2010 Oscar Nominations

The stage is set for a David vs. blue Goliath battle at the Oscars, as independently made Iraq-war drama "The Hurt Locker" faces off with the most expensive movie of all time, "Avatar."

Both movies were nominated for nine Academy Awards, including best picture in a newly expanded field of 10, and best director.

Other best picture nominees include "Precious - Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire," "Inglourious Basterds," "Up in the Air," "The Blind Side," "District Nine," "An Education," "A Serious Man," and "Up."

In the top categories, "Up in the Air" scored the most nominations with six, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapated Screenplay, as well as Best Actor, for which George Clooney was nominated, and Best Supporting Actress nods for both Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. "Precious" was right behind it with five.

The other best supporting actress nominees included Penelope Cruz for "Nine," Mo'Nique for "Precious," and Maggie Gyllenhaal for "Crazy Heart," whose performance had been largely overlooked by early awards shows.

Best supporting actor nods went to Matt Damon, for "Invictus," Woody Harrelson, for "The Messenger," Christopher Plummer, for "The Last Station," Stanley Tucci for "The Lovely Bones," and Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds."

The best actor nods went to Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart," Clooney, Colin Firth for "A Single Man," Jeremy Renner for "The Hurt Locker," and Morgan Freeman for "Invictus."

In the best actress category, Meryl Streep was recognized for "Julie & Julia," along with Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" - a nod that drew audible cheers from the audience watching the announcements in Los Angeles - Gabourey Sidibe for "Precious," Helen Mirren for "The Last Station," and Carey Mulligan for "An Education."

Among the directors honored, ex-spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow will fight it out with their movies "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker," respectively, both considered the frontrunners. Over the weekend Bigelow won the Director's Guild Award for best director and best picture, considered a nearly surefire predictor of the directing Oscar.

Other directors in contention for the prize are Lee Daniels for "Precious," Jason Reitman for "Up in the Air," and Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds."

If Bigelow wins, she will be the first woman to score the Oscar for directing, and if Daniels wins for "Precious," he will be the first African-American to win that honor.

For best animated feature, the contenders are "Coraline," "Fantastic Mr. Fox," "The Princess and the Frog," "The Secret of Kells," and "Up," which was also among the 10 best picture nominees.
New York Daily News

Winners:
1. Best Picture The Hurt Locker
2. Best Director Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
3. Best Actor Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
4. Best Actress Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
5. Best Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
6. Best Supporting Actress MoNique Precious
7. Best Original Screenplay Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker)
8. Best Adapted Screenplay Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious
9. Best Animated Feature Up
10. Best Foreign Language Film El Secreto do Sus Ojos (Argentina)
11. Best Documentary Feature The Cove
12. Best Score Up
13. Best Original Song The Weary Kind (Crazy Heart) Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett
14. Best Film Editing The Hurt Locker
15. Best Cinematography Avatar
16. Best Costume Design The Young Victoria
17. Best Art Direction Avatar
18. Best Makeup Star Trek
19. Best Visual Effects Avatar
20. Best Documentary (Short Subject) Music by Prudence
21. Best Short Film (Animated) Logorama
22. Best Short Film (Live Action) The New Tenants
23. Best Sound Editing The Hurt Locker
24. Best Sound Mixing The Hurt Locker