After the excitement of the Golden Globes, pop culture buffs are salivating at the thought of the upcoming Academy Awards. Anticipation reached fever pitch today with the announcement of the 2009 Oscar nominees.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads the charge with a whopping 13 nominations, including nods for stars Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson and director David Fincher.

But the real buzz surrounds Heath Ledger, who was named a best supporting actor nominee one year to the day of his death. No one has won a posthumous acting Oscar since fellow Australian Peter Finch did it for Network in 1976. Could Heath’s compelling portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight make him the second?

The host of this video is one of those bubbly annoying types but thankfully she keeps her trap shut for most of this clip, allowing us to soak up those all important nominations. Bring on February 22!