The 82nd annual Academy Awards were held on Sunday celebrating achievement in film. Hosted this year by comedian Steve Martin and actor Alec Baldwin, the event awarded the covetable Oscar statuettes to people, poked fun at everyone, and paid tribute to those who had passed.
Avatar did not rack up as many awards as James Cameron might have hoped, though it did receive nods for Art Direction, Cinematography and Visual Effects. Precious, based on the novel Push by Sapphire, was a small movie that made it big, with Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), and Mo'Nique winning Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Christoph Waltz from Inglourious Basterds picked up the Best Actor in a Supporting Role prize, Up was the Best Animated Feature Film, and The Cove took Best Documentary Feature. Jeff Bridges from Crazy Heart won Best Actor in a Leading Role, with Sandra Bullock from The Blind Side picking up the female counterpart. The Hurt Locker came away from the night with the awards, winning Best Picture, Best Directing (Kathryn Bigelow, first female director to win), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Writing (Original Screenplay).
