According to Daily BullSheet:
It’ll be David vs. Goliath at the Academy Awards. The small indie The Hurt Locker and the super big budget Avatar lead the list of this year’s nominees, each receiving nine, including Best Picture. To make the battle more interesting, the directors of both films, Kathryn Bigelow (Locker) and James Cameron (Avatar), were once married and will go head-to-head for Best Director. Inglourious Basterds followed close behind the leaders with eight nominations, with Precious and Up in the Air each getting six. Yesterday’s announcement didn’t have too many surprises, with the exception of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Best Supporting Actress nod for Crazy Heart. Most critics thought that spot would go to Julianne Moore for A Single Man. With ten Best Picture nominees, the actioner District 9 got a surprising nod, as did The Blind Side, although The Hangover, which many thought might sneak into the category, was left off. In fact, The Hangover was snubbed completely, receiving no nominations at all. Other interesting Oscar tidbits: Precious director Lee Daniels is only the second African American to be nominated for Best Director. The first was John Singleton for 1991’s Boyz in the Hood. Kathryn Bigelow is only the fourth female to receive a Best Director nod. Up is the first animated feature since 1991’s Beauty and the Beast to receive a Best Picture nod, and it is also the first animated film, since the creation of the Best Animated Feature category, to receive a nomination for both Best Picture and Best Animated Feature. Meryl Streep’s Best Actress nomination is her 16th Oscar nod, with two wins under her belt. The 82nd Annual Academy Awards air March 7th on ABC. [Check our site for a complete list of nominees.]
