2010 Oscar Nominations

The 2010 Oscar Nominations were announced this morning, and if you've been following the other awards shows this year, there were no surprises. The winners are pretty much a foregone conclusion as well. The nominees are:

Best Supporting Actress-

Penelope Cruz, "Nine"

Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"

Maggie Gyllenhaal, "Crazy Heart"

Mo'Nique, "Precious"

Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air".

Mo'Nique will win.

Best Supporting Actor-

Christoph Waltz, "Inglorious Basterds"

Matt Damon, "Invictus"

Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"

Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"

Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"

Christoph Waltz will win.

Best Actress-

Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"

Meryl Streep, "Julie and Julia"

Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"

Carey Mulligan, "An Education"

Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"

Sandra Bullock will win.

Best Actor-

Morgan Freeman, "Invictus"

Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"

George Clooney, "Up in the Air"

Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"

Colin Firth, "A Single Man"

Jeff Bridges will win.

Best Director-

James Cameron, "Avatar"

Katheryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"

Quentin Tarantino, "Inglorious Basterds"

Lee Daniels, "Precious"

Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"

James Cameron or Katheryn Bigelow will win.*

Best Picture-

"Avatar", "The Blind Side", "District 9", "An Education', "The Hurt Locker", Inglorious Basterds", "Precious", "A Serious Man", "Up", "Up in the Air"

"Avatar" or "The Hurt Locker" will win.

 

NOTES:
The acting categories are a lock, there won't be any surprises there; the only real race is in the Director and Best Picture categories. In both categories, it's a toss-up between "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker".

*Katheryn Bigelow recently won the Directors Guild Award, which is almost always a precursor to an Oscar win, so we're betting on her. And besides, the Oscar members are human after all, and trust us, no one wants to witness another awkward, embarassing "I'm the king of the world!" moment from James Cameron.

Coincidentally, Cameron and Bigelow were once husband and wife.

Oddly enough, Sandra Bullock was also just nominated for a Razzie for Worst Actress of the Year for "All About Steve", making it possible that for the first time, the same person could win awards for Best and Worst Actor in the same year.

This is Morgan Freeman's fifth Oscar nomination, (he won in 2005 for "Million Dollar Baby"), it's Helen Mirren's fourth nom, (she won in 2007 for "The Queen"), it's Jeff Bridges' fifth time out, (he's never won), but they all pale in comparison to the nomination queen, Meryl Streep. This year marks Meryl's 16th nomination! She's won twice, in 1980 for "Kramer vs. Kramer" and in 1983 for "Sophie's Choice".

Jeff Bridges' nominations span the longest period of time, Jeff was first nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1972 for "The Last Picture Show". He was 22 when he was first nominated, and now he's 60. Now that's a career... and a testament to the power of hanging in there and never giving up!

And speaking of hanging in there, 80 year-old Christopher Plummer made his first movie in 1958. And this is his first-ever Oscar nomination. Good for you, Christopher Plummer!