It's a Wonderful Time for Oscars...

It's nearly time for the 82nd Academy Awards presentation. Yay! So exciting. Actually, it's not that exciting this year. I'm not sure why. I think because I'm afraid that it's a forgone conclusion that Avatar will win the Best Picture trophy, and I really hope it doesn't. Now, don't get me wrong. It's a very good movie with great special effects and very well directed. That is why they have the Best Director and Best Special Effects categories. Avatar is visually stimulating, but as far as the story goes, it is severely lacking. I hope The Hurt Locker wins, but I wouldn't be upset if Precious wins.

Other choices

ACTOR LEADING
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

ACTOR SUPPORTING
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

LEADING ACTRESS
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”


FEATURE ANIMATED
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

ART DIRECTION
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

COSTUME DESIGN
Bright Star
Coco before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnasus
Nine
The Young Victoria

DIRECTING
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel
‘Push’ by Sapphire
Up in the Air

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food, Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Which Way Home

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
Music by Prudence
Rabbit à la Berlin

FILM EDITING
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Ajami
El Secreto de Sus Ojos
The Milk of Sorrow
Un Prophète
The White Ribbon

MAKE UP
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Avatar
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Hurt Locker
Sherlock Holmes
Up

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog”
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36”
“Take It All” from “Nine”
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart”

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
French Roast
Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty
The Lady and the Reaper
(La Dama y la Muerte)
Logorama

SHORT FILM (LIVE-ACTION)
A Matter of Loaf and Death
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants

SOUND EDITING
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

SOUND MIXING
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

VISUAL EFFECTS
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

SCREENPLAY (ADAPTED)
An Education
In the Loop
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Up in the Air

SCREENPLAY (ORIGINAL)
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Up

BEST PICTURE
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the
Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air