Academy Award Nominations Announced

The nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning -- with Avatar and The Hurt Locker leading the pack with nine each. The full list of nominees can be found on the official Oscars site here.

Not a lot of surprises this year -- the biggest one being The Blind Side earning a Best Picture nod. Movie-goers loved it, but the critics did not. The film is definitely riding the wave of nominee Sandra Bullock's recent success at other award ceremonies. I think the biggest snubs include Julianne Moore losing out for her terrific supporting role in A Single Man -- her slot went to the well-deserved Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart. In fairness, Moore's screen time was brief. Also, (500) Days of Summer was one of my favorite films of 2009 -- and there was talk that it could receive a Best Original Screenplay or Best Picture nod. Sadly, it was shut out.

Every year, I make it a goal to see all Best Picture nominations and as many of the nommed performances as possible. Of course, the Academy had to make it a bit tougher this year by upping the total number of Best Picture nominations from five to ten. Luckily, I've managed to see most of them already. Here is where I stand:

• Best Picture nominations: 7 out of 10 seen
• Acting nominations: 14 out of 20 seen

Combining the missing links from the Best Picture and acting categories, I only need to see five more films to complete my mission. With four-and-a-half weeks to go til Oscar night, I should be able to achieve this goal and issue my predictions with some validity! Stay tuned!


Notes:

• The Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 7. The ABC telecast begins at 8pm ET -- with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin serving as co-hosts.
• Take the poll at upper left -- which film most deserves the Best Picture Oscar?
• Click on the Film Reviews icon at left to read my reviews of the movies being honored.
  
• Coming soon -- in the spirit of the Oscars, look out for a NEW EntertainmentBlogger contest celebrating the great year in movies.