The indie-r the better for Spirit Awards

What you won't find on the list for the anti-Oscars, also known as Film Independent's Spirit Awards, the real party before The Party that happens in February: "Slumdog Millionaire," "Revolutionary Road," "The Reader," "Doubt" and "Frost/Nixon."

Major awards buzz hangs heavy on all those, which means little to the Spirit Awards, intended to honor art films and other less-than-commercial fare. (The kudos aren't entirely averse to boxoffice successes and those responsible for them, like last year's "Juno," its star Ellen Page and screenwriter Diablo Cody, all Spirit winners).

This time around, though, three movies ranging from completely obscure to less so tied with six nods each -- "Ballast," a Mississippi Delta-based scratching-for-survival tale, "Frozen River," a Canadian-set scratching-for-survival tale, and "Rachel Getting Married," a multi-culti nuptials-based better-living-through-recovery tale.

Spirit nominee Melissa Leo, from "Frozen River," is pictured at right.

The two other best picture nominees are the heartbreaking girl-and-her-dog road trip story "Wendy and Lucy" (see some insight from star/Spirit nominee Michelle Williams here) and Mickey Rourke's return to fighting form, "The Wrestler" (assessment of the latter from the trailers -- looks heartbreaking).

That's a lot of downer movies. Good thing the Spirit Awards are such an off-the-hook party.

From where we sit, there are some solid inclusions here, namely Rourke, Anne Hathaway and Sean Penn. Also, Tom McCarthy as a best director nominee for "The Visitor," along with Richard Jenkins and Haaz Sleiman (pictured, top) in the actor and supporting categories for that touching (and money-making!) tale of love, reawakening, friendship and music. We're still expecting that Oscar nod for Gold Rush Q&A victim Jenkins.

Full list of Spirit noms here.