Oscar nominations: Big morning for ‘Avatar,’ ‘The Blind Side,’ ‘The Hurt Locker’

LOS ANGELES
— The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences got what it wanted
Tuesday morning: an eclectic mix of 10 best picture nominees, including
two science-fiction hits — “Avatar” and “District 9” — an animated film, “Up,” and two war films, “The Hurt Locker” and “Inglourious Basterds.”

Though it was no surprise that “Precious: Based on
the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” and “Up in the Air” earned best picture
nods, there were some unexpected choices, including “The Blind Side,”
“An Education” and “A Serious Man.”

The announcement marked the first time in 64 years
that there were 10 nominees in this marquee category, instead of the
traditional five.

The nominees for best director were as expected. They included: James Cameron for “Avatar,” Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker,” Lee Daniels for “Precious,” Quentin Tarantino for “Inglourious Basterds” and Jason Reitman for “Up in the Air.”

But two of the nominees were nonetheless noteworthy:
Bigelow, who won the Directors Guild of America Award over the weekend,
is only the fourth woman to earn a best director nod. Daniels is just
the second African-American filmmaker to earn that honor.

The nominations were revealed at 8:38 a.m. EST Tuesday at the academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, with last year’s lead actress nominee Anne Hathaway helping Oscar president Tom Sherak with the announcements.

The Oscars will be telecast live March 7 on ABC from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Besides increasing its nomination list for best picture, the academy also is featuring two hosts at the Oscar ceremony: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, who just starred together in “It’s Complicated.”

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