This year’s 82nd Annual Academy Awards saw a number of history making first events. Most noticeably, the first woman won best director, Kathryn Bigelow, and Geoffrey Fletcher was named the first African-American to win best screenwriting. Though many are shocked, and some even appalled, that it took 82 years for a woman and an African American to win these awards, the wins are historical none-the-less. The 2010 Oscars also featured a number of first time nominees who won; the most surprising of these was Sandra Bullock.

Slideshow: Red Carpet arrivals at the Oscars (photos 82nd Academy Awards, video)

Slideshow: Oscars 2010 Academy Award winners in pictures (photos, videos)

Sandra Bullock has been one of Hollywood’s leading ladies for several decades, and though she has won the heart of America, she had yet to see her efforts as gloriously rewarded as she did Oscar night. When Sandra Bullock appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show, March 7, 2010, she said that she had turned down the role as Leigh Anne Tuohy for eight months prior to accepting what would be the greatest performance of her career. While on the show, Sandra spoke about her career, getting an Oscar, and the movies that brought her to this point.

©A.M.P.A.S.

She said, “As I’ve been telling everyone, look at my career up to this moment. Nothing in my career has said, ‘She is going to get an Oscar one day.’ I had the pleasure of doing great, small films that I loved so much. I loved the work, but if no one goes to see them, they’re your own private, personal joys.”

There is no doubt that Sandra Bullock has brought joy to many with her film career.

Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to be named Best Director for The Hurt Locker. The film also won the award for Best picture of the year. It seems nearly unbelievable that it took 82 years for a woman to finally win the award, however, it is a great achievement and one recognized by viewers nationwide. Amazingly, Kathryn Bigelow was up against her ex-husband, James Cameron for Avatar.

Slideshow: Red Carpet arrivals at the Oscars (photos 82nd Academy Awards, video)

Slideshow: Oscars 2010 Academy Award winners in pictures (photos, videos)

Kathryn Bigelow spoke about the win with E-Entertainment following the Oscars, you may view footage of that video clip in the player below. During Kathryn’s acceptance speech she said that there was no other way to describe the win but that it was the ‘moment of a lifetime.

She stated, “First of all, this is so extraordinary to be in the company of such powerful, my fellow nominees, such powerful filmmakers who have inspired me and I have admired for, some of whom, for decades. And thank you to every member of the Academy. This is, again, the moment of a lifetime.”

Kathryn thanked many people, including Mark Boal and in turn dedicated the win to those in the military. She said, “And I’d just like to dedicate this to the women and men in the military who risk their lives on a daily basis in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world. And may they come home safe. Thank you.”

Richard Harbaugh / ©A.M.P.A.S.

After the Awards, Kathryn spoke with Showbiz Tonight and shared her views on making history. Kathryn said, “`I’d love to just think of myself as a filmmaker and I long for the day when the modifier can be a moot point. But I`m ever grateful if I can inspire some young intrepid, tenacious male or female filmmaker and have them feel that the impossible is possible.

The 82nd Academy Awards (Oscars) are right around the corner and preparations are being made. A large statue of Oscar was seen wrapped securely in plastic until its unveiling and the red carpet is being unrolled. A new announcement by the Academy has revealed that six Oscar nominees will serve as presenters during the show.

(Photos slideshow of Oscar Nominations 2010 Nominees)

Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)

The nominees who will present include Jeff Bridges, Sandra

Bullock, Matt Damon, Quentin Tarantino, Carey Mulligan,

and Anna Kendrick.

Sandra Bullock, Carey Mulligan, and Anna Kendrick make their Academy Award debut with first time nominations. Sandra Bullock and Carey Mulligan have been nominated for best actress for their performances in ‘The Blind Side’ and ‘An Education.’ Anna Kendrick makes her debut with her first nomination for best supporting actress for her work in ‘Up in the Air.’

Matt Damon is a triple nominee and is already an Oscar winner for co-writing the screenplay to ‘Good Will Hunting’ with good friend Ben Affleck. Matt Damon has been nominated for best supporting actor for his work in the film ‘Invictus.’

Quentin Tarantino has two nominations this year for both writing and direction the film ‘Inglourious Basterds.’ He was previously dually nominated in 1994 for writing and directing ‘Pulp Fiction.’

Jeff Bridges has received his fifth Academy Award nomination for his work as lead actor in ‘Crazy Heart.’ Jeff Bridges was previously nominated for his films Starman, The Last Picture Show, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, and the Contender.

Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Oscar Nominations 2010 go interactive

In a new trend, the 2010 Grammy Awards and Academy Awards (Oscars) have gone interactive and incorporated social media networking with their ceremonies. The Grammy Awards 2010 aired on Sunday, January 31, 2010. The show was streamed live over the Internet and included YouTube videos of backstage footage and interviews, as well as Red Carpet photos. This year’s Academy Awards is no different.

(Photos slideshow of Oscar Nominations 2010 Nominees)

The Oscar nominations were announced on February 2, 2010 and those who would like a chance to vote can play along with the site. Fans can predict their favorite Oscar winners, and share their picks with their friends and family members. The Oscar website will allow players to change their votes until time of the live Awards show: March 7, 2010 8:00 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. CT.

For those who really enjoy a challenge, players can engage in Oscar Trivia to test their Academy Awards knowledge. The game is not only interactive, but scores can be posted on a leaderboard and compared. More trivia, games, and quizzes will be revealed during the live show, letting players enjoy the fun and play alongside the live presentation.

Users can also download a printable ballot for casting their own votes offline as well.

It is unclear at this time whether the Oscars will stream live from the website on March 7, 2010.

Click here for more information regarding the Oscars’ Play Along interactive game.

Prime Writer News Network Topic: Grammy Awards

Prime Writer News Network Topic:Oscar, Academy Awards

Oscar Nominations 2010: The Hurt Locker, Avatar, and Inglourious Basterds Lead (photos, videos)

Oscar Nominations 2010: Full List of Nominees

Oscar Nominations to be announced Feb. 2, 2010

Oscar nominations 2010 update: Avatar, The Hurt Locker, and Inglourious Basterds lead (photos, videos)

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced the Oscar nominations for 2010 this morning and several pictures hold a substantial lead over the competition. Avatar and The Hurt Locker tie with a whopping nine nominations each. Avatar is distributed by 20th Century Fox and The Hurt Locker is distributed by Summit Entertainment.

(Photos slideshow of Oscar Nominations 2010 Nominees)

Avatar has been nominated in the following categories: Art direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, and for Visual effects.

The Hurt Locker has been nominated in the following nine categories including best actor: Jeremy Renner – Best Performance by an actor in a leading role, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Original score, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, and Best Original screenplay.

Following directly behind Avatar and The Hurt Locker is Inglourious Basterds which is distributed by The Weinstein Company and has 8 nominations in the following categories, including best supporting actor: Christoph Waltz –Best Performance by an actor in a supporting role, Cinematography, Directing, Film editing, Best picture, Sound editing, Sound mixing, and Best Original screenplay.

It should come as no surprise that all three top films find their directors up for Oscar nominations. James Cameron has been nominated for Avatar, Kathryn Bigelow has been nominated for The Hurt Locker, and Quentin Tarantino has been nominated for Inglourious Basterds. The category of Best Directing in a motion picture movie is rounded out with Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire and Jason Reitman for Up in the Air.

Prime Writer News Network Topic:Oscar, Academy Awards

Oscar Nominations 2010: The Hurt Locker, Avatar, and Inglourious Basterds Lead (photos, videos)

Oscar Nominations 2010: Full List of Nominees

Oscar Nominations to be announced Feb. 2, 2010

Oscar nominations 2010 full list of nominees (video, photos)

Anne Hathaway announced the Oscar nominations for 2010 this morning; the announcement was aired live on the “Today” show.  You may see the full video of the Oscars announcement as well as see the full list of nominees below.  The 82nd Oscar Awards (Academy Awards) will air live on March 7, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time and 5:00 p.m. Central time.  The program will air on ABC.

(Photos slideshow of Oscar Nominations 2010 Nominees)

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
• George Clooney in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Colin Firth in “A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company)
• Morgan Freeman in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
• Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Matt Damon in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)
• Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
• Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones” (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)
• Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.)
• Helen Mirren in “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Carey Mulligan in “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)
• Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Penélope Cruz in “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)
• Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)
• Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

Best animated feature film of the year

• “Coraline” (Focus Features)

  Henry Selick

• “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox)

  Wes Anderson

• “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney)

  John Musker and Ron Clements

• “The Secret of Kells” (GKIDS)

  Tomm Moore

• “Up” (Walt Disney)

  Pete Docter

Achievement in art direction

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

  Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair

• “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics)

  Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro Set Decoration: Caroline Smith

• “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)

  Art Direction: John Myhre Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

• “Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.)

  Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

• “The Young Victoria” (Apparition)

  Art Direction: Patrice Vermette Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Achievement in cinematography

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

  Mauro Fiore

• “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (Warner Bros.)

  Bruno Delbonnel

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

  Barry Ackroyd

• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

  Robert Richardson

• “The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics)

  Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design

• “Bright Star” (Apparition)

  Janet Patterson

• “Coco before Chanel” (Sony Pictures Classics)

  Catherine Leterrier

• “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (Sony Pictures Classics)

  Monique Prudhomme

• “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)

  Colleen Atwood

• “The Young Victoria” (Apparition)

  Sandy Powell

Achievement in directing

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

  James Cameron

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

  Kathryn Bigelow

• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

  Quentin Tarantino

• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

  Lee Daniels

• “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

  Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature

• “Burma VJ” (Oscilloscope Laboratories) A Magic Hour Films Production

  Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller

• “The Cove” (Roadside Attractions) An Oceanic Preservation Society Production

  Nominees to be determined

• “Food, Inc.” (Magnolia Pictures) A Robert Kenner Films Production

  Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein

• “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” A Kovno Communications Production

  Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith

• “Which Way Home” A Mr. Mudd Production

  Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject

• “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” A Downtown Community Television Center Production

  Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill

• “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” A Just Media Production

  Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher

• “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” A Community Media Production

  Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

• “Music by Prudence” An iThemba Production

  Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

• “Rabbit à la Berlin” (Deckert Distribution) An MS Films Production

  Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

  Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron

• “District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing)

  Julian Clarke

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

  Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

  Sally Menke

• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

  Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year

• “Ajami”(Kino International) An Inosan Production

  Israel

• “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haddock Films Production

  Argentina

• “The Milk of Sorrow” A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production

  Peru

• “Un Prophète” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production

  France

• “The White Ribbon” (Sony Pictures Classics) An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production

  Germany

Achievement in makeup

• “Il Divo” (MPI Media Group through Music Box)

  Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano

• “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment)

  Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

• “The Young Victoria” (Apparition)

  Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

  James Horner

• “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (20th Century Fox)

  Alexandre Desplat

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

  Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders

• “Sherlock Holmes” (Warner Bros.)

  Hans Zimmer

• “Up” (Walt Disney)

  Michael Giacchino

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney)

  Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

• “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” (Walt Disney)

  Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

• “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36″ (Sony Pictures Classics)

  Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas

• “Take It All” from “Nine” (The Weinstein Company)

  Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston

• “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)

  Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best motion picture of the year

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox) A Lightstorm Entertainment Production

  James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers

• “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.) An Alcon Entertainment Production

  Nominees to be determined

• “District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing) A Block/Hanson Production

  Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers

• “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production

  Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) A Voltage Pictures Production

  Nominees to be determined

• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production

  Lawrence Bender, Producer

• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production

  Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers

• “A Serious Man” (Focus Features) A Working Title Films Production

  Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers

• “Up” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Production

  Jonas Rivera, Producer

• “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) A Montecito Picture Company Production

  Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Best animated short film

• “French Roast” A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production

  Fabrice O. Joubert

• “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” (Brown Bag Films) A Brown Bag Films Production

  Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell

• “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production

  Javier Recio Gracia

• “Logorama” (Autour de Minuit) An Autour de Minuit Production

  Nicolas Schmerkin

• “A Matter of Loaf and Death” (Aardman Animations) An Aardman Animations Production

  Nick Park

Best live action short film

• “The Door” (Network Ireland Television) An Octagon Films Production

  Juanita Wilson and James Flynn

• “Instead of Abracadabra” (The Swedish Film Institute) A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production

  Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström

• “Kavi” A Gregg Helvey Production

  Gregg Helvey

• “Miracle Fish” (Premium Films) A Druid Films Production

  Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey

• “The New Tenants” A Park Pictures and M & M Production

  Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Achievement in sound editing

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

  Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

  Paul N.J. Ottosson

• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

  Wylie Stateman

• “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment)

  Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin

• “Up” (Walt Disney)

  Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

  Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

  Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett

• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

  Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano

• “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment)

  Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin

• “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount)

  Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects

• “Avatar” (20th Century Fox)

  Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones

• “District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing)

  Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken

• “Star Trek” (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment)

  Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay

• “District 9″ (Sony Pictures Releasing)

  Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell

• “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics)

  Screenplay by Nick Hornby

• “In the Loop” (IFC Films)

  Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche

• “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate)

  Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher

• “Up in the Air” (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

  Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Original screenplay

• “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

  Written by Mark Boal

• “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company)

  Written by Quentin Tarantino

• “The Messenger” (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

  Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman

• “A Serious Man” (Focus Features)

  Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

• “Up” (Walt Disney)

  Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

Prime Writer News Network Topic:Oscar, Academy Awards

Grammy Awards, Academy Awards, Oscar Nominations 2010 go interactive

Oscar Nominations 2010: The Hurt Locker, Avatar, and Inglourious Basterds Lead (photos, videos)

Oscar Nominations 2010: Full List of Nominees

Oscar Nominations to be announced Feb. 2, 2010