[Ed. Note: Check out Joe Bardi's Oscar post here.]
The nominations were announced this morning, and it's officially a horse race: Nine nominations each for Avatar and The Hurt Locker; eight for Inglourious Basterds; and five each for Precious and Up in the Air. Nominations in top categories listed below, including all ten, count 'em ten, Best Picture nominees.
Best Picture nominees: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air
Best supporting actress: Penelope Cruz (Nine); Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air); Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart); Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air); Mo'Nique (Precious)
Best supporting actor: Matt Damon (Invictus); Woody Harrelson (The Messenger); Christopher Plummer (The Last Station); Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones); Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Best actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side); Helen Mirren (The Last Station); Carey Mulligan (An Education); Gabourey Sidibe (Precious); Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
Best actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart); George Clooney (Up in the Air); Colin Firth (A Single Man); Morgan Freeman (Invictus); Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)
Best director: James Cameron (Avatar); Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker); Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds); Lee Daniels (Precious); Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)
For complete list, head to oscars.org.
This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 2, 2010.