The Signal

Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: Entertainment

You can feel it in the air, around two weeks after the golden globes: a feint static of anticipation begins to build from the deep gullet of the entertainment industry, ultra-chic, majorly priced Rodeo Dr. shops and designers come alive with activity, and every major entertainment site, channel, or publication is only talking about one thing - no, not Tiger Woods, it's Oscar season.

The 82nd Academy Awards air on March 7th at 5 pm PST, hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin; here are the nominations:

This year the category of best picture has been expanded from five nominations to ten. Doubling the nominations has opened the category up for films that would usually never get the shot. Two science fiction films and an animation are just a few of the examples of movies that, had it been the year before, would be getting the cold shoulder.

Best Picture:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District Nine
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglorious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Saphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

My theory with Avatar is that it's going to sweep pretty much every category it is nominated for, with the possible exception of Best Picture, although it does have a lot going for it: it won a Golden Globe for best drama about a month ago and does have a worldwide gross of about $2.5 billion according to Box Office Mojo , making it the highest grossing picture of all time (non-adjusted). Not that this should mean much, but I believe the last film to do that (Titanic, also by James Cameron) won eleven gold statues.

Yes, I saw the nine other movies in the category. Avatar ruled the box office for more than ten weeks for a reason. No one has seen a movie like this. The 3-D really made me rethink my whole stance on the technology, as far as if it's a gimmick or a soon-to-be essential (I still remain unconvinced however). The characters looked amazing and full of life. The story was pretty good and the message was clear. It's not the best movie I've ever seen but it accomplished something last year that no other film had really been able to do, and that was show me something new.

Other movies with buzz are: Precious, The Hurt Locker, and A Serious Man.

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

I have gotta go with Jeremy Renner. First off, he's a local favorite, and secondly, The Hurt Locker was just fantastic! Every time Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner) was approaching a hidden bomb or IED, time would slow, suspense would rise and I would be on the edge of my seat. I flinched with every sudden move and most of all, I believed it. Jeremy Renner's cool and carefree, but restrained, take on the character was just great and definitely his best role to date.

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