BEST PICTURE

AVATAR
THE BLIND SIDE
DISTRICT 9
AN EDUCATION
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
A SERIOUS MAN
UP
UP IN THE AIR

BEST DIRECTOR

Avatar - JAMES CAMERON
The Hurt Locker - KATHERYN BIGELOW
Inglorious Basterds - QUENTIN TARANTINO
Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire - LEE DANIELS
Up In The Air - Jason Reitman

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

JEFF BRIDGES - Crazy Heart
GEORGE CLOONEY - Up In The Air
COLIN FIRTH - A Single Man
MORGAN FREEMAN - Invictus
JEREMY RENNER - The Hurt Locker


BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

MATT DAMON - Invictus
WOODY HARRELSON - The Messenger
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - The Last Station
STANLEY TUCCI - The Lovely Bones
CHRISTOPH WALTZ - Inglorious Basterds


BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

SANDRA BULLOCK - The Blind Side
HELEN MIRREN - The Last Station
CAREY MULLIGAN - An Education
GABOUREY SIDIBE - Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire
MERYL STREEP - Julie and Julia


BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

PENELOPE CRUZ - Nine
VERA FARMIGA - Up In The Air
MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL - Crazy Heart
ANNA KENDRICK - Up In The Air
MO'NIQUE - Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

CORALINE - Henry Selick
THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX - Wes Anderson
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG - John Musker and Ron Clements
THE SECRET OF KELLS - Tomm Moore
UP - Pete Docter


So there ya go. The major ones. Surprises include (pleasantly) District 9 for Best Picture and the amount of nominations for Inglorious Basterds, the most over-hyped film of last year. The only other film to come close in the hype stakes was The Hurt Locker. It certainly wasn't everything the critics made it out to be.

Also, a special congratulations goes to Nicky Phelan, my class-mate from college on his nomination for best Animated Short, Granny O'Grimm' Sleeping Beauty. I sincerely hope it steals the show!