Avatar, Hurt Locker Top Oscar Nominations

Avatar and The Hurt Locker lead the 82nd Academy Awards with nine nominations each.
The films join The Blind Side, Inglourious Basterds, District 9, An Education, Precious, A Serious Man, Up and Up in the Air in the expanded best picture race, which features 10 nominees for the first time in 66 years.

Oscars expands best picture race to 10 nominees

Avatar director James Cameron will face off against ex-wife and Hurt Locker helmer Kathryn Bigelow for directing honors. Bigelow, only the fourth woman to be nominated for best director, would be the first to win. Others in the director competition include Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), Lee Daniels (Precious) and Jason Reitman (Up in the Air). Daniels is the only second African-American director to be nominated. John Singleton was first, for Boyz N the Hood, nearly 20 years ago.Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award winners Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Mo'Nique (Precious) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) solidified their frontrunner statuses with nominations.

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Bullock will vie for best actress honors against Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) and Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia). Already the most nominated performer of all time, Streep earned her 16th nomination, but only has two wins.The 82nd Academy Awards, hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, airs March 7 at 8/7 on ABC.See the list of nominees below.

Picture:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Director:
James Cameron, Avatar  
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels, Precious  
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air   
Actor:
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air 
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Actress: Sandra Bullock, The Blind SideHelen Mirren, The Last Station
Carey Mulligan, An Education
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Meryl Streep, Julie & JuliaSupporting Actor:  
Matt Damon,Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger Christopher Plummer, The Last StationStanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones Christoph Waltz, Inglourious BasterdsSupporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, NineVera Farmiga, Up in the AirMaggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy HeartAnna Kendrick, Up in the AirMo'Nique, PreciousOriginal Screenplay:
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious BasterdsThe Messenger
A Serious Man
UpAdapted Screenplay:District 9An Education
In the Loop
Precious
Up in the Air
Animated Feature:
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
UpForeign Language Film: Ajami, IsraelEl Secreto de Sus Ojos, Argentina The Milk of Sorrow, PeruA Prophet, France The White Ribbon, Germany