The 82nd annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 7, 2010. The award show will air in the U.S. on ABC, beginning at 8 pm. More than 80 other countries plan to broadcast the show. The evening offers several changes from past Oscar ceremonies. From the use of co-hosts, to a doubling of the number of films nominated for Best Picture, to the final Barbara Walters Pre-Oscar special, this year promises to offer viewers an exciting show.
Best Picture Nominations
The film Casabanca holds the distinction of being the last film to win among a pool of 10 films nominated for Best Film of the Year. That was in 1943. Since then, only five films have been permitted in the Best Picture category. This year, the decision has been made to go back to allowing ten nominees to give voters a larger selection.
The 2010 Nominees for Best Picture are:
- Avatar, a James Cameron sci-fi thriller that has grossed more than any other movie, beating out Titanic, which previously held this distinction.
- The Blind Side, starring Sandra Bullock, follows the true story of Michael Oher and how he came to be a member of the Baltimore Ravens.
- District 9, another sci-fi thriller. This film features a world in which non-humans are held in a restricted area, called District 9, in South Africa.
- An Education, a dramatic film that takes place in London in 1961 and follows the romance of a young woman and an older, more sophisticated man.
- The Hurt Locker, which shows the current conflict in the Middle East through the eyes of the soldiers who are there.
- Inglorious Bastards, which follows the escape to Switzerland of five soldiers facing court-martial in France in World War II.
- Precious, based on the book Push, by Sapphire, follows the life of 16-year old girl from Harlem. Despite years of abuse, Precious never gives up hope that there are better possibilities for her life.
- A Serious Man, a dark comedy featuring a middle-aged college professor whose life begins to unravel when his wife announces she is leaving him for another man, his unemployed brother moves in, and both his children offer up their own unique delinquent behavior.
- Up, the animated film released by Disney and produced by Pixar. The movie follows the adventures of a septuagenarian and a young boy when the house they are in floats up and off to South America.
- Up in the Air, which follows the jet-setting life of a corporate down-sizing executive as he goes around the country firing people.
Co-Hosts for the 2010 Oscars
Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will co-host the Academy Awards this year. This will be Martin's third stint as host, previously heading the 73rd and 75th Oscar Award shows. This is Baldwin's first time hosting the show. The last Academy Awards to feature multiple hosts was in 1987, when Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan shared duties. Organizers hope the duo of Martin and Baldwin will increase ratings and make the show "more fun".
The Pre-Show: Barbara Walters' Annual Oscar Special
For the past 28 years, The Barbara Walters Special has aired just before the Oscars ceremony on the East coast (7 pm), and immediately following the ceremony on the West coast. This year will reportedly be Walters last. Clips from past special Barbara Walters Specials will be part of her final show, which will also include interviews with Sandra Bullock and Mo'Nique.
Organizers of the 2010 Academy Award show hope these changes will be positives ones for the industry and for television viewers. For more inside stories about the Oscars, take a look at the Oscar website.
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