By BETH HARRIS
Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Sandra Bullock paid her dues in Hollywood for more than 20 years, beloved by the moviegoing public if not always the critics. She was rewarded Sunday, winning the best-actress Oscar for playing a tough white Southern woman who adopted a black child in "The Blind Side."

Bullock had repeatedly said she didn't think she was going to win for the part she initially turned down, although the 45-year-old actress was a heavy favorite.

"Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down?" she said after accepting the golden statue from Sean Penn.

"I have so many people to thank for my good fortune in this lifetime and this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I know."

In the closest race of the acting categories, Bullock was up against Meryl Steep in "Julie & Julia," former winner Helen Mirren in "The Last Station," and breakout stars Gabourey Sidibe of "Precious" and Carey Mulligan of "An Education" for their first-time leading roles.

In "The Blind Side," Bullock donned a frosted blond wig and a Tennessee twang to play Leigh Anne Tuohy, the real-life adoptive mother of Baltimore Ravens football player Michael Oher.

Bullock had already won the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards, and tied Streep at the Broadcast Film Critics awards. Streep also won at the Globes.

At 60, Streep is the most nominated actor, male or female, of all time with 16 nods, but she's gone home empty-handed since her last best-actress win for "Sophie's Choice" in 1983. Her other victory was as supporting actress for "Kramer vs. Kramer" in 1980.

"I look at the company I keep in this category and you can't pick," Bullock said backstage. "There's not one that rises above the others. I feel like I share it equally in five parts because we ladies need to stick together."

Bullock's Oscar triumph came a night after she won worst actress at the Razzies on Saturday for "All About Steve," a romantic comedy flop that quickly vanished at theaters in between her 2009 hits, "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side."

Bullock became the first person to win an Oscar and a Razzie on the same weekend. She was the rare A-list star who attended the show that pokes fun at the Oscars by giving out prizes for Hollywood clunkers.

"I had the best time at the Razzie," she said backstage. "It's the great equalizer. No one lets me get too full of myself."

Asked where she would put the Oscar and the Razzie, Bullock replied, "They'll sit side-by-side on a shelf somewhere, the Razzie maybe on a different shelf, lower."

Bullock's breakout role came in the 1994 film "Speed." She went on to score box office successes in "While You Were Sleeping" and "Miss Congeniality." But she also appeared in a string of duds before a supporting role in the 2004 movie "Crash" earned Bullock some of the best reviews of her career.

She attributed her victory to hanging in through good roles and bad.

"I didn't aspire to this," she said backstage, cradling her Oscar. "I was in awe of it, I admired it and I got to watch it like everyone else did. I didn't think the opportunity would ever present itself for me to rise to that occasion. This came out of left field, every pun intended."

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Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- "Avatar" is a dreamy space fantasy that has made more money than any movie in history. "The Hurt Locker" is a ground-level dose of war-on-terror reality and one of the lowest-grossing best-picture contenders ever.

With a leading nine Oscar nominations each and ex-spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow as directors, the films are a study in extremes. They're also the only two movies that really matter in the expanded race for Hollywood's top prize March 7.

"Avatar," about the human invasion of a faraway moon populated by blue-hued creatures, won best drama and director at the Golden Globes. "The Hurt Locker," a disturbingly close and claustrophobic look at the strains of disabling bombs in Iraq, earned the top prizes from guilds representing directors and producers, and was chosen as the year's best film by many key critics groups.

"It's a true David and Goliath kind of story, isn't it?" said Jeremy Renner, a best-actor nominee for his performance as a bomb-disposal expert in "The Hurt Locker." "You know what? I love being David. ... It's like `The Bad News Bears' or something, or Rocky Balboa."

In between the two films in the Academy Award best-picture nominations announced Tuesday is a range of mainstream hits and critical darlings that deliver just what Oscar overseers wanted when they expanded the category from five films to 10 _ something for everyone.

"Extraordinary company. Every film is a masterpiece in and of itself," said Bigelow, whose best-director nod for "The Hurt Locker" makes her the fourth woman ever nominated in that category. "It creates a lot to choose from, let's put it that way."

Despite the head-to-head awards rivalry between Bigelow and Cameron, who were married from 1989 to 1991, they don't seem to share any animosity.

"Frankly, I thought Kathryn was going to get this. She richly deserves it," Cameron said last month as he accepted his Golden Globe.

Along with Cameron's behemoth "Avatar," which has surpassed his own "Titanic" as the biggest modern blockbuster, four other huge hits earned best-picture nominations: the animated comedy "Up," the football drama "The Blind Side," the World War II saga "Inglourious Basterds" and the sci-fi tale "District 9."

Two other nominees, the recession tale "Up in the Air" and the Harlem drama "Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' By Sapphire," have been solid moneymakers.

Then there's "The Hurt Locker," the teen drama "An Education" and the offbeat academia story "A Serious Man," little arthouse triumphs whose domestic grosses _ ranging from $9 million to $12.7 million _ amount to popcorn money compared with the $600 million in the U.S. and more than $2 billion-plus worldwide "Avatar" has made.

"What a great day for film when you have the biggest film ever made in the same grouping as a little film like 'Precious.' And 'Hurt Locker.' And how fantastic I think that is for this environment," said Sarah Siegel-Magness, a producer on "Precious."

Diversity rules the directing category, traditionally a white men's club. Bigelow has a good shot to become the first woman to win the directing Oscar, while "Precious" filmmaker Lee Daniels is only the second black director ever nominated.

"It's always the first black something-or-other," Daniels said. "After 82 years, it's the first film nominated for best picture directed by an African-American. Isn't that great? It's so exciting. How can you lose? You can't lose!"

Along with Bigelow, Daniels and Cameron _ whose "Titanic" won 11 Oscars, including picture and director _ the directing nominees are Jason Reitman for "Up in the Air" and Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds."

Acting nominees include the four stars who have emerged as favorites from previous awards shows: lead players Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side" and Jeff Bridges for the country-music tale "Crazy Heart" and supporting performers Mo'Nique for "Precious" and Christoph Waltz for "Inglourious Basterds."

More best-picture choices this time means more types of films in the awards spotlight, said Bullock, who scored her first Oscar nomination as a wealthy woman who takes in a homeless teen who goes on to NFL stardom.

She said expanding the nominees means more types of films, from blockbusters to small independents, have a chance.

"It's so right and timely, and I'm so happy about it, because I think it's going to excite filmmakers even more now to just do the types of films they want to make without worrying about fitting it into this mold that would get recognition," she said.

Bullock is up against past Oscar winners Meryl Streep, as chef Julia Child in "Julie & Julia," and Helen Mirren, as Leo Tolstoy's bullheaded wife in "The Last Station." Carey Mulligan, as a British teen involved with an older man in "An Education," and Gabourey Sidibe, as a Harlem teen overcoming horrible abuse and neglect in "Precious," are first-time nominees.

It was the 16th nomination for Streep, extending her lead in the Oscar record book for acting nominees. Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson are tied for second-place with 12 each.

Bridges, who has been nominated four times without winning, is viewed as the man to beat this time for his role as a boozy country singer trying to clean up his act in "Crazy Heart."

Joining Bridges and Renner in the best-actor lineup are past Oscar winners George Clooney, as a frequent-flier junkie in "Up in the Air," and Morgan Freeman, as South African leader Nelson Mandela in "Invictus," along with Colin Firth, as a grieving gay academic in "A Single Man."

While "Star Trek" was snubbed for a best-picture nomination, "Avatar" and "District 9" brought Oscar respectability to a genre often overlooked during Hollywood's prestige season. Only two sci-fi films _ "Star Wars" And "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" _ previously had been nominated for best picture.

Doubling the best-picture field also opened the door for animation, which has its own Oscar category. "Up" is the front-runner to win for feature animation, but it gains added luster as only the second animated film competing for best picture, following 1991's "Beauty and the Beast."

"The whole reason the Oscars exist, they've made no secret of it, is to get people excited about movies. The fact we're talking about 10 instead of five, I guess it's working," said "Up" director Pete Docter. "To be included on that list is just humbling and amazing."

Ten nominees, even as many as 12, were common for the Oscars through 1943, but the best-picture competition was reduced to five films after that. The bosses at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences liked what they got for this first year with the revived top-10 format.

"What the voters have done for us is they've given us a little bit of everything you could ask for," said Tom Sherak, academy president. "I guess the only thing that wasn't in there was a foreign picture, which would have been nice also as a best picture, too. But other than that, I think they gave us the kind of sample of the movies that came out last year that they loved and that made some kind of impact on them."

___

AP Entertainment writers Sandy Cohen, Anthony McCartney, Jake Coyle, Derrik Lang and Ryan Pearson and AP writers John Rogers and John Antczak contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

http://www.oscars.org

Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP material nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

By DAVID GERMAIN

Associated Press

Monday, February 23, 2009

Los Angeles -- "Slumdog Millionaire" took the best-picture Academy Award and seven other Oscars on Sunday, including director for Danny Boyle, whose ghetto-to-glory story paralleled the film's unlikely rise to Hollywood's summit.

The other top winners: Kate Winslet, best actress for the Holocaust-themed drama "The Reader"; Sean Penn, best actor for the title role of "Milk"; Heath Ledger, supporting actor for "The Dark Knight"; and Penelope Cruz, supporting actress for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

A story of hope amid squalor in Mumbai, India, "Slumdog Millionaire" came in with 10 nominations, its eight wins including adapted screenplay, cinematography, editing and both music Oscars (score and song).

"Just to say to Mumbai, all of you who helped us make the film and all of those of you who didn't, thank you very much. You dwarf even this guy," Boyle said, holding up his directing Oscar.

The filmmakers accepted the best-picture trophy surrounded by both the adult professional actors who appeared among the cast of relative unknowns and some of the children Boyle cast from the slums of Mumbai.

The film follows the travails and triumphs of Jamal, an orphan who artfully dodges a criminal gang that mutilates children to make them more pitiable beggars. Jamal witnesses his mother's violent death, endures police torture and struggles with betrayal by his brother, while single-mindedly hoping to reunite with the lost love of his childhood.

Fate rewards Jamal, whose story unfolds through flashbacks as he recalls how he came to know the answers that made him a champion on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."

As he took the stage to accept his prize for playing slain gay-rights pioneer Harvey Milk, Penn gleefully told the crowd: "You commie, homo-loving sons of guns."

He followed with condemnation of anti-gay protesters who demonstrated near the Oscar site and comments about California's recent vote to ban gay marriage.

"For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think it's a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that support," Penn said. "We've got to have equal rights for everyone."

For his demented reinvention of Batman villain the Joker, Ledger became only the second actor ever to win posthumously, his triumph coming exactly 13 months after his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

His Oscar for the Warner Bros. blockbuster was accepted by Ledger's parents and sister on behalf of the actor's 3-year-old daughter, Matilda.

"I have to say this is ever so humbling, just being amongst such wonderful people in such a wonderful industry," said his father, Kim Ledger. "We'd like to thank the academy for recognizing our son's amazing work, Warner Bros., and Christopher Nolan in particular for allowing Heath the creative license to develop and explore this crazy Joker character."

Since his death, the 28-year-old Ledger has gained a mythic aura akin to James Dean, another rising star who died well before his time.

The Joker was his final completed role, a casting choice that initially drew scorn from fans who thought Ledger would not be up to the task given Jack Nicholson's gleefully campy rendition of the character in 1989's "Batman."

In the months before Ledger's death, buzz on his wickedly chaotic performance swelled as marketing for the movie centered on the Joker and the perverted clown makeup he hid behind.

Ledger's death fanned a frenzy of anticipation for "The Dark Knight," which had a record $158.4 million opening weekend last summer.

The previous posthumous Oscar recipient was Peter Finch, who won best actor for 1976's "Network" two months after his death.

Cruz triumphed as a woman in a steamy three-way affair with her ex-husband and an American woman in Woody Allen's romance.

"Has anybody ever fainted here? Because I might be the first one," Cruz said, who went on with warm thanks to Allen. "Thank you, Woody, for trusting me with this beautiful character. Thank you for having written all these years some of the greatest characters for women."

"OK, that fainting thing, Penelope," Winslet joked later as she accepted her best-actress prize for "The Reader," in which she plays a former concentration camp guard in an affair with a teen. "I'd be lying if I haven't made a version of this speech before. I think I was probably 8 years old and staring into the bathroom mirror, and this would be a shampoo bottle. But it's not a shampoo bottle now."

It was Winslet's first win after five previous losses.

"Slumdog" writer Simon Beaufoy, who adapted the script from Vikas Swarup's novel "Q&A," said there are places he never could imagine being.

"For me, it's the moon, the South Pole, the Miss World podium, and here," Beaufoy said.

The epic love story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," which led with 13 nominations, had three wins, for visual effects, art direction and makeup.

"The Dark Knight" had a second win, for sound editing.

"Milk" writer Dustin Lance Black offered an impassioned tribute to Milk.

"If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by the churches, by the government, by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights, federally, across this great nation of ours," Black said.

"Man on Wire," James Marsh's examination of tight-rope walker Philippe Petit's dazzling stroll between the towers of the World Trade Center in 1974, was chosen as best documentary.

The acting categories were presented by five past winners of the same awards, among them last year's actress winners, Marion Cotillard and Tilda Swinton, plus Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Kevin Kline, Sophia Loren, Anthony Hopkins, Shirley MacLaine and Robert De Niro.

It was a much different style for the Oscars as each past recipient offered personal tributes to one of the nominees, without clips of the nominated performances. Awards usually are done in chit-chat style between a couple of celebrity presenters.

After last year's Oscars delivered their worst TV ratings ever, producers this time aimed to liven up the show with some surprises and new ways of presenting awards. Rather than hiring a comedian such as past hosts Jon Stewart or Chris Rock, the producers went with actor and song-and-dance man Hugh Jackman, who has been host of Broadway's Tony Awards.

Instead of the usual standup routine, Jackman did an engaging musical number to open the show, saluting nominated films with a clever tribute.

Jackman later did a medley staged by his "Australia" director Baz Luhrmann with such performers as Beyonce Knowles and "High School Musical" stars Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron.

"Slumdog Millionaire" went into the evening after a run of prizes from earlier film honors.

The film nearly got lost in the shuffle as Warner Bros. folded its art-house banner, Warner Independent, which had been slated to distribute "Slumdog Millionaire." It was rescued from the direct-to-video scrap heap when Fox Searchlight stepped in to release the film.

"Slumdog" composer A.R. Rahman, a dual Oscar winner for the score and song, said the movie was about "optimism and the power of hope."

"All my life, I've had a choice of hate and love," Rahman said. "I chose love, and I'm here."

AJC.COM

By Tom Charity
CNN.COM

(CNN) -- Greg Cannom. Remember that name.

It's not a household name, for sure. But this two-time Academy Award winner (for "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "Mrs. Doubtfire") is the red-hot favorite to win the Oscar in the best makeup category, for his work taking Brad Pitt from decrepitude to infancy in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

His colleagues in the visual effects department are likely to join him, along with the art direction team and possibly costume designer Jacqueline West, taking "Button's" tally to four awards.

But my hunch is that this will prove the outer limit of the Academy's love for David Fincher's epic. Not a good return on 13 nominations.

On the other hand, I predict that "Slumdog Millionaire" will reap the rewards, with as many as seven Oscars from 10 nominations, including best picture and best director for Danny Boyle. (A full sweep is impossible, as composer A.R. Rahman has been nominated against himself in the best song category. "Slumdog" will also probably miss out for sound editing and sound mixing, two categories that favor big-budget films.)

If I'm right, it will be a fairy-tale ending for what is in many respects a fairy tale of a movie, albeit a fairy tale punctuated with sometimes distressingly grim episodes of violence and poverty.

Still, upsets do happen. Four years ago, all the pundits (including this one) had "Brokeback Mountain" pegged for best picture. Instead, a left-field movie that had been kicking around for months surged from behind and "Crash"-ed the party.

It could happen again, but this year "Slumdog" is -- or at least began as -- the left-field movie. The surprise came when American audiences embraced the energy and passion (the underdog spirit, if you will) of Boyle's film.

After all, this was a film that Warner Bros. almost consigned straight to DVD until Fox Searchlight stepped up and obtained U.S. theatrical rights. North American box office receipts will probably reach the $100 million mark soon, making the $15 million film easily the most profitable of the best picture contenders. ("Benjamin Button" has grossed more, but with a budget estimated at $150 million, it cost 10 times as much to make.)

Best actor

The "Slumdog" wave won't affect the acting categories, not because the Academy struggles to recognize Indian excellence but because the lead roles in the film are split between three generations of young actors.

Similar considerations will weigh against Brad Pitt's chances for best actor, despite his outstanding performance as "Benjamin Button's" lead. No one seems entirely clear where Pitt leaves off and the makeup, the CGI and the four other actors credited with playing the part take over.

The pundits have decided that this category is a straight choice between Sean Penn ("Milk") and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler"), and although I wouldn't rule out Frank Langella for his strangely sympathetic portrait of the disgraced president in "Frost/Nixon," I have to agree that Penn and Rourke are both compelling choices, and either would be a worthy winner. Given the soft love the Academy has shown "The Wrestler" (two nominations) compared with "Milk" (eight, including best picture), Penn is the smart choice. But my heart goes with Rourke. Penn transforms himself to play Harvey Milk, but Rourke does something more difficult; he reveals himself.

Best actress

This category, like best actor, seems to come down to a choice between two: Meryl Streep (who overpowers the ethical uncertainties of "Doubt") and Kate Winslet (who contrives to make a mass murderer sexy and sympathetic in "The Reader"). These are two ostentatious, technically demanding performances of the kind that Oscar voters appreciate; Melissa Leo's understated naturalism in the little-seen "Frozen River" would stand at the opposite end of the spectrum, well out of the limelight.

It's astonishing that Streep -- by common consent our finest actress -- hasn't won an Academy Award since "Sophie's Choice" (1982), a losing streak that runs through 10 nominations (and counting). But at least she already has a couple of Oscars on her mantel, which is more than you can say for Kate Winslet, hoping it will be sixth-time lucky on Sunday. In this critic's opinion, she's been nominated for the wrong performance and the wrong film ("Revolutionary Road" would have been my choice), but I've had more arguments about "The Reader" than any of the other contenders this year, and I suspect that there is enough support out there for a Winslet win.

Supporting actress

I think we'll see Penelope Cruz triumph for her fabulously funny bilingual artist in Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." She's already won a BAFTA and an honor from the National Board of Review. But the Academy likes surprises in this category, and a first-time such as Taraji P. Henson could take it.

Supporting actor

The idea that Heath Ledger won't win for "The Dark Knight" is so unthinkable, I can only imagine mass walk-outs at the ceremony and riots breaking out across the country if it doesn't come to pass.

By Tom Charity
CNN.COM

The nominations for the 81st annual Academy Awards were announced Thursday morning.

The nominees for best picture are "Frost/Nixon," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Milk," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Reader."

The nominees for best actor are Sean Penn ("Milk"), Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"), Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler"), Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor") and Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button").

The nominees for best actress are Kate Winslet ("The Reader"), Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Meryl Streep ("Doubt"), Angelina Jolie ("Changeling") and Melissa Leo ("Frozen River").

The nominees for best supporting actor are Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight"), Josh Brolin ("Milk"), Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road"), Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder") and Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt").

The nominees for best supporting actress are Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"), Amy Adams ("Doubt"), Viola Davis ("Doubt"), Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler").

The nominees for best director are David Fincher ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Gus Van Sant ("Milk"), Ron Howard ("Frost/Nixon") and Stephen Daldry ("The Reader").

The nominees for best animated feature are "WALL-E," "Kung Fu Panda" and "Bolt."

The nominees for best original screenplay are "In Bruges," "WALL-E," "Frozen River," "Milk" and "Happy-Go-Lucky."

The nominees for best adapted screenplay are "Slumdog Millionaire," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "The Reader" and "Doubt."

The Oscars will be presented on February 22 from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. The broadcast will air on ABC. Hugh Jackman is scheduled to host.

(CNN)