How the Oscars Became the Emmys

Once again, Hollywood has nominated little films for its big awards. No, not Slumdog Millionaire — that's a breakout hit — but worthy miniatures like Frost/Nixon that look so good on the small screen, they ought to be up for Best TV Special

Illustration by John Corbitt for TIME

The members of the Motion Picture Academy are still filling out their ballots, but right now the Anglo-Indian melodrama Slumdog Millionaire is the strong favorite to win the Oscars for Best Picture, Directing and Adapted Screenplay. It has already snagged top prizes from the producers', directors', writers' and actors' guilds. It's also earned nearly $80 million at the domestic box office--far more than the combined take of three of its Best Picture rivals, The Reader, Frost/Nixon and Milk. (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which absent Slumdog might have been the film to beat, has grossed more than $120 million.) Though...

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