Statuettes, stars and speeches

Before most students were out of bed on Wednesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was busy announcing the nominees for the 82nd Academy Awards.
Actress Anne Hathaway and Academy President Tom Sherak announced the nominees in 10 of the 24 categories at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday from a press conference in Beverly Hills.
For the first time since 1943, a field of 10 films will vie for the award for Best Motion Picture. The nominees represent a diverse array of cinematic work ranging from the science fiction blockbusters "Avatar" and "District 9" to dramas "Precious," "The Blind Side" and "A Serious Man."
 

Also up for the award are "An Education," "The Hurt Locker," "Inglourious Basterds" and "Up in the Air." Disney and Pixar's "Up" is also in contention for Best Picture this year.
The Best Picture race will be competitive to say the least, with five of the films receiving nominations for Best Director and "Up" nominated for Best Animated Film.
 

The Best Actress race offers a couple of familiar faces along with a couple new ones. Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep provided dominant performances in "The Blind Side" and "Julie and Julia" respectively, however "An Education" star Carey Mulligan has been receiving a significant amount of critical attention. Furthermore, newcomer Gabourey Sidibe of "Precious" and Helen Mirren of "The Last Station" will be challengers for the Oscar for Best Actress.
 

Expect the Best Actor race to be equally competitive. Heavy-hitters George Clooney, Morgan Freeman and Jeff Bridges are frontrunners for the statuette. Their performances in "Up in the Air," "Invictus," and "Crazy Heart" have all been well received critically. However, Colin Firth and Jeremy Renner should not be counted out of the race just yet.
 

The Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor categories are filled with outstanding performances. Notably, Mo'Nique, in a surprisingly effective dramatic turn, grabbed a nod for Best Supporting Actress. Matt Damon, Woody Harrelson and Christoph Waltz provided impressive turns that earned them nominations for Best Supporting Actor.
Obviously, a film is only as good as its directing. So with such an impressive field for Best Picture, it isn't a surprise the Best Director competition is just as fierce. "Avatar" director James Cameron will face off against, among others, his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, director of "The Hurt Locker." Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," Jason Reitman's "Up in the Air," and Lee Daniels' "Precious" round out the field for Best Director.
 

The Academy Awards will air at 7 p.m., March 7, on ABC.