Earlier today the 82nd Annual Academy Awards nominations were announced.  As expected, Avatar and The Hurt Locker lead the pack with 9 nominations each.  Maybe not as expected, but certainly deserved, Inglourious Basterds is next in line with 8 nominations.  Elsewhere Precious and Up in the Air scored six noms each and Up had five.  District 9, Nine, and Star Trek each had four.

Now that the Best Picture category has expanded to ten it was assumed that some smaller films, or at least surprises, would find their way on to the list.  Included in that discussion this year were Best Picture nods for District 9 and The Blind Side.  District 9 was one of my favorite movies this year so I am excited to see it on the list.

There is plenty of time to dissect and analyze the nominations, (and we will).  Until then, click through for the nominations:

Best Picture:
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Directing:
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Lee Daniels - Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

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

Actress in a Leading Role:
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side
Helen Mirren - The Last Station
Carey Mulligan - An Education
Gabourey Sidibe - Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

Actor in a Supporting Role:
Matt Damon - Invictus
Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

Actress in a Supporting Role:
Penelope Cruz - Nine
Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
Mo’Nique - Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire

Adapted Screenplay:
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell - District 9
Nick Hornby - An Education
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci and Tony Roche - In the Loop
Geoffrey Fletcher - Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air

Original Screenplay:
Mark Boal - The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds
Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon - The Messenger
Joel and Ethan Coen - A Serious Man
Pete Docter and Bob Peterson - Up

Foreign Language Film:
Ajami - Israel
El Secreto de sus Ojos - Argentina
The Milk of Sorrow - Peru
Une Prophéte - France
The White Ribbon - Germany

Animated Feature Film:
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of the Kells
Up

For a complete list of the nominations, visit Oscar.com. Watch the 82nd Academy Awards live on Sunday, March 7, 2010 at 8ET/5PT.

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Sound off: What do you think of the nominations?