Grab your popcorn and watch the Oscars this Sunday

Photo by Bob D'Amico/ABC
Steve Martin (right) and Alec Baldwin (left) will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

by Gina Rullo, Gazette Staff Writer

Hollywood’s biggest night is this Sunday. It’s time to roll out the red carpet and watch as today’s celebrities don the latest in evening attire for the Oscars.
The 82nd Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by ABC (Channel 6) beginning at 8 p.m. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the awards show.
“We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars,” Oscar telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman said. “Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past, and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event.”
“I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” said Martin.
“I don’t play the banjo, but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Baldwin.
Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint. He is currently touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album “The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo.”
Baldwin was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003 for his supporting role in The Cooler. That year also marked his most recent appearance as a presenter on the show. Baldwin currently stars as Jack Donaghy on the comedy “30 Rock,” a role for which he has won two Emmys (in 2008 and 2009).
Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards were announced on February 2 by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and 2008 Oscar nominee Anne Hathaway.
The nominations include (names in bold are writer’s pick for the winner):
Actor in a Leading Role
• Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
• George Clooney in Up in the Air
• Colin Firth in A Single Man
• Morgan Freeman in Invictus
• Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker
Actor in a Supporting Role
• Matt Damon in Invictus
• Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
• Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
• Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
• Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
Actress in a Leading Role
• Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
• Helen Mirren in The Last Station
• Carey Mulligan in An Education
• Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
• Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia
Actress in a Supporting Role
• Penélope Cruz in Nine
• Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
• Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
• Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
• Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Animated Feature Film
• Coraline Henry Selick
• Fantastic Mr. Fox Wes Anderson
• The Princess and the Frog John Musker and Ron Clements
• The Secret of Kells Tomm Moore
• Up Pete Docter
Art Direction
• Avatar Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
• Nine Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
• Sherlock Holmes Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
• The Young Victoria Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
Cinematography
• Avatar Mauro Fiore
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Bruno Delbonnel
• The Hurt Locker Barry Ackroyd
• Inglourious Basterds Robert Richardson
• The White Ribbon Christian Berger
Costume Design
• Bright Star Janet Patterson
• Coco before Chanel Catherine Leterrier
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Monique Prudhomme
• Nine Colleen Atwood
• The Young Victoria Sandy Powell
Directing
• Avatar James Cameron
• The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow
• Inglourious Basterds Quentin Tarantino
• Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Lee Daniels
• Up in the Air Jason Reitman
Music (Original Score)
• Avatar James Horner
• Fantastic Mr. Fox Alexandre Desplat
• The Hurt Locker Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
• Sherlock Holmes Hans Zimmer
• Up Michael Giacchino
Music (Original Song)
• “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog. Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
• “Down in New Orleans” from The Princess and the Frog. Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
• “Loin de Paname” from Paris 36. Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyrics by Frank Thomas
• “Take It All” from Nine. Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston
• “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from Crazy Heart. Music and Lyrics by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Best Picture
• Avatar James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
• The Blind Side Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Producers
• District 9 Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
• An Education Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
• The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro, Producers
• Inglourious Basterds Lawrence Bender, Producer
• Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
• A Serious Man Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
• Up Jonas Rivera, Producer
• Up in the Air Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers
Writing (Original Screenplay)
• Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
• The Hurt Locker Written by Mark Boal
• Inglourious Basterds Written by Quentin Tarantino
• The Messenger Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
• A Serious Man Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• Up Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter. Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
• District 9 Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
• An Education Screenplay by Nick Hornby
• In the Loop Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
• Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
• Up in the Air Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart will present at the 82nd Academy Awards, telecast producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic announced on February 22. This will be Cyrus’ and Efron’s second appearance, and Lautner’s and Stewart’s debut on an Academy Awards telecast.
Cyrus, who is best known for her “Hannah Montana” series and concerts, lent her voice to 2008’s Oscar-nominated animated feature Bolt and starred in 2009’s Hannah Montana The Movie. Cyrus will be seen next in The Last Song with Greg Kinnear.
Efron is currently working on Charlie St. Cloud, scheduled to be released later this year. His other film credits include Hairspray, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, 17 Again and Me and Orson Welles.
Lautner can currently be seen in Valentine’s Day and recently completed work on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. He has several projects in development, including Northern Lights and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Lautner’s other film credits include The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, Cheaper by the Dozen 2, Twilight and The Twilight Saga: New Moon.
Stewart, who portrays Bella Swan in the Twilight film series, will be seen next in The Runaways and recently completed work on The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Her other film credits include Panic Room, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Into the Wild and Adventureland.