Favourites for Golden Globe 2009

 This Sunday's night event, running on NBC at 8, brings great expectations for film's fans and also for the nominees, this being an opportunity in forecasting the front-runners for the Oscars.

Holding up for this movie awards season to begin, we sneak a peak with the help of Daily News' film critic, Joe Neumaier and predict this year's possible winners.

According to him, head of his list is Heath Ledger performance as the Joker, the most name viewers are eager to hear about and also, whose chances of winning a posthumous Oscar are still up in the air.

PICTURE - DRAMA: The fight's between "The Curious Case of "Benjamin Button " and "Slumdog Millionaire," but I'd opt for "Revolutionary Road," which brought a great novel to life and brought out the best in Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslaet.

ACTOR - DRAMA: Mikey Rourke's soul-heavy loser in "The Wrestler" was a perfect example of actor and role fusing.

ACTRESS - DRAMA: Anne Hathaway may have finally gotten respect for "Rachel Getting Married," but Winslet's "Road" performance was layered and full of life.

PICTURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association may not be able to resist "Mamma Mia!," but I'd give the award to "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," Woody Allen's sexiest film in years.

ACTOR - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Javier Bardem for "Vicky Cristina" - it was nice to see him relax for once.

ACTRESS - MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Sally Hawkins' out-of-left-field turn in Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky."

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Tom Cruise and Robert Downey Jr. were both fun in "Tropic Thunder," but Ledger's "Dark Knight" performance will be talked about for years, and rightly so.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis is the least-known name in this category, but her one-scene wonder in "Doubt" was gripping.

DIRECTOR: Though Danny Boyle hit a stride with "Slumdog," Sam Mendes kept "Road" on track.

ANIMATED FILM: "Wall-E" - could there be another choice?

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: France's "I've Loved You So Long" was enigmatic, truthful and had a riveting lead performance by Kristin Scott Thomas.

Source: WhyFame.com