The 82nd Academy Awards will be held in March 7th,  2010.  The prestigious star studded event will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, where awards will be given out for outstanding film achievements of 2009. The names of the stars that are hosting the 82nd Academy Awards have already been announced.  Along with comedian Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, who recently declared his retirement from acting, will host the show.

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.”
Actor
Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”; George Clooney, “Up in the Air”; Colin Firth, “A Single Man”; Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”; Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker.”
Actress
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.”
Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, “Invictus”; Woody Harrelson, “The Messenger”; Christopher Plummer, “The Last Station”; Stanley Tucci, “The Lovely Bones”; Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds.”
Supporting Actress
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.”
Directing
James Cameron, “Avatar”; Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”; Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”; Lee Daniels, “Precious: Based on the Novel ’Push’ by Sapphire”; Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air.”
Foreign Language Film
“Ajami,” Israel; “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Argentina; “The Milk of Sorrow,” Peru; “Un Prophete,” France; “The White Ribbon,” Germany.
Adapted Screenplay
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, “District 9”; Nick Hornby, “An Education”; Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche, “In the Loop”; Geoffrey Fletcher, “Precious: Based on the Novel ’Push’ by Sapphire”; Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, “Up in the Air.”
Original Screenplay
Mark Boal, “The Hurt Locker”; Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”; Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman, “The Messenger”; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, “A Serious Man”; Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Tom McCarthy, “Up.”

See the rest of the list under the cut

Animated Feature Film
“Coraline”; “Fantastic Mr. Fox”; “The Princess and the Frog”; “The Secret of Kells”; “Up.”
Art Direction
“Avatar,” “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “Nine,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “The Young Victoria.”
Cinematography
“Avatar,” “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “The White Ribbon.”
Sound Mixing
“Avatar,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Star Trek,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.”
Sound Editing
“Avatar,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Star Trek,” “Up.”
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.
Original Song
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog,” Randy Newman; “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog,” Randy Newman; “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36,” Reinhardt Wagner and Frank Thomas; “Take It All” from “Nine,” Maury Yeston; “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart,” Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett.
Costume
“Bright Star,” “Coco Before Chanel,” “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “Nine,” “The Young Victoria.”
Documentary Feature
“Burma VJ,” “The Cove,” “Food, Inc.” “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” “Which Way Home.”
Documentary (short subject)
“China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province,” “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner,” “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant,” “Music by Prudence,” “Rabbit a la Berlin.” Film Editing
“Avatar,” “District 9,” “The Hurt Locker,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Precious: Based on the Novel ’Push’ by Sapphire.”
Makeup
“Il Divo,” “Star Trek,” “The Young Victoria.”
Animated Short Film
“French Roast,” “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty,” “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte),” “Logorama,” “A Matter of Loaf and Death.”
Live Action Short Film
“The Door,” “Instead of Abracadabra,” “Kavi,” “Miracle Fish,” “The New Tenants.”
Visual Effects
“Avatar,” “District 9,” “Star Trek.”

I like movies – and when I see them on the big screen of a cinema as opposed to at home I like them even more.   I really liked Inglourios Basterds – a really tight and moving story of a time and place of monumental importance in human history – brilliantly acted and written, directed and filmed!   What more can a movie offer?   Tarantino manages in one great film to explore and portray the effects of monstrous human behaviour on the victims, the collaborators, the valiant who fight against it, and even the perpetrators themselves.  T he movie is so great because in the fashion of Tarintino at his best – Pulp Fiction comes to mind – he weaves a coherent gripping tale and yet shows the world from each of the character’s eyes and hearts.   If Avatar wins best picture then we can truly and finally conclude that at least in Hollywood success has formally replaced virtue as the gold standard.

Finally it is about time!  After an investigation of nearly seven months TMZ is reporting that the police are ready to charge Dr. Conrad Murray with the death of Michael Jackson.  Dr. Murray could be charged as soon as next week.

Dr. Murray hired Hollywood lawyer J. Michael Flanagan earlier this month in expectation he would be charged with involuntary manslaughter, for administering the sedative propofol to Jackson.   Can’t wait to see this guy charged – let’s hope that they put him in jail for a very long time.