Nominated for nine Oscars each, "Avatar" and "Hurt Locker" will compete with "Up In The Air," "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," "An Education," "Inglourious Basterds," "The Blind Side," "District 9," "A Serious Man" and the animated feature, "Up."
By winning the most nominations, "Avatar" and "Hurt Locker" set up a duel that pits director James Cameron against ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow -- and the biggest blockbuster of all time against one of the lowest draws ever for a best-picture nominee.
Cameron, director of the $2 billion-plus "Avatar," and Bigelow, who helmed "Hurt Locker," also were both nominated for directing Oscars on Tuesday. The two were married from 1989 to 1991.
Nominated for best actor are Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart," George Clooney for "Up In The Air," Colin Firth for "A Single Man," Morgan Freeman for "Invictus" and Jeremy Renner for "Hurt Locker."
James Cameron Talks 'Avatar' Technology
Director James Cameron speaks to Speakeasy's Michelle Kung about his new movie "Avatar," which was 15 years in the making -- and he explains the technology behind the film. (Film clips courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.)Best-actress nominees are Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side," Helen Mirren for "The Last Station," Carey Mulligan for "An Education," Gabourey Sidibe for "Precious" and veteran Meryl Streep for "Julie and Julia." This is Streep's 16th nomination, besting her own record for actors.
In an effort to boost sagging ratings for the Oscar telecast, the Academy decided to double its selection of best-picture nominees, reverting to a practice not seen since "Casablanca" beat out nine other contenders at the 1944 ceremony.
The academy absorbed considerable criticism for failing to nominate a popular film last year -- "The Dark Knight," an installment in the "Batman" series -- despite its having won critical acclaim. The film is third on the all-time domestic box-office list at $533 million in receipts.
Academy members have been reluctant to nominate comic-book creations in the past, but it was felt that had "Dark Knight" been nominated, it would have drawn a bigger television audience for the awards ceremony, broadcast on Walt Disney Co.'s /quotes/comstock/13*!dis/quotes/nls/dis (DIS 29.52, -.00, -.00%) ABC network. By expanding the list, the academy reasoned, members wouldn't be so reluctant to put films like "Dark Knight" in the finals.
This year, though, the real fight may be between "Avatar" and "Hurt Locker." The two have captured most of the major awards to date, now are set up for a final awards showdown in Hollywood on March 7, when the Oscar ceremony is scheduled to take place. If it wins, "Avatar" would be the highest-grossing film to win best picture, while "Hurt Locker" would be the lowest.
Along with best picture and best director, "Avatar" -- a science-fiction fantasy set in the distant future when humans try to take over a distant, lush planet in order to mine a precious mineral -- was nominated for art direction, cinematography, editing, original score, sound editing, sound mixing and visual effects.
Made for a reported $237 million, the film became the biggest blockbuster of all time last week, and now has become the first to rake in more than $2 billion in worldwide receipts. It quickly outdistanced Cameron's last feature effort, 1997's "Titanic," which made $1.84 billion in its day.
