomever he’s acting next to.

Philip Seymour Hoffman also adds something to the film, playing manager Art Howe. There is a particular poignant scene between him and Pitt after Pitt’s character trades away a star player. Definitely worth watching again.

One of the most gripping takeaway points from “Moneyball” is that it ofers a glimpse into the way Major League Baseball treats an aging player who’s hit 35-year-old and lost a step or two. It also shows the dichotomy between the East Coast baseball powerhouses from really Atlanta all the way up to Boston and the smaller markets of nearly everywhere else.

Director Bennett Miller does a good job crafting a sympathetic feeling for both Beane and his merry band of misfit players.

(“Moneyball” also shoes Red Sox fans how we ended up with Kevin Youkilis, by the way.)

The flick is a bit long at 133 minutes, but it’s good enough that you overlook the length. “Moneyball” takes everything that is romantic about baseball and makes it funny, dark and real, while keeping it romantic — like a rocky but steamy relationship. It’s a must-see.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Publicity

Funny guy Jonah Hill strayed from the norm with his most recent film, Moneyball, a drama about the relationship between business and baseball.

The movie, also starring Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman, is based on a book by Michael Lewis about baseball-player-turned-manager, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) who struggles as the general manager of the Oakland A’s.  Beane hires a nerdy Yale grad with a degree in economics, Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) to employ his innovative idea about player statistics and success. Surprisingly, the new method takes them far, but not too far.

“The movie is about underdogs to me and people who are undervalued,” said Hill.

Although Hill’s character is definitely the underdog, Billy Beane always seems to be the ultimate second best.

Beane just can’t win, despite some valiant efforts.  Jonah Hill unknowingly touched on this subject in a 2007 interview when he said “It’s funny to see people struggle and you don’t buy that Brad Pitt is struggling.   You know that guy could be the most skill-less guy in the world, but if you look like that you will be fine for the rest of your life.”

When asked about this quote, Hill gave a sheepish smile and said, “I eat my idiotic words from when I was 20 and 21-years-old.”

“I just meant…it’s more identifiable to be someone going through shit. It’s a perfect example of why I was wrong,” Hill backtracked. “Brad, in this movie, plays a guy who’s just going through it, and his attractiveness has nothing to do with his character. He’s really just playing a guy you can identify with going through some shit. And it’s a really beautiful performance and its funny and raw. It’s cool.”

And Pitt’s performance is spectacular. Hill matches Pitt’s acting prowess, however, because he was able to make his debut role in a drama.

Jonah Hill at the Moneyball premiere in Toronto, courtesy of Sony Pictures Publicityseem effortless.

“There are funny moments in the movie…but it comes from a different type of character than I’ve ever done,” Hill explained.  “I am no longer an underdog in the comedy world…with this film, I’m an underdog again.”

Hill said he did a lot of studying for the movie, which included reading the book it was based off of.  He also drew inspiration for the character through his own life. He compared Peter Brand’s analysis of baseball players, which is largely centered on how much money and wins they will bring a team in the long run, to his own analysis of fellow actors.

“We look at a receipt and see how much you’re worth…this is how my friends and I analyze other actors…it’s all dollars.”

In spite of his recent success and major league collaborations, Hill remains humble and enthusiastic.

“I just want to make cool stuff, I want to make cool movies,” Hill said.

Ryan Reynolds was named as this year’s sexiest man alive by People magazine, a title George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp have been named in the past.

The actor told People, “My body naturally wants to look like Dick Van Dyke. When I stop training, I turn into a skin-colored whisper.”

Regarding the title that he got, he commented, “You just have to go with the flow. This gives my family entre into teasing me for the rest of my life.”

He also mentioned his wife Scarlett Johansson, “Now it’s going to be, ‘Sexiest man, take out the garbage.’ That does sound better. The most difficult part is going to be organically working this title into a conversation with random strangers.”

MTV also talks about that he played some sexiest roles in several movies, such as “Definitely, Maybe” “Van Wilder” “The Proposal” “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Green Lantern.”

News travels fast, but in case you haven’t already heard, Johnny Depp was named “sexiest man alive” by People magazine for the second time.

People descibed the 46-year-old (I know, wow) actor as “the king of cool with killer cheekbones.”

Depp last won the honor in 2003, and this year, he joins the likes of Brad Pitt and George Clooney in winning twice. After Depp, the rest of the top five are Ryan Reynolds at number two, Jake Gyllanhaal at number three, Bradley Cooper at number four, and Robert Downey Jr. at number five.

Rabid Twilight fans might be disappointed to know that Robert Pattinson ranked 15th, but the rest of us will wonder how he ranked so high.

Pick up People magazine to check out the full list.

Protector Collection necklaces. Photo: Asprey.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are working with British jewelery designed Asprey to create a line of snake-like jewelery, People.com reported.

The serpentile pieces include bracelets, necklaces, rings, earrings and even spoons. The net proceeds will go to the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, which the couple has already given $1 million through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation. The snake-theme came from Angelina’s pregnancy with Shiloh in 2006, when a friend gave her a protective snake ring. Since then, snakes have become a symbol of protection for the family.

Initially, the jewelery line was meant for children, but it expanded to become the high-end “Protector Collection.” It will become available Nov. 17.

Photos: Getty Images

Just on the coattails of the Golden Globe Awards two weeks ago, the 2009 nominees for the Academy Awards were announced Jan. 22. Films “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and “Slumdog Millionaire” were top dogs in the nominee list.

Academy President Sid Ganis, along with Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker, announced the awards at a live news conference. “Benjamin Button” led the pack with 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Brad Pitt) and Best Director (David Fincher). The film, based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story, is about a man (Pitt) who ages backwards.

“Slumdog Millionaire” wasn’t far behind “Button” with 10 nominations, also including Best Picture and Best Director (Danny Boyle). “Millionaire,” about a young Mumbai man who gets on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be Millionaire,” won Best Picture at the Golden Globe awards on Jan. 11. It’s considered the biggest surprise hit of the year.

One of the bigger surprises was the nomination for “The Reader” for Best Picture, Best Director (Stephen Daldry) Best Actress (Kate Winslet) and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film has gotten seriously mixed reviews, and despite garnering a Golden Globe for Kate Winslet, was largely believed to be inferior to Winslet’s other film this year, “Revolutionary Road”. The latter film received a Supporting Actor nod to Michael Shannon in the acting categories.

As predicted, Heath Ledger was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in “The Dark Knight.” The announcement came on the one year anniversary of Ledger’s death from an accidental overdose. Ledger received a posthumous Best Supporting Actor award at the Golden Globes.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences distributes the awards. The academy is made up of professionals in all aspects of the film industry, who judge the nominees in their respective categories. The Academy Awards themselves will take place at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC network on Feb. 22.

Complete list of nominees on the next page.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Based on the story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” has been transformed by director David Fincher from a novella to an epic. By fleshing out Fitzgerald’s brisk tale of a man who ages backwards, he makes “Button” breathe again.

Spanning the course of nearly a century, Brad Pitt plays Benjamin Button, a child born with all of the deteriorations of a man in his eighties. Discarded by his father into the loving arms of Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), an owner of an early form of a nursing home, Benjamin ages backwards but, by doing so, is able to learn the important lessons of life both backwards and forwards.

He meets Daisy (who grows up to be Cate Blanchett) when she was just 7 years old. They age together and yet separately, when he starts his life on a tugboat sailing out of New Orleans when he is just about age 16. Daisy, who he always views as the love of his life, lives a very different life in New York City as a dancer.

Benjamin seems to live many different lives over the course of the movie. But, with the film stretching close to three hours long, it takes a while to get past the preliminary portion of the film and into its heart – the relationship between Daisy and Benjamin.

Pitt plays Benjamin from about age seven to age 70 by using advanced CGI-techniques. “Button” was clearly created to be more of a fairy tale than a real story, but because of the aging backwards process, the CGI makes it hard to tell just how old Benjamin is supposed to be. Audience members uncomfortably questioned whether it was proper for Benjamin to have his first woman before realizing he was not around age 10 like they thought and was closer to age 16.

The fairy tale aspect of the film takes away from its message a bit. “Button” loses itself in its length, caught between telling a story and relaying a moral. Ultimately, “Button” was trying to explain that it is never too late to start your life over – a theme created for the film. There wasn’t enough to the film to justify its length.

Overall, “Button” was a good film. Pitt and Blanchett deliver beautiful performances as usual, and Fincher put together a wonderful piece of art. But “Button” begins to feel like a chore to watch once it gets into its second hour and thus losing the power a more concise film would have had.

Research from security firm McAfee shows that some celebrities are just dangerous to Google and search for around the web because of the litany of fake websites out there that try to infect your computer with viruses and malicious code as you innocently seek out wallpaper and screensavers of your favs.

Brad Pitt leads the pack on a list that includes Jessica Alba and‚ Katherine Heigl.

“Fans searching for “Brad Pitt,” “Brad Pitt downloads,” and Brad Pitt wallpaper, screen savers and pictures have an 18% chance of having their PCs infected with online threats, such as spyware, spam, phishing, adware, viruses and other malware,” McAfee said. “Cybercriminals are using A-listers’ names and images, like Beyoncƒ© and Justin Timberlake, to lure Internet users who surf the Web for the latest gossip, screen savers and ringtones to “fake” Web sites that look legitimate.”

The list includes:

1. Brad Pitt – When “Brad Pitt screensavers” was searched, more than half of the resulting Web sites were identified as containing malicious downloads with spyware, adware and potential viruses.

2. Beyoncƒ© – Inputting “Beyoncƒ© ringtones” into a search engine yields risky Web sites that promote misleading offers to gather consumers’ personal information.

3. Justin Timberlake – Interest in his high-profile relationships makes him an easy target for spammers and hackers. When searching for “Justin Timberlake downloads” one Web site advertised free music downloads that were flagged as directly leading to spam, spyware and adware.

4. Heidi Montag – “The Hills” star is a popular search term when it comes to searching for wallpaper. A host of wallpaper Web sites contained hundreds of malware-laden downloads.

5. Mariah Carey – Spammers and hackers are using Mariah Carey screen saver Web sites to link to other sites proven to contain spyware, adware and other threatening downloads.

6. Jessica Alba – Red-ranked risky sites were identified when searching for “Jessica Alba” and “Jessica Alba downloads.” The sites contained hundreds of malicious downloads, links to other bad sites, misleading offers to gather information, and a high number of spam emails when an email address was provided.

7. Lindsay Lohan – This young Hollywood starlet is as dangerous to search online as she is famous. Searching for “Lindsay Lohan downloads” resulted in several dangerous Web sites laden with hidden adware.

8. Cameron Diaz – Cybercriminals use download Web sites related to Cameron Diaz’s image to link to other harmful sites containing spyware.

9. George Clooney, Rihanna – The technology found one Web site embedded with hundreds of dangerous wallpaper and photo downloads after inputting “George Clooney downloads.” “Rihanna pictures” was also a risky search term, as McAfee identified a site that spammed its test email address.

11. Angelina Jolie – When “Angelina Jolie downloads” was searched, the software highlighted a risky site with 978 hidden malware-infected wallpaper and photo downloads, as well as links to other potentially dangerous URLs.

12. Fergie – A Fergie screen saver site was flagged as offering 111 risky downloads that could seriously compromise a PC’s privacy with unwanted spyware and adware.

13. David Beckham, Katie Holmes – The “David Beckham” search term generated a great deal of wallpaper and screen saver downloads veiled with malware. Consumers should also exercise caution when searching for “Katie Holmes” online – one download site advertised free screen savers that, if downloaded, would infect your computer with malicious programs like spyware.

15. Katherine Heigl – Hollywood’s big headliner in recent years is now susceptible to Internet lurkers too. “Katherine Heigl” was searched and a site was identified containing hundreds of malware-infected pictures.

‚ ”Cybercriminals employ numerous methods, yet one of the simplest but most effective ways is to trick consumers into infecting themselves by capitalizing on Americans’ interest in celebrity gossip,” said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee’s Product Development and Avert Labs. “Tapping into current events, pop culture or commonly browsed sites is an easy way to achieve this. And because of Americans’ obsession with following celebrities’ lifestyles, they are an obvious target. We have to take precautions in casually navigating the Web since many subtle sites may be rife with malware for consumers’ computers.”

The list was compiled using McAfee SiteAdvisor, which can be downloaded for free at‚ www.mcafee.com/siteadvisor.

These are the movies Blast is excited about seeing in the month of September:

The Women

Who: Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing, Candice Bergen, Carrie Fisher

What: Ryan plays a clothing designer who finds out that her husband is cheating on her with another woman (Mendes) and then, with the help of her friends, all hell breaks loose.

When: September 12

Why: Meg Ryan hasn’t had a good chick flick since “Kate & Leopold” in 2001, but this movie looks like it could be her big comeback. The cast is fantastic and looks to have great chemistry. Plus, the whole “Sex and the City” vibe it is channeling is so in this year.

Burn After Reading

This is a redband trailer and not suitable for all audiences

Who: George Clooney, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, Brad Pitt, J.K. Simmons

What: The Coen brothers’ latest flick about two gym employees (Pitt and McDormand) who get their hands on the memoir of an ex-CIA official (Malkovich) and plan to take advantage of their discovery.

When: September 12

Why: The Coen brothers look like they’re going more for “O Brother, Where Art Thou” than “No Country For Old Men” in this one, but the change of pace is nice.. The cast is beyond A-list; this is Clooney and Pitt’s first movie together since “Ocean’s Thirteen,” and Swinton and Clooney are reunited after last year’s “Michael Clayton.” Plus, when have the Coen brothers ever failed to deliver?

Righteous Kill

Who: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Carla Gugino, 50 Cent, Donnie Wahlberg

What: Two veteran detectives (De Niro and Pacino) work to identify whether there is a connection between their current murder case and one they put to rest years before.

When: September 12

Why: This is De Niro and Pacino’s second movie together, but unlike “Heat” where they only had about five minutes of mutual face time; “Righteous Kill” looks like it will really show of their chemistry. Plus the good cop/bad copy storyline has “Oscar” written all over it.

The Duchess

Who: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Charlotte Rampling

What: Knightly plays Georgiana Spencer, the Duchess of Devonshire, the head of high society who proved she could out-gamble, out-drink, and outwit most of the men she surrounded herself with. However, when she tries to follow an illicit love, she brings upon the wrath of her husband (Fiennes) and all of London.

When: September 19

Why: Keira Knightly looks fascinating and ravishing as the Duchess. Plus, the “it-girl” vibe has been a bit outdone this year when taking place in modern times, so why not watch the same story take place in regency era England?

Choke

Who: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald, Brad Henke, Clark Gregg

What: An adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, Choke is the story of a sex-addicted colonial theme park worker (Rockwell) who creates an elaborate scheme to pay for his mother’s hospital bills.

When: September 26

Why: It’s based on a Chuck Palahniuk book. Remember “Fight Club”? Yeah, it’s enough to make me go see it too.

Igor

Who: John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Eddie Izzard, Arsenio Hall, Sean Hayes

What: A hunchbacked lab assistant, or Igor (Cusack), breaks away from his traditional role in society and tries to win Malaria’s annual science fair.

When: September 19

Why: Sure it won’t beat “WALL-E”, but the voice talents are funny in real life, so why not in a movie too?

Miracle at St. Anna

Who: Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso, Omar Benson Miller, Matteo Sciabordi, Pierfrancesco Favino, Valentina Cervi

What: Spike Lee’s story of four black American soldiers find themselves separated from their unit and trapped behind enemy lines in Italy during World War II. Working with a village of Italian rebels, they try to avoid the Nazis and save the life of an Italian boy.

When: September 26

Why: The trailer is really intriguing in a kind of skip-to-the-last-scene kind of way. Spike Lee has a good track record too.

Eagle Eye

Who: Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie, Billy Bob Thornton, Michael Chiklis

What:  Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan are two strangers being manipulated by a mysterious woman via cell phone who controls their every move. Together they must outwit the woman and outrun the FBI who thinks that they are responsible for crimes they did not commit.

When:  September 26

Why: Apparently this has been Steven Spielberg’s brain child for years, and the trailers look promising. It could end up being a total flop, but LaBeouf has been having good (on screen) luck this year.