Kevin Winter/Getty Images for PCA

Was there any doubt that fans would remember 2008 as the year of the Caped Crusader and his gnarliest nemesis yet?

The Dark Knight went five for five and was named Favorite Movie at the 35th Annual People's Choice Awards, which returned to its usual star-studdedness Wednesday after an '08 broadcast held at the height of the actor-supported Hollywood writers' strike.

The serious Oscar contender was also rewarded for its awesomeness with honors for Favorite Cast, Action Movie and Onscreen Matchup, which spotlighted Christian Bale and Heath Ledger. Bale was also deemed the year's Favorite Superhero.

"Thank you very, very much," said Bale, flanked by Aaron Eckhart and director Christopher Nolan, upon accepting the evening's top award. "And on behalf of all of the cast from the movie, thank you very much to the fans. Here's to Heath, thank you."

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20th Century Fox

When Arnold Schwarzenegger's cyborg assassin said his famous one-liner, "I'll be back," what he really meant was that he wasn't going anywhere.

And that couldn't be more true today now that James Cameron's sci-fi masterpiece The Terminator joins a list of 25 classics, among them John Boorman's Deliverance and Richard Brooks' big-screen version of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, that have been tapped for preservation by the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress.

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Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros. Entertainment, Fox Searchlight, The Weinstein Company

It all comes down to this for The Dark Knight, Milk, Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire and all the other films labeled "Oscar hopeful" for whatever reason in 2008.

Ballots for the 81st Annual Academy Awards are due to be mailed Friday to the 5,810 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

So with holiday shopping (and returns) out of the way, it will be time to finally pencil in their choices for the top films, performances and technical work of 2008, be they Heath Ledger for his terrifying turn as the Joker, director Danny Boyle for Slumdog, Kate Winslet for The Reader (or Revolutionary Road) or WALL-E for either Best Animated Feature or Best Picture altogether.

Completed ballots must be back in the hands of the ballot counters and protectors, PricewaterhouseCoopers, by Jan 12.

Oscar nods will be announced in the wee hours of the morning Jan. 22, with the little gold men getting passed out Feb. 22 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

SNAP/ZUMA Press, AP Photo, Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The Recording Academy is feeling a great deal of amore for its 2009 Lifetime Achievement Grammy recipients.

Rat Pack crooner Dean Martin is among the seven artists and acts who will be honored during a special ceremony Feb. 7 for his/her/their lasting contributions to the music industry, with more recognition set for the following night during the 51st Annual Grammy Awards at Los Angeles' Staples Center.

"Their outstanding accomplishments, legendary passion and artistry have positively affected our culture and will continue to influence and inspire generations to come," said Recording Academy president Neil Portnow.

On the list of honorees in addition to Martin, who died in 1995:

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Disney/Fred Hayes, Sony Pictures, Lionsgate

Here are two things you never thought you'd find in the same sentence: Repo! The Genetic Opera and Oscar.

But the Paris Hilton-featuring stinker could end up being an Academy Award winner come February now that three songs from the Rocky Horror-emulating musical have ended up on the list of Best Original Song contenders.

"Chromaggia," "Chase the Morning" and "Zydrate Anatomy" have a lot of competition ahead of them, though, including 11 tunes from High School Musical 3: Senior Year, the Miley Cyrus-sung "I Thought I Lost You" from Bolt (meaning Cyrus might actually have a reason to show up at the Oscars this year), "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" from Hamlet 2 and Jack White and Alicia Keys'  "Another Way to Die" from Quantum of Solace.

Then again, no James Bond theme has ever won the top prize, and movie musicals tend to get the shaft once big-name artists have filed their contributions to the rest of the year's soundtracks.

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Nancy Kaszerman/ZUMApress.com

Jerry Lewis' soft heart has earned him some hardware.

The King of Comedy star has been tapped to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at next year's Oscar ceremony in honor of his tireless work on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Lewis, who has presided over his namesake Labor Day telethon since 1966, will be on hand to accept his little gold man Feb. 22 at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.

"Jerry is a legendary comedian who has not only brought laughter to millions around the world but has also helped thousands upon thousands by raising funds and awareness for those suffering from muscular dystrophy," said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis.

The original Nutty Professor's annual telethon has raised more than $2 billion for the cause over the years. Lewis also received the Governor's Award at the 2005 Emmys for his philanthropic efforts.

Disney

Silence can speak a thousand words and, perhaps, collect a handful of hardware.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Tuesday named the Disney-Pixar charmer WALL-E the Best Picture of 2008, the first time the cinema-honoring society has ever tapped an animated film for its top prize.

Already garnering speculation about a possible run at Best Picture at the upcoming Oscars, this is looking to be a very joyous awards season for the detritus-collecting robot and his Buster Keaton-caliber mode of silent expression.

The same can be said for The Dark Knight's Heath Ledger, who, a day after being singled out by Washington, D.C.-area critics, was once again plucked from the murk, mire and moral corruption of Gotham City to be named Best Supporting Actor for his killer turn as the Joker in Christopher Nolan's billion-dollar Batman sequel, which also ran second to WALL-E in the Best Picture category.

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ABC

The blood, sweat and tears begot by a conflicted serial killer, some Madison Avenue suits, a troop of desperate castaways, Texas' grittiest high school football team and the Baltimore drug trade were what really got the television writers' juices flowing this year, even if most audiences have yet to drink the Kool-Aid.

Paying more attention to sharp dialogue and crackerjack pacing than ratings glory, the Writers Guild of America tapped recent Emmy fave Mad Men, the just-concluded and woefully underawarded The Wire, the just as woefully underwatched Friday Night Lights, the killer-as-hero nail-biter Dexter and a resurgent Lost as nominees for Best Dramatic Series for the 2009 WGA Awards, honoring TV, radio, news, promo writing and graphic animation.

As evidenced by the one category, scripted cable series had a big year as far as the scribes were concerned, with HBO, Showtime and burgeoning heavy hitter AMC combining for 17 nominations. ABC and CBS led the networks with 14 apiece (including radio nods), while NBC followed with 10 nominations, four of them coming from Best Comedy Series nominee 30 Rock.

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Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

It's very nice that Jennifer Hudson has something to smile about.

The Oscar winner, whose personal life has tragically overshadowed her professional accomplishments in recent weeks, said Thursday that she's "honored" to be among the nominees for the 51st Annual Grammy Awards.

"It's been a childhood dream of mine to release an album, so to receive four Grammy nominations is truly a blessing. I'm extremely honored and humbled by the nominations," Hudson said in a statement released by Arista Records.

The 27-year-old singer-actress' self-titled debut is a contender for R&B Album of the Year, while the tune "Spotlight" has her in the running for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Hudson also shares a nomination for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals for her duet with Fantasia on "I'm His Only Woman."

Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

It will be a big night for hip-hop, with Lil Wayne leading the pack heading into the 51st Annual Grammy Awards with eight nominations, including Album of the Year for Tha Carter III. Coldplay is right up there with seven nods, while Jay-Z, Kanye West and Ne-Yo each scored six.

The Grammys will be handed out Feb. 8 in Los Angeles.

Here's the complete list of nominations:

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Bob Levey/Getty Images for Image.net

La vida has provided many good raticos for Juanes.

The Colombian rocker took home a leading five trophies Thursday at the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards, including Album, Song and Record of the Year, to bring his all-time win total to 17 and shatter the previous record of 14 held by Alejandro Sanz.

In addition to top album, Juanes' La Vida...Es Un Ratico (Life Is a Moment) was also named Best Male Pop Vocal Album, while wins for Best Song, Record and Short-Form Music Video came for the tune "Me Enamora."

"This is incredible. A million thanks, truly," the artist said in thanks. "I have to thank my father, who is in heaven, God, my children. Since I was very young, my family taught me to listen to Latin-American music...They have all been an influence."

The influences transcended borders tonight in Houston, where the Latin Grammys (in 49 categories!) were handed out in the Lone Star state for the first time.

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ABC/ADAM LARKEY

Everything old was new again in Nashville tonight.

While Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles injected a much-needed jolt of femininity into the Entertainer of the Year category, it was still Kenny Chesney who was tippin' his hat to the audience at the end of the 42nd Annual Country Music Association Awards.

"As much as tonight is about awards, I really believe that being able to stand up here is more about great songs, it's more about the fans," said the touring dynamo and now four-time Entertainer of the Year.

"It's more about being onstage every night in front of a lot of people that really make it happen for me and the band out here...I'm really humbled tonight and I really appreciate it."

Chesney accepted the honor from Shania Twain, who told a pleasantly surprised audience, "It's good to see you, too. I hope to be seeing a lot more of you."

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