With nine nominations each, "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" led the pack as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opened up its best picture Oscar race to ten nominees for the first time since 1943. By Gregg Kilday
Nominated for best picture are: The blockbuster "Avatar," the morally uplifting "The Blind Side," the femme-centric coming-of-age-tale, "An Education," the Iraq-set "The Hurt Locker," the South African sci-fi tale "District 9" revisionist World War II tale "Inglourious Basterds," the dysfunctional family drama "Precious," modern-day Job story "A Serious Man," the animated "Up" and the high-flying look at a downsizing America, "Up in the Air."
With the unveiling of nominations for the 82nd annual Academy Awards on Tuesday morning, Meryl Streep earned her 16th Oscar nomination for whipping up a mean omelet in "Julie & Julia," while Sandra Bullock captured her first nom for playing a suburban mom who takes a homeless teen into her home in "Blind." Also nominated for best actress are Helen Mirren, who fights for control of her husband Leo Tolstoy's legacy in "The Last Station"; Carey Mulligan, who plays a British school girl eager to taste life in "An Education"; and Gabourey Sidibe, who is seen as an abused inner-city teen in "Precious."
Among the best actor contenders, Jeff Bridges received his fifth Oscar nom for "Crazy Heart," in which he plays an alcoholic country singer. He'll be competing against George Clooney, as a corporate road warrior in "Up in the Air"; Colin Firth, as a suicidal gay man in "A Single Man"; Morgan Freeman, stepping into the shoes of Nelson Mandela in "Invictus"; and Jeremy Renner, who goes about disposing bombs with an existential resignation in "Hurt."
Austria-born actor Christoph Waltz, who has been picking up just about every award in sight for his turn as a multilingual Nazi in "Basterds," was nominated in the best supporting actor category. He is surrounded by Matt Damon( "Invictus"), Woody Harrelson ("The Messenger"), Christopher Plummer ("Station") and Stanley Tucci ("The Lovely Bones").
Mo'Nique, who has also been much lauded for her performance as an abusive mother in "Precious," will be invited to the Kodak Theater for the Oscar ceremonies on March 7 since she was nominated as best supporting actress. That category also includes both Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick from "Up in the Air"; Penelope Cruz ("Nine") and Maggie Glyllenhaal ("Crazy Heart").
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Of the 10 best picture nominees, only five saw their directors go on to claim directing noms. They are Kathryn Bigelow ("Locker"), Cameron ("Avatar"), Lee Daniels ("Precious"), Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air"), and Quentin Tarantino ("Basterds").
BEST PICTURE
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
BEST DIRECTOR
James Cameron -- Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow -- The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino -- Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels -- Precious
Jason Reitman -- Up in the Air
BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges
George Clooney
Colin Firth
Morgan Freeman
Jeremy Renner
BEST ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock
Helen Mirren
Carey Muligan
Gaborey Sibide
Meryl Streep
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon
Woody Harrelson
Christopher Plummer
Stanley Tucci
Christoph Waltz
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz
Vera Farmiga
Maggie Gyllenhaa
Anna Kendrick
Mo'Nique
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Marc Boal -- The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino -- Inglourious Basterds
Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman -- The Messenger
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen -- A Serious Man
Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy -- Up
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell -- District 9
Nick Hornby -- An Education
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche -- In the Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher -- Precious
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner -- Up in the Air
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Coraline -- Henry Selick
Fantastic Mr Fox -- Wes Anderson
The Princess and the Frog -- John Musker and Ron Clements
The Secret of Kells -- Tomm Moore
Up -- Pete Docter
BEST ART DIRECTION
Avatar: Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
Nine: Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
Sherlock Holmes: Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Young Victoria: Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar: Mauro Fiore
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Bruno Delbonnel
The Hurt Locker: Barry Ackroyd
Inglourious Basterds: Robert Richardson
The White Ribbon: Christian Berger
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Bright Star -- Janet Patterson
Coco before Chanel -- Catherine Leterrier
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus -- Monique Prudhomme
Nine - Colleen Atwood
The Young Victoria
BEST DOCUMENTARY
"Burma VJ" Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
"The Cove" Nominees to be determined
"Food, Inc." Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers" Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
"Which Way Home" Rebecca Cammisa
BEST EDITING
"Avatar" Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
"District 9" Julian Clarke
"The Hurt Locker" Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
"Inglourious Basterds" Sally Menke
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Joe Klotz
BEST FOREIGN FILM
"Ajami" Israel
"El Secreto de Sus Ojos" Argentina
"The Milk of Sorrow" Peru
"Un Prophète" France
"The White Ribbon" Germany
BEST MAKEUP
"Il Divo" Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
"Star Trek" Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
"The Young Victoria" Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Avatar" James Horner
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" Alexandre Desplat
"The Hurt Locker" Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
"Sherlock Holmes" Hans Zimmer
"Up" Michael Giacchino
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
"Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
"Take It All" from "Nine" Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
"The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
BEST SOUND
"Avatar" Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
"The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson
"Inglourious Basterds" Wylie Stateman
"Star Trek" Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
"Up" Michael Silvers and Tom Myers
BEST SOUND EFFECTS EDITING
"Avatar" Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
"The Hurt Locker" Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
"Inglourious Basterds" Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
"Star Trek" Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"Avatar" Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
"District 9" Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
"Star Trek" Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton
