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Now that <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn</a> <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> has made history as the first woman to win the best director Oscar, you may be wondering: Why does everyone love her so much? 
After all, her resumé is essentially a list of schlocky action movies, most notably "Point Break" (1991), with <a href="/topics/Keanu_Reeves">Keanu Reeves</a> as an <a href="/topics/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation">FBI</a> agent hunting Patrick Swayze as a surfing bank robber. Her 2002 thriller, "K-19: The Widowmaker," flopped, despite <a href="/topics/Harrison_Ford">Harrison Ford</a>'s star power. 
Yet critics have admired <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> since her 1987 cult hit, "Near Dark," a horror-Western mash-up that predated not only today's vampire mania but the high-octane pulp later made fashionable by <a href="/topics/Quentin_Tarantino">Quentin Tarantino</a> and <a href="/topics/Robert_Rodriguez">Robert Rodriguez</a>. Her 1989 thriller, "Blue Steel," starring <a href="/topics/Jamie_Lee_Curtis">Jamie Lee Curtis</a> as an aggressive cop with a sizable gun, proved <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> enjoyed pulling an audience's trigger. Her 1995 sci-fi flick, "Strange Days," originally written by her ex-husband, <a href="/topics/James_Cameron">James Cameron</a>, died at the box office but cemented her reputation as America's premier - only? - female action director. 
<a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a>, 58, also has egghead credibility: Her first short film, 1978's "The Set-Up," was a semiotic analysis of violent imagery. But you don't need a degree to appreciate her movies. <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a>'s specialty is shifting points of view: Think of the beach thugs that gather around the camera in "Point Break," or the dizzyingly high shot of a man trapped in a snake-pit of bombs in "<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>."

ETBUZZB14.WEB

Admiration for Kathryn Bigelow began years ago

Oh how we’ve missed her. Joan Rivers left E! in 2005 over a salary dispute and in January, returned for awards season starting with the Golden Globes.&nbsp; 
 Last night on the “Fashion Police,” she dished with Khloe Kardishian Odom, Guiuliana Rancic and Jay Manuel on the big mama of red carpets…the Oscars.&nbsp; Quick as lightening, irreverent beyond belief and funny as all get-out, Rivers was unquestionably the captain of the fashion force.&nbsp; Nobody does it better or meaner.&nbsp; 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/fashion-and-shopping/joan-rivers-dishes-on-oscars-fashion-1.1802016">Joan Rivers' take on celebs' Oscar style</a> <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Red Carpet photos</a> <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/list-of-academy-award-winners-1.1798642">List of Academy Award winners</a> <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/the-stars-shine-on-oscar-s-red-carpet-1.1798683">The Oscar fashion report</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/academy-awards-show-2010-1.1798493">Academy Awards show</a> <a href="http://www.newsday.com/oscars">Complete Oscar coverage</a> 
Here are a few choice Riverisms on your favorite stars and their Academy Awards looks: 
<img align="right" src="http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.1802215.1268169145!/image/1171051463.JPG_gen/derivatives/display_300/1171051463.JPG" style="padding: 15px 0px 15px 15px;" alt=""> 
-Amanda Seyfried:&nbsp; (in Armani) “Oh, it looks likes she’s wearing a body cast.&nbsp; Everybody should run over and sign her.” 
-Mariah Carey: (in Valentino) “Does her leg come with a biscuit and gravy?&nbsp; Someone’s got to tell her, she’s chubby.” 
-Faith Hill: (Roberto Cavalli) “Best little whorehouse in Nashville.” 
-Diane Kruger: (in Chanel)&nbsp; “Bjork’s recycled dress.&nbsp; Looks likes she’s getting ready to hatch an egg.” 
-Meryl Streep: (in Chris March) “The first lady of Russia.” 
-Nicole Richie: (in Reem Acra) “Something her mother lent her.” 
As for Rivers’ critique about James Cameron and Tina Fey, well, suffice it to say that GLAD may be all over it.&nbsp; 
Worst dressed man:&nbsp; Jeff Bridges (in Gucci) for his blousy, ill-fitting tux shirt and sloppy beard. “Colonel Sanders.” 
<img align="left" src="http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.1802213.1268169003!/image/2439236229.JPG_gen/derivatives/display_300/2439236229.JPG" style="padding: 15px 15px 15px 0px;" alt=""> 
Worst dressed woman:&nbsp; Charlize Theron (in Dior) for her dress’s rosette bust that looked she was wearing “Cinnabons.” 
Best dressed man: Ryan Reynolds, (Tom Ford) “perfect.” 
Best-dressed woman:&nbsp; No surprise…Sandra Bullock (in Marchesa).&nbsp; She won it all.&nbsp; 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Red Carpet photos</a> <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/list-of-academy-award-winners-1.1798642">List of Academy Award winners</a> <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/the-stars-shine-on-oscar-s-red-carpet-1.1798683">The Oscar fashion report</a> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/academy-awards-show-2010-1.1798493">Academy Awards show</a> <a href="http://www.newsday.com/oscars">Complete Oscar coverage</a>

Joan Rivers skewers celebs' Oscar style

Joan Rivers:  She's baaack and funnier than ever

Nicole Richie

<a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a> red carpets mean glitz and glamour, diamonds and designers, tuxes and trains. . . . 
Or not. 
This awards show season, some of Hollywood's A list appear to have adapted a dress-down policy. Take Johnny Depp, who showed up for the People's Choice awards in ragged jeans that weren't even nice enough for Sunday brunch. (OK, so that's not the most formal of these events, but still, most of the men showed up in suits.) 
At the <a href="/topics/Golden_Globe_Awards">Golden Globes</a>, <a href="/topics/Tea_Leoni">Tea Leoni</a> (in a blue shirt/black skirt combo) and husband <a href="/topics/David_Duchovny">David Duchovny</a> (in a somewhat rumpled black suit) seemed dressed more for the boardroom than the ballroom. Maybe they were auditioning for next season's "<a href="/topics/Celebrity_Apprentice">Celebrity Apprentice</a>"? 
At the Grammys - where fashion is often dramatic and over-the-top - <a href="/topics/Akon">Akon</a> could do no better than dark pants, sneakers and a <a href="/topics/Lady_Gaga">Lady Gaga</a> tee shirt - not much better than the folks on the wrong side of the barricades. And at the <a href="/topics/Screen_Actors_Guild_Awards">SAG Awards</a>, <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Meryl Streep</a> came in a tropical print <a href="/topics/Balenciaga">Balenciaga</a> that really wanted to be on the beach. 
Even at the biggie, Sunday night's <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a>, <a href="/topics/John_Travolta">John Travolta</a> showed up in jeans, which set bloggers' fingers flying. 
So now that the red carpets are pretty much put to rest for the season, we offer our nominees for the 2010 Less Dressed Awards. 
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Dressing down: The Less Dressed Awards

The Iraq War drama “The Hurt Locker” has won best picture and five other prizes at the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a>, its haul including best director for <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn Bigelow</a>. 
<a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> is the first woman in the 82-year history of the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a> to earn <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a>’s top prize for filmmakers. 
Among those <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> and “<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>” beat were ex-husband <a href="/topics/James_Cameron">James Cameron</a> and his sci-fi spectacle “<a href="/topics/Avatar_%28movie%29">Avatar</a>.” <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> and Cameron were married from 1989-91. 
The urban drama "Precious" earned best supporting actress for <a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Mo'Nique</a>, who used her speech to fire back at critics who accused her of not campaigning hard enough for the film. "First," she said, "I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics." 
Mo'<a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Nique</a> also gave a shout-out to the first black actress to win an Oscar, <a href="/topics/Hattie_McDaniel">Hattie McDaniel</a>, the 1939 supporting-actress winner for "Gone With the Wind." 
"I want to thank Miss <a href="/topics/Hattie_McDaniel">Hattie McDaniel</a> for enduring all that she had to so that I would not have to," she said, also thanking <a href="/topics/Oprah_Winfrey">Oprah Winfrey</a> and <a href="/topics/Tyler_Perry">Tyler Perry</a>, who signed on as executive producers to promote "Precious" after it premiered at last year's <a href="/topics/Sundance_Film_Festival">Sundance Film Festival</a>. 
"Precious" also won best adapted screenplay, stealing one of the only seemingly sure awards for "Up in the Air," essentially sinking that movie's chances of taking home any statues. 
Though awards for best director and best picture had yet to be handed out, "Avatar" won awards for art direction, visual effects and cinematography. 
The close Oscar race played into a broadcast tailored to appeal to an audience that has been dwindling in recent years. A newly expanded best picture category with 10 nominees, up from the usual five, aimed to recognize popular hits such as "The Blind Side" along with little-seen critical favorites such as "An Education." 
But the show also looked for other ways to become a must-see event, besides trotting out the usual array of A-list presenters such as <a href="/topics/Cameron_Diaz">Cameron Diaz</a> and <a href="/topics/Robert_Downey_Jr.">Robert Downey Jr</a>. A lengthy tribute to horror films seemed almost an excuse to use the "Twilight" stars <a href="/topics/Kristen_Stewart">Kristen Stewart</a> and <a href="/topics/Taylor_Lautner">Taylor Lautner</a> as presenters. By contrast, a tribute to the late writer-director John Hughes played to nostalgia by reuniting <a href="/topics/Molly_Ringwald">Molly Ringwald</a>, <a href="/topics/Judd_Nelson">Judd Nelson</a>, <a href="/topics/Anthony_Michael_Hall">Anthony Michael Hall</a> and others onstage. 
The show recruited two popular comedians, <a href="/topics/Alec_Baldwin">Alec Baldwin</a> and <a href="/topics/Steve_Martin">Steve Martin</a>, as co-hosts, but still threw in awards-show fixture <a href="/topics/Neil_Patrick_Harris">Neil Patrick Harris</a> for a splashy, Vegas-style song-and-dance opener. 
Among the other major award-winners were "Up" for best animated feature and original score, "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" for best original song and Christoph <a href="/topics/Christoph_Waltz">Waltz</a> for best supporting actor in "Inglourious Basterds." 
Some other memorable moments: 
HAPPY TO BE HERE. In the show's opening lineup of leading actor and actress nominees, first-timer <a href="/topics/Gabourey_Sidibe">Gabourey Sidibe</a> ("Precious") celebrated with a little hip-shaking dance. 
DEUTSCHE THANKS. Waltz, accepting his award for supporting actor in "Inglourious Basterds" from presenter Penélope Cruz, marveled: "Oscar and <a href="/topics/Penelope">Penelope</a> - that's an uber-bingo!" 
REAL COUNTRY. Ryan Bingham, accepting for best original song for "The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)," offered a lyrical thanks to his wife: "I love you more than rainbows, baby." 
MOMENT OF TRUTH. <a href="/topics/Alec_Baldwin">Alec Baldwin</a> glowingly introduced his "<a href="/topics/30_Rock">30 Rock</a>" co-star <a href="/topics/Tina_Fey">Tina Fey</a> as talented and brilliant, adding: "And I'm not just saying that because she revived my career." 
WORKING BLUE. <a href="/topics/Ben_Stiller">Ben Stiller</a> presented the award for best makeup wearing an "Avatar"-style costume (complete with tail), noting that the movie wasn't even nominated.<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044"> </a>

US-Oscars

'Hurt Locker' wins Oscar for best picture

hurt locker

The standoff with Disney that nearly scrapped the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a> for 3.1 million New York cable subscribers is now history, and Cablevision has the future to look forward to -- Fox. 
Industry sources say Cablevision's next big retransmission fee negotiation will be in October, when the current contract with News Corp. ends. News Corp. is believed to be seeking new fees for all of its properties, including <a href="/topics/WNYW">WNYW</a>/5. 
A recent standoff between <a href="/topics/Time_Warner_Inc.">Time Warner</a> and News Corp. nearly led to a blackout of New Year's Day bowl games before a last-minute deal was reached. 
Industry observers say such retransmission fights could become the norm rather than the exception as cable networks and other TV providers seek to control costs with broadcast signals and as major media companies seek to boost even further the payments they get for those signals. 
"There will be more standoffs,"says Robin Flynn, senior analyst with Charlottesville, Va.-based SNL Kagan, a financial services firm that follows various industries, including cable. 
For that reason, a consortium of cable companies, including <a href="/topics/Time_Warner_Inc.">Time Warner</a> and Cablevision, and satellite broadcasters, including <a href="/topics/DirecTV_Group">DirecTV</a> and <a href="/topics/Dish_Network">Dish Network</a>, petitioned the Federal Communications Commission Wednesday to arbitrate fee disputes as they arise. 
"The FCC should take action to protect consumers' interests and reform a system that is clearly broken," according to a statement from Cablevision, which owns Newsday. An FCC spokeswoman declined to comment on the proposal. 
Last week's clash was over so-called retransmission fees, or what cable operators pay program suppliers for use of their programs. 
Beginning in 1993, media companies such as NBC that owned both broadcast stations and cable networks (such as <a href="/topics/CNBC">CNBC</a>) sought fees for their broadcast signals. But cable operators instead agreed to carry whatever new cable networks the broadcasters created - rather than pay for the broadcast signal. 
The deal was good for major program suppliers like Disney, which bought Capital Cities/ABC in 1996, because they could launch networks. And cable operators avoided shelling out real money for the TV signals. 
That has all changed. Companies like Disney and News Corp. now want money for their TV signals, too. 
"As the broadcast networks are less able to get advertising revenue, they're turning to the cable guys to make up for that shortfall," Todd Mitchell, an analyst with Kaufman Brothers Lp in <a href="/topics/Manhattan">Manhattan</a>, told <a href="/topics/Bloomberg_News">Bloomberg News</a> recently. "For the cable guys, these programming costs are vastly outstripping their subscription pricing, so we're getting to the point of showdowns." 
That's why push has now come to shove. Cable operators don't want to absorb too many new fees because if their costs go up too fast, that could force customers into the arms of broadband or satellite competitors, which are facing retransmission fee negotiations of their own. 
"Not only are broadcasters [like Disney] asking for higher rates but so are cable networks [like Scripps-owned <a href="/topics/HGTV">HGTV</a> and the <a href="/topics/Food_Network">Food Network</a>]," Flynn said. "I don't think [operators] will be able to pass along all of that, but a significant degree will be passed on." 
Observers say it's impossible to predict the outcome of the next fight. Time Warner and ABC face off in August. And like ABC with the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a>, Fox has a major event on the horizon as it negotiates its new deal with Cablevision later this year: Super Bowl XLV in February 2010.

Long Island

Nassau

ETCABL11

Cablevision-Disney dispute a sign of the TV times

miley

It was the tale of two schools of fashion on the Oscar red carpet last night, when <a href="/topics/Anna_Kendrick">Anna Kendrick</a> and Mo'Nique nearly collided. Kendrick whispered in a blush <a href="/topics/Elie_Saab">Elie Saab</a> chiffon off-the-shoulder number, while Mo'Nique roared in a brazen electric-blue silk jersey by Tadashi Shoji that hugged every curve. "It's not a boring Oscar, that's for sure," said <a href="/topics/Suze_Yalof_Schwartz">Suze Yalof Schwartz</a>, <a href="/topics/Glamour">Glamour</a>'s executive fashion editor at large. "I feel the actresses are finally having fun again on the red carpet. It was all about the 'wow' factor." 
Tops on the wow list: <a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Sandra Bullock</a> (who seemed all nerves) looked smashing in <a href="/topics/Marchesa_%28designer%29">Marchesa</a>'s silvery column with lace illusion top. She wasn't the only one strutting the heavy metal: <a href="/topics/Sarah_Jessica_Parker">Sarah Jessica Parker</a> wore a <a href="/topics/Chanel">Chanel</a> couture goddess job with silvery roses at the top and inset in the back. <a href="/topics/Miley_Cyrus">Miley Cyrus</a> donned a gold corset and textured skirt by Jenny Packham while <a href="/topics/Kate_Winslet">Kate Winslet</a> went for coppery <a href="/topics/Yves_Saint-Laurent">Yves Saint Laurent</a>. <a href="/topics/Cameron_Diaz">Cameron Diaz</a> celebrated in a champagne Oscar de la Renta dappled with gold. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/academy-awards-show-2010-1.1798493" target="_blank">2010 Academy Awards</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Red Carpet highlights</a> 
WINNERS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/list-of-academy-award-winners-1.1798642">List of Academy Award winners</a> 
But back to fun. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe, who worked a bright-blue number, announced, "If fashion were porn, this dress was the money shot." <a href="/topics/Mariah_Carey">Mariah Carey</a> did blue, too, a Valentino featuring a thigh-high slit, a gigantic brooch and lots of cleavage. When her diamond bracelet caught on the fabric of the top, she joked, "diamonds are a girl's best friend," pointing at, um, the girls. 
And, speaking of those, were those bull's-eyes on <a href="/topics/Charlize_Theron">Charlize Theron</a>'s? Penélope Cruz did bold right in <a href="/topics/Donna_Karan">Donna Karan</a>'s bordeaux pleated and draped gown. Not so Zoë Saldana in a gold bodice and, yikes, a cancan skirt in shades of purple. We're up in the air about <a href="/topics/Vera_Farmiga">Vera Farmiga</a>'s fuchsia <a href="/topics/Marchesa_%28designer%29">Marchesa</a> fan dress - a bit too much? 
Many gals were thinking pink, including <a href="/topics/Queen_Latifah">Queen Latifah</a> in <a href="/topics/Badgley_Mischka">Badgley Mischka</a> and <a href="/topics/Jennifer_Lopez">Jennifer Lopez</a> in <a href="/topics/Armani">Armani</a>'s iridescent pink with a sculpted top and side sweep of tulle. 
Some opted for neutral territory, including <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Meryl Streep</a> in white <a href="/topics/Chris_March">Chris March</a> (a "<a href="/topics/Project_Runway">Project Runway</a>" alum) with long sleeves and draped, plunging neckline. <a href="/topics/Diane_Kruger">Diane Kruger</a>'s creamy <a href="/topics/Chanel">Chanel</a> could have been a winner but had way too much going on. 
On the men's side, word was that <a href="/topics/Danny_Glover">Danny Glover</a> mounted a letter campaign to nominees and presenters against <a href="/topics/Hugo_Boss">Hugo Boss</a> because of a factory closing in <a href="/topics/Detroit">Detroit</a>, which would leave 400 workers jobless. Didn't see much of the brand. <a href="/topics/James_Cameron">James Cameron</a> gets high marks for cuteness - his pocket square matched his wife's dress. <a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Jeff Bridges</a> wore Gucci and his movie beard. Likewise, <a href="/topics/Antonio_Banderas">Antonio Banderas</a> wore facial hair, his sort of two-toned. And guess what <a href="/topics/Tom_Ford">Tom Ford</a> was wearing? Ah, yeah, that would be <a href="/topics/Tom_Ford">Tom Ford</a>.

LSFASH08

The stars shine on Oscar's red carpet

Oscars - Arrivals

List of winners at the 82nd annual Oscars. List of winners at the 82nd annual <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a>: 
Motion Picture: “<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>.” Actor: <a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Jeff Bridges</a>, “Crazy Heart.” Actress: <a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Sandra Bullock</a>, “The Blind Side.” Supporting Actor: <a href="/topics/Christoph_Waltz">Christoph Waltz</a>, “Inglourious Basterds.” Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, “Precious: Based on the Novel ’Push’ by Sapphire.” Director: <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn Bigelow</a>, “<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>.” 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/academy-awards-show-2010-1.1798493" target="_blank">2010 Academy Awards</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Red Carpet highlights</a> 
WINNERS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/list-of-academy-award-winners-1.1798642">List of Academy Award winners</a> 
FASHION: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/the-stars-shine-on-oscar-s-red-carpet-1.1798683">The Oscar fashion report</a> 
COMPLETE COVERAGE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/oscars">The 82nd Academy Awards</a> 
Foreign Film: “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Argentina. Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, “<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>.” Animated Feature Film: “Up.” Art Direction: “<a href="/topics/Avatar_%28movie%29">Avatar</a>.” Cinematography: “<a href="/topics/Avatar_%28movie%29">Avatar</a>.” Sound Mixing: “<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>.” Sound Editing: “<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>.” Original Score: “Up,” Michael Giacchino. Original Song: “The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart,” Ryan Bingham and <a href="/topics/T_Bone_Burnett">T Bone Burnett</a>. 
Costume: “<a href="/topics/The_Young_Victoria_%28film%29">The Young Victoria</a>.” Documentary Feature: “The Cove.” Documentary (short subject): “Music by Prudence.” Film Editing: “<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>.” Makeup: “<a href="/topics/Star_Trek">Star Trek</a>.” Animated Short Film: “Logorama.” Live Action Short Film: “The New Tenants.” Visual Effects: “<a href="/topics/Avatar_%28movie%29">Avatar</a>.”

Oscar winners

List of Academy Award winners

After a day of political pressure from Washington to Albany that urged Disney and Cablevision to resolve their fee dispute, WABC/7 returned its signal Sunday night just in time for the first Oscar award, at 8:43 p.m. 
ABC said it had reached "an agreement in principle" ending an impasse that didn't only threaten to black out the Oscars telecast for 3.1 million Cablevision subscribers but threatened to wipe out millions in local commercial revenue for the top-ranked station. Ch. 7's "<a href="/topics/Good_Morning_America">Good Morning America</a>" post-Oscars' telecast is traditionally the most viewed "GMA" of the year. 
Rebecca Campbell, president of WABC, said in a statement that both companies had an agreement "that recognizes the fair value of ABC7, with deal points that we expect to finalize with Cablevision." 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/academy-awards-show-2010-1.1798493" target="_blank">2010 Academy Awards</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Red Carpet highlights</a> 
WINNERS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/list-of-academy-award-winners-1.1798642">List of Academy Award winners</a> 
Charles Schueler, spokesman for Cablevision, which owns Newsday, said: “It is a deal that is fair to our customers and in line with our other programming agreements.” 
ABC had pulled the signal at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, and seconds later Cablevision began posting a crawl blaming Disney and WABC. Both companies have bickered over “retransmission fees,” in which Disney demanded $1 per Cablevision subscriber per month to retransmit its signal while Cablevision offered, according to ABC, nothing. 
Cablevision earlier Sunday said it would abide by binding arbitration to settle on a fee — <a href="/topics/Time_Warner_Inc.">Time Warner</a> reportedly paid <a href="/topics/News_Corporation_Limited">News Corp</a>. 50 cents per subscriber for Fox TV station signals in a standoff that ended Jan. 1. 
Sen. <a href="/topics/John_Kerry">John Kerry</a> (D-Mass.), chairman of the telecommunications subcommittee, had urged both sides to resolve the dispute or enter arbitration. Gov. <a href="/topics/David_A_Paterson">David A. Paterson</a> weighed in on for both to “put consumers first.” 
Earlier Sunday, the impasse sent many <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>ers scurrying to get reception so they could watch the Oscars. Verizon was flooded with callers trying to get its <a href="/topics/Verizon_FiOS">FIOS</a> service installed in time and retailers were quickly selling out of antennas and digital converter&nbsp; boxes that would allow TV viewers to watch ABC programming for free. 
Verizon began staffing up earlier in the week for the expected surge in calls with added call center and installation workers. “The phones have been ringing off the hook,” said Chris Creager, president for Verizon’s Northeast region, which includes <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>. Yesterday, he said, 50 callers were queued up waiting for the Great River call center to open at 9 a.m. 
At the Huntington Station Best Buy, several shelves that usually held the antennas and digital converter boxes sat empty. An employee said the store sold out of the devices within a half hour of opening, and would not restock until later in the week.&nbsp; Workers there sent customers to a nearby Radio Shack on Route 110, but it sold out as well. 
Others looked beyond their own living rooms. Some headed to watering holes such as the Rein Bar &amp; Grill at the <a href="/topics/Garden_City_Hotel">Garden City Hotel</a>, which featured both Oscar-inspired cocktails and satellite television. 
Over at the Hilton <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>/Huntington in <a href="/topics/Melville%2C_NY">Melville</a>, movie fans inquired about renting a room for the evening. Their second question was about room price, $169 for the night, said a hotel telephone operator who asked not to be named. Their first question: What kind of television service does the hotel have? With Patricia Kitchen and Alfonso A. Castillo

ETCABL07

ABC returns to Cablevision during Oscars telecast

oscars

Academy Awards show blog

Academy Awards show live blog

Oscars - Show

Given that ABC&nbsp;pulled Channel 7 from Cablevision and <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/cablevision-seeks-arbitration-to-end-abc-impasse-1.1797397">no binding arbitration has occured</a> as I&nbsp;begin, Pet Rock had to find another couch to sit on to live blog tonight's Academy&nbsp;Awards. Lucky for you Pet Rockers, I set up shop at a nearby quarry. Let's hope this couch has the same <a href="http://www.newsday.com/oscars">Oscar</a> energy. Here we go: 
6:00 p.m.:&nbsp;500 feet doesn't seem that long <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044" target="_blank">a walk for a red carpet</a>. Then again, there's a camera and a reporter every 10 inches. 
6:02: Sam Worthington is the first interview on the E!&nbsp;Red Carpet with Ryan Seacrest. Interesting. Even though "Avatar"&nbsp;is <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/biggest-movies-of-all-time-1.167139" target="_blank">the biggest movie ever</a>, Worthington's star isn't rising that fast if he's on the red carpet this early. 
6:03:&nbsp;Hey Zac&nbsp;Efron, <a onclick="window.open(this.href,'','resizable=no,location=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,status=no,toolbar=no,fullscreen=no,dependent=no,status'); return false" href="http://www.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.1798149.1268004202!/image/1966644098.JPG">comb your hair</a>, bruh. 
6:06: Oh, joy, "witty banter" between E!&nbsp;hosts Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic. I&nbsp;never wanted to hear actors and actresses being interviewed more than right now. 
6:10: Uh oh, Anna Kendrick and Mo'Nique next to each other on the red carpet. They're both nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Is that like wearing the same dress? 
PHOTOS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Academy Award red carpet photos</a> 
6:13: The umbrellas-ellas-ellas are open now. Seems to be pouring outside the Kodak Theater for a minute or two.&nbsp; Tony!&nbsp;Toni!&nbsp;Tone!&nbsp;lied to us: it does <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/pet-rock-1.811972/old-school-tuesday-tony-toni-tone-1.832777">rain in Southern California</a>. 
6:17:&nbsp;Nick Cannon wins early quote of the night about his wifey, Mariah Carey, and getting ready for the Oscars:&nbsp;"I&nbsp;sit around in my drawers, and she's got like a thousand people all around." 
6:19:&nbsp;Woo hoo, more witty banter between Seacrest and Rancic. Oh, stop the insanity. Nooooo!&nbsp;No commercial break. I&nbsp;need more witty banter! 
6:25: Zoe Saldana. I'm just <a onclick="window.open(this.href,'','resizable=no,location=no,menubar=no,scrollbars=no,status=no,toolbar=no,fullscreen=no,dependent=no,status'); return false" href="http://admin.newsday.com/polopoly/polopoly_fs/1.1798377.1268008542!/image/2359570303.JPG">saying</a>. I'm still <a href="http://www.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.1798378.1268008564!/image/3310789693.JPG">just saying</a>. 
6:27:&nbsp;Here comes Joel Madden and Nicole Richie. Can anyone explain to me what Richie is wearing? Seriously, what is that gray, black and white thing. If that doesn't show up on someone's worst dressed list tomorrow, someone needs to launch a fact-finding, blue ribbon investigation committee. 
6:30:&nbsp;Either the movies this year stunk up the joint, or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/music/lady-gaga-and-her-crazy-stylings-1.1378373">Lady Gaga</a> really is the most iconic person in pop culture right now. E!&nbsp;just took a moment to plug Gaga's 10-minute video premiere on the station later this week. 
PHOTOS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Academy Award red carpet photos</a> 
6:34:&nbsp;Seacrest on Sandra Bullock, said to Ryan Reynolds:&nbsp; "She's like a chick who's half-dude, and I&nbsp;mean that in the best way." Wow. 
6:36:&nbsp;Wow, we made it a full 36 minutes on E!&nbsp;before the first mention of "tweets."&nbsp;If you had the under, you lost! 
6:38:&nbsp;James Cameron is responsible for "Avatar,"&nbsp;"Titanic,"&nbsp;"The Terminator" and "Aliens,"&nbsp;yet&nbsp;I&nbsp;still really want to see "Aquaman." 
6:39:&nbsp;Seacrest asks Cameron about his ex-wife's movie "The Hurt Locker,"&nbsp;then asks the new wife if it's OK that he asked that. Normally, aaaaaaaaawkward. In Hollywood, no worries. 
6:40:&nbsp;Saaaaaaarsgaaaaaaaaard! <a target="_blank" href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/10305/saturday-night-live-pirates-convention">Arrrrrgh</a>. 
6:47:&nbsp;Observation:&nbsp;When Seacrest can't think of anything to say to an actor, he starts with the "what are you wearing?" question. This isn't the easiest job in the world, folks. (Mine is.) 
6:49:&nbsp;Tarantino sighting. He looks like he just woke up. Then again, he usually looks like that. Where's Bridget Von Hammersmark? 
6:50:&nbsp;Tina Fey. Still refreshingly funny and intelligent amid the Hollywood world. 
6:57:&nbsp;Ahh, there she is. There's Bridget Von Hammersmark, aka actress Diana Kruger from "Inglourious Basterds." 
6:59: Sandra Bullock in a glorious, praise-worthy atmosphere at the Academy Awards. Not sure I&nbsp;thought I'd ever see that. 
7:01:&nbsp;Just caught a glimpse of Penelope Cruz. I&nbsp;never understood all the hoopla surrounding her. Then I saw "<a href="http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1377605632/tt0441909" target="_blank">Volver</a>"&nbsp;and figured it out. She also happened to be quite entertaining in "Nine."&nbsp;The rest of the movie stunk up the theater something fierce, but she was cool. 
7:04:&nbsp;I've been waiting all day for Sunday night. Oops. Wrong season. Sorry, Faith Hill. 
7:05:&nbsp;Tim McGraw wins quote of carpet. About the acting skills of "The Blind Side" co-star Quinton Aaron: "People don't realize how he good he is because he's actualy a 5-8 white guy." 
PHOTOS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Academy Award red carpet photos</a> 
7:13: A little Miley Cyrus never hurt no one (aside from the parents of teens and tweens who flip when she does provocative things.) 
7:14:&nbsp;Seacrest scored smooches from Miley Cyrus and her mom. "Are you watching, Billy Ray?"&nbsp;he said. Odd. Funny. Odd. 
7:15:&nbsp;Sarah Jessica Parker is all Carrie Bradshaw'd up again, minus the ridiculous hair accessory. 
7:16: Kathryn Bigelow, Best Director nominee for "The Hurt Locker,"&nbsp;looks like the behind-the-camera version of Elizabeth Hurley. She also makes Seacrest look shorter than Tom Cruise. Both are Oscar-worthy performances. 
7:20:&nbsp;OK, enough of the interviews and red carpetry. I&nbsp;need me some Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. Seventy minutes to go. 
7:25:&nbsp;Looks like Matt Damon's hair is starting to thin. KId, I&nbsp;know your pain. Call me, we'll talk. Oh wait, Damon is just talking about his "Invictus" movie. Ooops, missed that. Is "Green Zone"&nbsp;just the fourth Bourne movie in disguise? 
7:26:&nbsp;Why do I&nbsp;laugh every time Seacrest introduces himself to the wife/girlfriend/female companion of a male interview subject? "Hi, I'm Ryan."&nbsp;Instant laughter. Not a full LOL or LMAO, more like just an L. 
7:29:&nbsp;Clooney is the man! 
7:30:&nbsp;Poor Adam Shankman. He's the producer of this year's Oscars and got dismissed twice by Seacrest. First, Clooney rolled by during his interview, then Meryl Streep arrived. In between, Shankman said about nine words. 
7:32:&nbsp;Jennifer Lopez chillin' in "iridescent pink." She's awesome. 
PHOTOS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Academy Award red carpet photos</a> 
7:37:&nbsp;Keanu Reeves. Ugh. 
7:38:&nbsp;Gabourey Sidibe. Cool. "If fashion was porn, this dress is the money shot."&nbsp;Championship work. That could top McGraw's comment from at 7:05. 
7:42:&nbsp;Not sure what my boy Downey is doing with that weird blue bowtie to go with his tuxedo, but Downey can pretty much do whatever we wants and get away with it. That's what being a genius actor means, right? 
7:49:&nbsp;Oh, a little Jason Bateman never hurt nobody. Usually you have to double for that kind of action. Pepper needs new shorts! 
7:51:&nbsp;Everyone loves Jeff Bridges as The Dude in "<a target="_blank" href="http://www.lebowskifest.com/">The Big Lebowski</a>."&nbsp;Me, I&nbsp;prefer him as the president in "The Contender," but that's just me. 
7:59: Now is when we realize the last two hours of our lives will never be returned. Why so salty about it?&nbsp;Because when we look at the newspapers, Internets, magazines and TV shows in the days ahead, we'll realize that the same people will be on both the best and worst dressed lists. How that's possible, I'll never understand. 
8:00:&nbsp;OK, time to flip over to ABC for 30 more minutes of red carpet pageantry. Apparently, they don't want us to be entertained by Baldwin and Martin just yet. Based on past viewing experiences, this won't be all that exciting to watch. Still, we'll live blog it for a little bit here before we switch over to our new post on the actual Academy Awards show. 
8:00:&nbsp;Someone tell the Tel-Promp-Ter guy to lower his screen a biit so ABC co-host Sherri&nbsp;Shepherd can look normal when reading off it on camera. 
8:03:&nbsp;Wow, Kathy Ireland is terrible on camera. It's hard to watch. 
8:04: Clooney still the man. Shepherd mentions something about problems with commitment. "Tell that to Elizabetha. I'm sure she's thrilled to hear it." 
PHOTOS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-red-carpet-1.1798044">Academy Award red carpet photos</a> 
8:11:&nbsp;Oh, Lord, please stop cutting to Kathy Ireland interviews. Or at least send a PA&nbsp;over there to tell her she's allowed to move and go off-script and express different ranges of emotion, excitement and intonation. Pleeeeeease! 
8:14:&nbsp;Anyone know why Shepherd just reached out and touched Jennifer Lopez during their interview?&nbsp;My hunch is a friend bet her that she couldn't touch J.Lo on camera. If it's not that, then it's just plain awkward. 
8:16:&nbsp;The "Basterds"&nbsp;haven't received much love on the televised red carpet. Disappointing. A&nbsp;little Tarantino would spice things up. You've got a few minutes left to right this wrong, production truck people. 
8:21:&nbsp;Who's worse on the red carpet:&nbsp;Kathy Ireland or Jess Cagle?&nbsp;To be clear, they're both talented&nbsp; at what they usually do -- professional hot chick (Ireland) and Entertainment Weekly editor (Cagle) -- but on the red carpet as hosts, ugh. 
8:23:&nbsp;Jeff Bridges:&nbsp;"I'm all Gucci'd out." Nice work, sir. I&nbsp;hope you win Best Actor tonight, strictly because of that line. 
8:25:&nbsp;OK, this is getting silly. Just go get some Oscar snacks, and then<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/pet-rock-1.811972/academy-awards-show-live-blog-1.1798264"> follow along in our Academy Awards live show blog</a>. 
&nbsp;

The Academy Award red carpet in real-time

Academy Awards red carpet live blog

Judging by the year's Oscar nominees, the movie business is looking a lot like the music industry. 
Not because of profits: Movies pulled in $10.5 billion in ticket sales last year, a 10 percent increase over 2008, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com, while album sales continued their years-long slide. 
But both industries are being energized by an increasingly popular type of entertainer: female. In Hollywood, established stars like <a href="/topics/George_Clooney">George Clooney</a> and <a href="/topics/Matt_Damon">Matt Damon</a> still draw major crowds and command big salaries, but the buzz this year has been largely about the ladies, many of them relative newcomers and some of them very young. Record executives who recently watched <a href="/topics/Taylor_Swift">Taylor Swift</a>, Beyoncé and <a href="/topics/Lady_Gaga">Lady Gaga</a> sweep the Grammys probably know the feeling. 
What's more, we're not talking about the usual teen-flick babes or thinly sketched love-interest roles. Look down the list of Oscar actress nominees - both supporting and leading - and you'll see a range of dynamic performances: an illiterate Harlem teenager, a brainy British schoolgirl, a coldhearted downsizing expert. And for the most part, these female stars keep their clothes on. 
Granted, there's always an It Girl who can't live up to the title (remember <a href="/topics/Gretchen_Mol">Gretchen Mol</a>?), a major talent who never quite goes A-list (<a href="/topics/Andie_MacDowell">Andie MacDowell</a>) and starlets who fall victim to typecasting (just ask anyone who was ever called a Brat Packer). Here's hoping these women are smarter, savvier and more ambitious so we can keep seeing them in the future. 
<h4><a href="/topics/Vera_Farmiga">Vera Farmiga</a></h4> 
AGE 36 
MOVIE "Up in the Air" 
OSCAR NOD Supporting actress 
BACK STORY Given her skyscraper cheekbones and fiery blue-green eyes, <a href="/topics/Vera_Farmiga">Farmiga</a> has taken a while to draw the spotlight. Even after a major part in <a href="/topics/Martin_Scorsese">Martin Scorsese</a>'s Oscar-winning "The Departed," as the therapist torn between Matt Damon and <a href="/topics/Leonardo_DiCaprio">Leonardo DiCaprio</a>, stardom eluded her. Subsequent roles included a Nazi's wife in "<a href="/topics/The_Boy_in_the_Striped_Pajamas">The Boy in the Striped Pajamas</a>," a wheelchair fetishist in the creepy "Quid Pro Quo" and a grieving mother in the almost-decent horror flick "Orphan." Now, as a sexually adventurous frequent-flier in "Up in the Air," she seems like the first female star who's ever made George Clooney look like a lovestruck sap. 
NEXT Motherhood. <a href="/topics/Vera_Farmiga">Farmiga</a> gave birth to a son, Fynn, two weeks before filming "Up in the Air." 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actress-nominees-1.1778989">Best supporting actress nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actress-2010-1.1779013">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actress?</a> 
&nbsp; 
<h4>Anna <a href="/topics/Anna_Kendrick">Kendrick</a></h4> 
AGE 24 
MOVIE "Up in the Air" 
OSCAR NOD Supporting actress 
BACK STORY Until now, Kendrick was best known as the bubbleheaded Jessica Stanley in the "Twilight" series - a minor role that gave little hint of her abilities. But as Natalie Keener, a high-strung, overambitious young businesswoman in "Up in the Air," Kendrick earned her Oscar nomination with a hilarious scene in which a break-up text message prompts a meltdown in an airport. The National Board of Review named her best supporting actress for the role. 
NEXT The antagonistic older sister of <a href="/topics/Michael_Cera">Michael Cera</a> in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," a comedy-romance based on a comic book series by Bryan Lee O'Malley. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actress-nominees-1.1778989">Best supporting actress nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actress-2010-1.1779013">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actress?</a> 
&nbsp; 
<h4>Carey <a href="/topics/Carey_Mulligan">Mulligan</a></h4> 
AGE 24 
MOVIE "An Education" 
OSCAR NOD Leading actress 
BACKSTORY Playing a clever but immature British schoolgirl seduced by an older man (Peter <a href="/topics/Peter_Sarsgaard">Sarsgaard</a>) in this bittersweet coming-of-age story, Mulligan became not just a star, but a kind of <a href="/topics/Audrey_Hepburn">Audrey Hepburn</a> or <a href="/topics/Julie_Christie">Julie Christie</a> - an on-screen personality you could fall in love with. Keen-eyed moviegoers may remember her as Kitty Bennet in 2005's "Pride and Prejudice," but critics first fell hard for her as Nina in 2008's Britain-to-Broadway production of Chekhov's "The Seagull" (opposite Sarsgaard here in the States). 
NEXT Gordon Gekko's daughter in <a href="/topics/Oliver_Stone">Oliver Stone</a>'s upcoming "<a href="/topics/Wall_Street">Wall Street</a>: Money Never Sleeps," opposite <a href="/topics/Shia_LaBeouf">Shia LaBeouf</a>. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actress-nominees-2010-1.1778853">Best actress nominees </a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-actress-2010-1.1738083">Who should win an Oscar for best actress?</a> 
&nbsp; 
<h4><a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Mo'Nique</a></h4> 
AGE 42 
MOVIE "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" 
OSCAR NOD Supporting actress 
BACK STORY The comedian, born Monique Imes, rose to fame doing stand-up but eventually became a one-woman television brand with series like "Mo'<a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Nique</a>'s Fat Chance" (a contest for plus-size women) and her new late-night entry, "The <a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Mo'Nique</a> Show." But it was director <a href="/topics/Lee_Daniels">Lee Daniels</a> (he produced "Monster's Ball," which earned <a href="/topics/Halle_Berry">Halle Berry</a> a best actress Oscar), who cast Mo'<a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Nique</a> against type as an abusive mother in "Precious." Her stunning performance has made her an Oscar front-runner; she already has won a <a href="/topics/Golden_Globe_Awards">Golden Globe</a> for the role. 
NEXT It's back to her stand-up roots for the "<a href="/topics/Spread_%28musician%29">Spread</a> the Love Tour," a 20-date run that comes to the Theatre at Madison Square Garden April 24. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actress-nominees-1.1778989">Best supporting actress nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actress-2010-1.1779013">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actress?</a> 
&nbsp; 
<h4>Gabourey <a href="/topics/Gabourey_Sidibe">Sidibe</a></h4> 
AGE 26 
MOVIE "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' By Sapphire" 
OSCAR NOD Leading actress 
BACK STORY Sidibe was raised in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant and made her screen debut as an illiterate Harlem teenager named Claireece "Precious" Jones in this urban drama. Growing up in a rough neighborhood wasn't the only thing Sidibe shared with her character: Both are morbidly obese, with Precious variously described as weighing 300 to 350 pounds. (Sidibe weighs less, however.) Sidibe's performance reveals the kind of bravery - at one point she eats an entire bucket of fried chicken - that few other young actors would risk. 
NEXT The indie film "Yelling to the Sky," also starring Zoë Kravitz and <a href="/topics/Tim_Blake_Nelson">Tim Blake Nelson</a>. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actress-nominees-2010-1.1778853">Best actress nominees </a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-actress-2010-1.1738083">Who should win an Oscar for best actress?</a>

ETWOMEN07.WEB

It's a woman's world at this year's Oscars

0KYD4R0C.JPG

And the loser is . . . 
Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire." Anne Bancroft in "The Graduate." Al Pacino in "The Godfather." Bette Davis in "All About Eve." 
They're among the indelible performances that Oscar has spurned, contributing to a list that's often more memorable than the official rundown of winners: Stanley Kowalski and Mrs. Robinson, Michael Corleone and Margo Channing - all rejected. 
Such slights, misdeeds and surprises make the Academy Awards an irresistible, win-lose double feature, full of wincing, debating, guessing, wagering. Oscar sparks more arguments that Emmy, Tony and Grammy combined. 
So this story is devoted to the glorious losers. For space and sanity, it begins in the 1950s (so apologies to losers of earlier decades, such as "Citizen Kane," "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Duck Soup.") 
The envelopes, please. 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-picture-poll-1.1738035">Which movie should win an Oscar for best picture?</a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/liers-pick-their-oscar-favorites-1.1782778">Long Islanders pick their Oscar favorites</a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a> 
<h4>1950 Slipping in</h4> 
BEST ACTRESS Davis' fasten-your-seat-belts performance in "All About Eve" competed with Gloria Swanson's hypnotic turn in "Sunset Boulevard." But the Oscar went to Judy Holliday in "Born Yesterday." 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1951 Nostalgia</h4> 
BEST ACTOR Brando in "Streetcar" loses to Humphrey Bogart ("The African Queen"). Was this delayed compensation for the "Casablanca" affront? 
BEST PICTURE "An American in Paris" dances over "A Place in the Sun" and "Streetcar." 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1952 The worst, part I</h4> 
BEST PICTURE Cecil B. DeMille's three-ring soap opera, "The Greatest Show on Earth," wins. The classic, politically charged "High Noon" is left to clean up after the elephants. 
NOT NOMINATED "Singin' in the Rain" 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1956 The worst, part II</h4> 
BEST PICTURE The endless "Around the World in 80 Days" beats "Giant." 
NOT NOMINATED John Ford's towering Western "The Searchers." 
BEST ACTOR Kirk Douglas ("Lust for Life") loses to Yul Brynner ("The King and I"). 
NOT NOMINATED John Wayne ("The Searchers"). 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1958 Champagne and songs</h4> 
BEST PICTURE "Gigi" wins, continuing the costume-musical theme. 
NOT NOMINATED Alfred Hitchcock's peerless "Vertigo" and Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil." 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1964 Culture clash, part I</h4> 
BEST PICTURE "My Fair Lady" dances all night. (At least Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove" was nominated.) 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1967 Culture clash, part II</h4> 
BEST PICTURE "In the Heat of the Night" defeats "The Graduate" and "Bonnie and Clyde." 
BEST ACTRESS Katharine Hepburn wins for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," beating Bancroft as the carnivorous Mrs. Robinson. 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1968 Past as future</h4> 
BEST PICTURE The as-long-as-he-needs-me musical "Oliver!" nabs top honors. 
NOT NOMINATED "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Planet of the Apes" and Mel Brooks' "The Producers." ("Funny Girl," however, was.) 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1969 Duke-ing it out</h4> 
BEST ACTOR John Wayne rewarded for Rooster Cogburn in "True Grit," putting away Ratso Rizzo and Joe Buck (Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight) in "Midnight Cowboy," which wins best picture. 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1970 Warfare</h4> 
BEST PICTURE Traditional, serious "Patton" wins over nontraditional, hilarious "M*A*S*H." 
NOT NOMINATED Director Bob Rafelson for "Five Easy Pieces." 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1971 The chase</h4> 
BEST PICTURE "The French Connection" speeds ahead of "The Last Picture Show" and "A Clockwork Orange." 
NOT NOMINATED "McCabe &amp; Mrs. Miller" (and its director, Robert Altman). 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1972 High crimes</h4> 
SUPPORTING ACTOR Joel Grey ("Cabaret") robs Pacino ("The Godfather"). 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1973 Low crimes</h4> 
BEST PICTURE, DIRECTOR "The Sting" and director George Roy Hill. 
NOT NOMINATED "Mean Streets" and Martin Scorsese. 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1976 Punchy, part I</h4> 
BEST PICTURE In the year of "All the President's Men," "Network" and "Taxi Driver," best picture goes to "Rocky." 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1980 Punchy, part II</h4> 
BEST PICTURE "Ordinary People" KOs "Raging Bull." 
BEST DIRECTOR Likewise, Robert Redford decisions Martin Scorsese. 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1982: Size matters, part I</h4> 
BEST PICTURE "Gandhi" named over "Tootsie" and "E.T." 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1990 Whacked</h4> 
BEST PICTURE "Dances With Wolves" rubs out "GoodFellas." 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1996 Size matters, part II</h4> 
BEST PICTURE "The English Patient" wins; "Fargo" loses. 
&nbsp; 
<h4>1997 Sail away</h4> 
BEST PICTURE The year of "Titanic," not "L.A. Confidential." 
NOT NOMINATED Russell Crowe for "L.A. Confidential." 
&nbsp; 
<h4>2001 Best snub</h4> 
BEST ACTOR Temperamental Crowe ("A Beautiful Mind") loses to Denzel Washington ("Training Day"). 
&nbsp; 
<h4>2002 Off-key</h4> 
BEST ACTOR Daniel Day-Lewis' stunning portrayal of Bill the Butcher in "Gangs of New York" rejected in favor of Adrien Brody in "The Pianist."

ETPETER07.WEB

They lost? Oscar's biggest mistakes

Al Pacino in The Godfather 2

Moviegoers and commentators alike have noticed the similarities between two of the 10 films being considered for the Academy Award for best picture this year. "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" and "The Blind Side" both tackle the disenfranchisement and despair of black youth struggling with broken families. 
"Precious" is the story of Claireece Jones, who's known as Precious, a downtrodden teenage victim of emotional, sexual and physical violence. "The Blind Side" is the real-life story of an NFL player, <a href="/topics/Michael_Oher">Michael Oher</a>, another teenage victim of poverty and neglect. Both Precious and Michael are overweight, socially awkward, ashamed, withdrawn and seemingly unable to perform academically. Both offer blank stares into space and monosyllabic, mumbled answers in response to questions from teachers and social workers. Both are African-American, poor, and born into a cycle of addiction and abuse. They are the children of mothers inevitably portrayed as drug addicts and "welfare cheats." 
In short, theirs are the kind of sad stories that have long been fodder for national debates about the success or failure of government programs. These are debates about the size of government, and whether we should focus on social programs or individual responsibility - as if those choices have to be mutually exclusive. 
Both films share an unspoken opinion about just how to "save" the lost Precious girls and "Big Mikes" of the world. And the answer, each film argues in its own way, is not government, welfare, social workers or foster homes. 
As a cultural reporter who, for years, reviewed films about race and social issues, I normally would never have fallen for this kind of overt ideological pandering to right-wing conservatism - the kind of thinking that says the solution to all social ills is simply to change the bad behavior of impoverished minorities themselves. 
And yet, in watching these movies, I was struck by the fact that the right may have a point. While it's true that many right-wing social conservatives tend to oversimplify these issues - stripping them of all compassion and historical context - it is also true that sometimes the best individual solutions come from individual people. By reaching out to fix what's broken right in front of us, even on a small scale, we are the ones who create a context in which miracles can happen. 
Because even though government intervention may provide a path for her escape from abuse, what ultimately saves Precious is the behavior of specific people. Namely, it's the deep bond and trust that develops between her and her new teacher, Blu Rain ("Ms. Rain"), at the "alternative school" Precious attends with other troubled teens. 
In the 1996 novel that is the basis for the film, the author describes Precious' reaction to her new school as a feeling, "something like birds or light fly through my heart." Her feet stop. All is quiet. Suddenly, she is amazed to realize that she is sitting in the front row of a classroom, for the first time in her life. 
"Open your notebook, Precious," says Ms. Rain, at a critical point in the film. "I'm tired," answers Precious, who has just found out that she has contracted AIDS from her father, who has repeatedly raped and impregnated her. "I know you are," says Ms. Rain, "but you can't stop now Precious. You gotta push." 
And so it is Ms. Rain, who is also African-American, who brings Precious home to share the holidays with her and her lesbian lover - opening her heart to the student so completely that Precious can't help wondering, "How is it possible that these women who hardly know me, love me more than my own mother and father?" 
&nbsp; 
Similarly, "The Blind Side" offers up a moving, unsentimental portrait of <a href="/topics/Leigh_Anne_Tuohy">Leigh Anne</a> <a href="/topics/Leigh_Anne_Tuohy">Tuohy</a>, a politically conservative, white Southerner from <a href="/topics/Memphis">Memphis</a>. 
"Do you have any place to stay tonight?" she asks Michael, who is wearing only a T-shirt and cutoff pants when her family's SUV crosses paths with him on a cold, rainy night. 
He nods yes. In truth he has been homeless for much of his life, making his way between foster homes and friends' couches, and changing schools about once a year. 
"Don't you dare lie to me," says <a href="/topics/Leigh_Anne_Tuohy">Tuohy</a> firmly, ushering him into the car. At that, we in the audience shift in our seats a little; sit up straighter, brighter. <a href="/topics/Leigh_Anne_Tuohy">Tuohy</a>, like Ms. Rain, is the character we've been waiting for. 
She escapes the trap a guilt-ridden liberal might fall into by being honest: by admitting to worrying that Michael, now safely tucked into her mansion home, might actually rob her blind; and by admitting that she's terrified when traveling to his part of town. She doesn't pretend that she has it all figured out, and she wouldn't dream of claiming to be anyone's savior. 
&nbsp; 
And so, in the end, what "saves" both Michael and Precious is much deeper and richer than the mean-spirited, simplistic individualism promoted by so many right-wing political conservatives. 
What saves them is love. 
And for those real-life <a href="/topics/Michael_Oher">Michael Oher</a>s and Claireece Joneses whose lives have been fundamentally changed by a teacher, a coach, a mentor or a surrogate mother, I doubt that any of the convoluted theories from either side - liberals or conservatives - matters much in the end. 
Not in comparison to a real-life Ms. Rain or a <a href="/topics/Leigh_Anne_Tuohy">Leigh Anne Tuohy</a>. 
&nbsp; 
Kristal Brent Zook, the author of "I See Black People" and "Black Women's Lives," is an associate professor of journalism at <a href="/topics/Hofstra_University">Hofstra University</a>.

Opinion

Commentary

OPZOO07

'Precious' and 'Blind Side' on our social ills

On Oscar night, <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/mo-nique-1.1790432">Mo'Nique</a> will be vying for <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/mo-nique-is-the-one-to-beat-for-supporting-actress-1.1789205">best supporting actress</a> for her role in the movie "Precious." Will she win her first Oscar? We don't know for sure, but one thing is certain ... she won't shave those hairy legs! Yes, Mo'Nique has hairy legs and she's proud of them. She was recently spotted showing off her furry legs at the Golden Globes and was unapologetic about them during an appearance on "The View." She explained to Barbara Walters, "I must show <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/United+States" title="United States">America</a> what a real leg looks like . . . because it's too much in the morning, every morning, to shave, to cut, you got Band-aids baby," she said. I'd understand if she chose not to shave her legs during the winter because no one will see them. But wouldn't you at least consider shaving your legs on one of the most important nights of your acting career? Or is it OK to go against the grain? 
<img align="left" alt="" style="padding: 15px 15px 15px 0px;" src="http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.1794598.1267801476!/image/1212465534.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_290/1212465534.jpg"> I asked the ladies in our Pet Rock offices for their opinion on this hair-raising issue: Martha: No, that's gross especially if you are going out to a fancy event. Even if I'm wearing pants and no one is going to see them but me, I can't do it. But to each their own. I heard she says her man likes it like that! Then again, didn't she also say she gives her man a free pass to sleep with other women? 
Anne: On seeing the picture of Mo'Nique and Barbara Walters, at first i was alarmed. But then I had a change of heart. There's something almost liberating about the fact that a major star walks around unapologetically with very hairy legs! She's confident, she looks good... but what will happen at the Oscars? And is this a statement on her part or just laziness or neither, a non-issue in her mind. Jessica: Not shaving is absolutely fine, as long as you don't wear a dress, fancy shoes and appear on television. What do you think? Should Mo'Nique shave her legs for the Oscars? <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/pet-rock-1.811972/should-mo-nique-shave-her-legs-for-the-oscars-1.1794582/7.1104053?view=blogPostComments#post_comment">Click here</a> to leave a comment. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/mo-nique-1.1790432">Mo'Nique through the years.</a> 
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ABC&nbsp;Photos

Should Mo'Nique shave her legs for the Oscars?

p2WALTERS

No one ever said a movie about a bomb squad in <a href="/topics/Iraq">Iraq</a> would do booming business. And it hasn't. 
If Kathryn Bigelow's war drama, "The Hurt Locker," wins the best picture Oscar Sunday night, not only will its producers earn some gold statuettes, they'll have the dubious distinction of having made the lowest-grossing film to nail the academy's top honor in more than 50 years. To date, "The Hurt Locker" has grossed a mere $12.6 million domestically, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. Even with foreign grosses of $7.3 million tossed in for good measure, "The Hurt Locker's" worldwide box office is still hurting. 
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The last time a best picture winner made less was in 1955, when "Marty" grossed $3 million domestically. Adjust "Marty's" grosses for inflation, however, and they translate to $23.77 million, which still tops "The Hurt Locker." 
Not that academy members have been looking at dollar signs in recent years when marking the best picture box on their Oscar ballots. The 2005 drama "Crash," which grossed only $54.6 million domestically, was the lowest-grossing best picture winner since "The Last Emperor" in 1987 (its U.S. take was only $44 million). And "No Country for Old Men," which won two years ago, topped out at $74.3 million. Even 2004's "<a href="/topics/Million_Dollar_Baby">Million Dollar Baby</a>" just barely tipped the $100-million mark. 
Of course, a win for "The Hurt Locker" is hardly a lock. It faces stiff competition from "Avatar," whose victory, ironically, would make it the highest-grossing best picture winner of all time. Although Scarlett O'Hara might say "fiddle-dee-dee" to that. Adjust the previous 81 winners' grosses for inflation, and "Gone With the Wind" is still the all-time champ with a domestic gross of $1.537 billion. Even Rhett Butler would give a damn about that. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-picture-nominees-2010-1.1778799">Best picture nominees</a> 
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&nbsp;

ETBUZZB07

'The Hurt Locker': Will it be grossly overlooked?

For the very first ceremony, there were two. 
For the second, there was one. 
To mark the 20th anniversary, there were none at all. 
Of thee I speak, Oscar host - ever-protean, and undeniably brave, you can make a show or break it, but typically you are up there on the stage all by yourself. 
It's a lonely job and an almost comically stressful one - you are, after all, playing to the toughest house in the world - which may be why the <a href="/topics/Academy_of_Motion_Picture_Arts_and_Sciences">Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</a> has spread the wealth over the decades. Of 81 ceremonies, 19 had multiple hosts, while seven had no hosts at all. 
On Sunday, the ceremony goes back to two hosts for the first time in 53 years - although there were three as recently as 1987. Why this sudden switch from the tried-and-(sometimes)-true solo format? 
To the questions. 
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Why two hosts instead of just one? 
There are a few reasons, including the inescapable conclusion that both <a href="/topics/Alec_Baldwin">Alec Baldwin</a> and <a href="/topics/Steve_Martin">Steve Martin</a> starred in "It's Complicated," which this year's ceremony producers hoped would be an even bigger hit than it turned out to be. But there is logic to the two-versus-one argument. Two can banter with each other. Two can play off each other. Two can bring more energy, zing and (ideally) fun. There are even two producers of Sunday's 82nd annual ceremony. 
Bill <a href="/topics/Bill_Mechanic">Mechanic</a> - who's co-producing with choreographer and "<a href="/topics/So_You_Think_You_Can_Dance">So You Think You Can Dance</a>" judge Adam <a href="/topics/Adam_Shankman">Shankman</a> - told Advertising Age recently, "We have two goals - one is make it shorter; two is make it funnier." He added that by having different hosts "intersecting throughout the evening will make the show different in and of itself." 
Fine, but why is "different" better? 
Honestly, have you ever heard an Oscars producer exclaim with great enthusiasm, "We're going to be the same old program?" Over 81 editions, the academy's biggest show has symbolized a struggle of past versus present. The academy wants to honor (understandably) its rich tradition. The academy also wants to mount a brisk television show that will attract and hold the same young viewers who have spent money on movies - and will continue to do so. 
This also may be a case of two hosts exceeding the sum of their individual parts. On his own, Martin would feel a bit like a throwback to yesteryear. He was the mostly well-regarded host of the 2000 and '03 ceremonies, even though he hasn't been a major screen star since the late '80s. 
Meanwhile, Baldwin is nowadays more closely associated with the tube ("30 Rock") than his long, big-screen career in the minds of Oscar viewers. Together, Martin and Baldwin bridge the old with the new, the past with the present, the big screen with the small. You might call them Oscar's "fusion" hosts. 
Why comedians? 
Gil Cates, the veteran Oscar producer, explains that as a "general rule, standup comics or actors with comedy experience have proven to be the best hosts because they're used to the surprise element of people doing things that are not expected. They can handle that surprise element, going back to <a href="/topics/Bob_Hope">Bob Hope</a> and <a href="/topics/Johnny_Carson">Johnny Carson</a> and <a href="/topics/Billy_Crystal">Billy Crystal</a>. ... I always tried to find someone who had the ability to do what used to be called 'running a room,' assessing what could work and what could not work." While Baldwin is a comic actor as opposed to a standup, Cates says he has "an ability to be spontaneous." 
OK, I'm sold. But why these two wonderful, past-middle-age dudes? 
Ah, maybe you are not sold. Maybe you think they're a little too creaky, or a little too "past" versus future. Maybe you would have preferred <a href="/topics/Sacha_Baron_Cohen">Sacha Baron Cohen</a> - reportedly the first choice of both Mechanic and Shankman until the academy bosses said, "No way." (He'll present, instead.) Or Steve Carell or <a href="/topics/Ed_Helms">Ed Helms</a> or <a href="/topics/Zach_Galifianakis">Zach Galifianakis</a> or <a href="/topics/Tina_Fey">Tina Fey</a> or ... 
Tom O'Neil, the veteran Emmy/Oscar watcher and blogger for theenvelope.com, explains that the academy may have felt "they made the mistake of bringing in rent-a-clowns from <a href="/topics/New_York%2C_NY">New York</a>, like <a href="/topics/Jon_Stewart">Jon Stewart</a> or <a href="/topics/Chris_Rock">Chris Rock</a>" in recent past ceremonies. Instead, Baldwin and Martin "are <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a> insiders, and this is a <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a> family reunion." 
Do the hosts really make all that much of a difference? 
Perhaps a question for another day, but the role of one host - or two, three or six - is largely confined to just the opening monologue and a few points thereafter. Martin and Baldwin will have just a few minutes to win over this tough crowd. Of course, it will help extravagantly if they have anything approaching the material of five-time host <a href="/topics/Johnny_Carson">Johnny Carson</a>, who could handle the job all by himself. 
A sampling (from 1984): "My personal life has been exactly like this year's <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a>. It started off with 'Terms of Endearment,' I thought I had 'The Right Stuff,' it cost a lot to 'Dresser,' then came 'The Big Chill' and for the last month I've been begging for 'Tender Mercies.'" 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
<h3>Oscar nights with a host of hosts</h3> 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The concept of multiple Oscar hosts has waxed and waned over the years. Here's a look back: 
&nbsp; 
1987 - Chevy Chase, <a href="/topics/Goldie_Hawn">Goldie Hawn</a> and <a href="/topics/Paul_Hogan">Paul Hogan</a> 
1986 - <a href="/topics/Alan_Alda">Alan Alda</a>, <a href="/topics/Jane_Fonda">Jane Fonda</a> and <a href="/topics/Robin_Williams">Robin Williams</a> 
1983 - <a href="/topics/Liza_Minnelli">Liza Minnelli</a>, <a href="/topics/Dudley_Moore">Dudley Moore</a>, <a href="/topics/Richard_Pryor">Richard Pryor</a> and <a href="/topics/Walter_Matthau">Walter Matthau</a> 
1977 - <a href="/topics/Warren_Beatty">Warren Beatty</a>, <a href="/topics/Ellen_Burstyn">Ellen Burstyn</a>, <a href="/topics/Jane_Fonda">Jane Fonda</a> and <a href="/topics/Richard_Pryor">Richard Pryor</a> 
1976 - <a href="/topics/Goldie_Hawn">Goldie Hawn</a>, <a href="/topics/Gene_Kelly">Gene Kelly</a>, <a href="/topics/Walter_Matthau">Walter Matthau</a>, <a href="/topics/George_Segal">George Segal</a> and <a href="/topics/Robert_Shaw">Robert Shaw</a> 
1975 - <a href="/topics/Sammy_Davis">Sammy Davis</a> Jr., <a href="/topics/Bob_Hope">Bob Hope</a>, <a href="/topics/Shirley_MacLaine">Shirley MacLaine</a> and <a href="/topics/Frank_Sinatra">Frank Sinatra</a> 
1974 - <a href="/topics/John_Huston">John Huston</a>, <a href="/topics/Burt_Reynolds">Burt Reynolds</a>, <a href="/topics/David_Niven">David Niven</a> and <a href="/topics/Diana_Ross">Diana Ross</a> 
1973 - <a href="/topics/Carol_Burnett">Carol Burnett</a>, <a href="/topics/Michael_Caine">Michael Caine</a>, <a href="/topics/Charlton_Heston">Charlton Heston</a> and <a href="/topics/Rock_Hudson">Rock Hudson</a> 
1972 - <a href="/topics/Helen_Hayes">Helen Hayes</a>, <a href="/topics/Alan_King">Alan King</a>, <a href="/topics/Sammy_Davis">Sammy Davis</a> Jr. and <a href="/topics/Jack_Lemmon">Jack Lemmon</a> 
1959 - <a href="/topics/Bob_Hope">Bob Hope</a>, <a href="/topics/Tony_Randall">Tony Randall</a>, Mort Sahl, <a href="/topics/David_Niven">David Niven</a>, <a href="/topics/Laurence_Olivier">Laurence Olivier</a> and <a href="/topics/Jerry_Lewis">Jerry Lewis</a> 
1958 - <a href="/topics/Bob_Hope">Bob Hope</a>, <a href="/topics/David_Niven">David Niven</a>, James Stewart, <a href="/topics/Jack_Lemmon">Jack Lemmon</a> and <a href="/topics/Rosalind_Russell">Rosalind Russell</a> 
1957 - <a href="/topics/Jerry_Lewis">Jerry Lewis</a> and Celeste Holm 
1956 - <a href="/topics/Jerry_Lewis">Jerry Lewis</a>, <a href="/topics/Claudette_Colbert">Claudette Colbert</a> and <a href="/topics/Joseph_L._Mankiewicz">Joseph L. Mankiewicz</a> 
1955 - <a href="/topics/Bob_Hope">Bob Hope</a> and Thelma Ritter 
1954 - <a href="/topics/Donald_O%27Connor">Donald O'Connor</a> and Fredric March 
1953 - <a href="/topics/Bob_Hope">Bob Hope</a> and Conrad Nagel 
1946 - <a href="/topics/Bob_Hope">Bob Hope</a> and James Stewart 
1945 - <a href="/topics/Bob_Hope">Bob Hope</a> and John Cromwell 
1929 - Douglas Fairbanks and William C. deMille 
&nbsp; 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-picture-poll-1.1738035">Which movie should win an Oscar for best picture?</a> 
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ETHOST07.WEB

It's not complicated: Baldwin, Martin host the Oscars

For the first time in a while, those final few envelopes near the end of Sunday's Oscar broadcast might actually provide some nail-biting moments. "Avatar" seems a shoo-in for best picture, while <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn Bigelow</a> seems destined for best director, but there's always room for an upset. No matter what happens, though, it's always fun to root for your favorites and play armchair quarterback, so here are our picks for the evening.&nbsp; 
BEST PICTURE 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/review-jaw-dropping-effects-in-avatar-1.1650626">"Avatar"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/sandra-bullock-adopts-in-the-blind-side-1.1602425">"The Blind Side"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/district-9-is-sci-fi-at-its-best-1.1363268">"District 9"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/carey-mulligan-comes-of-age-in-an-education-1.1493247">"An Education"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/the-hurt-locker-1.1306011">"The Hurt Locker"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/brad-pitt-s-got-guts-and-they-belong-to-dead-nazis-1.1380404?qr=1">"Inglourious Basterds"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/precious-shows-that-beauty-more-than-skin-deep-1.1568524">"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/coen-brothers-comedic-look-at-a-serious-man-1.1489652">"A Serious Man"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/up-1.1237867">"Up"</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/upside-of-downsizing-is-up-in-the-air-1.1633706">"Up in the Air"</a> 
SHOULD WIN "Avatar." For its ambition, scope and sheer wow-ness, this one is tough to beat. 
WILL WIN "Avatar" 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-picture-poll-1.1738035">Which movie should win an Oscar for best picture?</a> 
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&nbsp; 
BEST ACTOR 
<a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Jeff Bridges</a>, "Crazy Heart" 
<a href="/topics/George_Clooney">George Clooney</a>, "Up in the Air" 
Colin <a href="/topics/Colin_Firth">Firth</a>, "A Single Man" 
<a href="/topics/Morgan_Freeman">Morgan Freeman</a>, "Invictus" 
<a href="/topics/Jeremy_Renner">Jeremy Renner</a>, "<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>" 
SHOULD WIN Firth. His portrayal of a gay college professor living in 1962 was astoundingly subtle and complex. 
WILL WIN <a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Bridges</a>. He's eminently lovable as a washed-up country singer, and the academy owes this veteran an Oscar. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actor-nominees-2010-1.1778909">Best actor nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actor-1.1738075">Who should win an Oscar for best actor?</a> 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
SUPPORTING ACTOR 
<a href="/topics/Matt_Damon">Matt Damon</a>, "Invictus" 
<a href="/topics/Woody_Harrelson">Woody Harrelson</a>, "The Messenger" 
<a href="/topics/Christopher_Plummer">Christopher Plummer</a>, "The Last Station" 
<a href="/topics/Stanley_Tucci">Stanley Tucci</a>, "The Lovely Bones" 
Christoph <a href="/topics/Christoph_Waltz">Waltz</a>, "Inglourious Basterds" 
SHOULD WIN Waltz. Without his happy-go-lucky Nazi Col. Landa, "Basterds" wouldn't have been half as much fun. 
WILL WIN Waltz 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actor-2010-1.1778952">Best supporting actor nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actor-2010-1.1778969">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actor?</a> 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
BEST ACTRESS 
<a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Sandra Bullock</a>, "The Blind Side" 
<a href="/topics/Helen_Mirren">Helen Mirren</a>, "The Last Station" 
Carey <a href="/topics/Carey_Mulligan">Mulligan</a>, "An Education" 
<a href="/topics/Gabourey_Sidibe">Gabourey Sidibe</a>, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" 
<a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Meryl Streep</a>, "Julie &amp; Julia" 
SHOULD WIN Mulligan. As a British schoolgirl seduced by an older man, she's convincing, charming and ultimately heartbreaking. 
WILL WIN <a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Bullock</a>. Her role as a heartland mom earned grudging respect from critics and struck a chord with audiences. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actress-nominees-2010-1.1778853">Best actress nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actress-1.1738083">Who should win an Oscar for best actress?</a> 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
SUPPORTING ACTRESS 
Penélope Cruz, "Nine" 
<a href="/topics/Vera_Farmiga">Vera Farmiga</a>, "Up in the Air" 
<a href="/topics/Maggie_Gyllenhaal">Maggie Gyllenhaal</a>, "Crazy Heart" 
<a href="/topics/Anna_Kendrick">Anna Kendrick</a>, "Up in the Air" 
<a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Mo'Nique</a>, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" 
SHOULD WIN Mo'<a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Nique</a>. In a movie full of harrowing moments, she provided most of them as a monstrously abusive mother. 
WILL WIN <a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Mo'Nique</a> 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actress-nominees-1.1778989">Best supporting actress nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actress-2010-1.1779013">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actress?</a> 
&nbsp; 
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE 
"Coraline" 
"<a href="/topics/Fantastic_Mr._Fox_%28film%29">Fantastic Mr. Fox</a>" 
"The Princess and the Frog" 
"The Secret of Kells" 
"Up" 
SHOULD WIN "<a href="/topics/Fantastic_Mr._Fox_%28film%29">Fantastic Mr. Fox</a>." <a href="/topics/Wes_Anderson">Wes Anderson</a>'s stop-motion feature is visually and verbally hilarious, with a sly undercurrent of serious philosophy. 
WILL WIN "Up." This was a bona fide crowd-pleaser, and its simultaneous nod for best picture shows how highly it's regarded. 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
BEST DIRECTOR 
<a href="/topics/James_Cameron">James Cameron</a>, "Avatar" 
<a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn</a> <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a>, "<a href="/topics/The_Hurt_Locker_%28film%29">The Hurt Locker</a>" 
<a href="/topics/Quentin_Tarantino">Quentin Tarantino</a>, "Inglourious Basterds" 
<a href="/topics/Lee_Daniels">Lee Daniels</a>, "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" 
<a href="/topics/Jason_Reitman">Jason Reitman</a>, "Up in the Air" 
SHOULD WIN <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a>, who deserves to become the first female director ever to win this award. 
WILL WIN <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-best-director-2010-1.1791233">Best director nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-best-director-poll-2010-1.1791212">Who should win an Oscar for best director?</a>

ETRAFER07.WEB

Our critic's picks for the Oscars

Three heavyweights, a provocateur and a crowd-pleasing funnyman - these are the contenders for this year's best director Oscar. As for the front-runner, you may be surprised: It's a woman. WHO <a href="/topics/James_Cameron">James Cameron</a> 
THE MOVIE "<a href="/topics/Avatar_%28movie%29">Avatar</a>" 
THE DEAL His last blockbuster, 1997's "Titanic," earned <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a> for best picture and best director. "<a href="/topics/Avatar_%28movie%29">Avatar</a>" won the <a href="/topics/Golden_Globe_Awards">Golden Globe</a> equivalents as well. But he may have to give up one Oscar this year to his ex-wife, <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn Bigelow</a>. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-best-director-2010-1.1791233">Best director nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-best-director-poll-2010-1.1791212">Who should win an Oscar for best director?</a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a> 
 WHO <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn</a> <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> 
THE MOVIE "The Hurt Locker" 
THE DEAL <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> this year became the first woman to win the Directors Guild of America's top honor. The DGA has a near-perfect track record of predicting the Oscar, which means <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> could become the first woman to win that award, too. 
&nbsp; WHO <a href="/topics/Lee_Daniels">Lee Daniels</a> 
THE MOVIE "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" 
THE DEAL Racial stereotypes be damned: <a href="/topics/Lee_Daniels">Daniels</a> went ahead and delved into the ugly life of an obese, abused, illiterate black teenager in this urban drama. Still, it's his actors - newcomer <a href="/topics/Gabourey_Sidibe">Gabourey Sidibe</a> and comedian <a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Mo'Nique</a> - who have gotten the Oscar buzz. 
&nbsp; WHO Quentin <a href="/topics/Quentin_Tarantino">Tarantino</a> 
THE MOVIE "Inglourious Basterds" 
THE DEAL Tarantino's gonzo <a href="/topics/World_War_II">World War II</a> epic wowed critics and did well at the box office, but it may not be enough to beat <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a>, whose <a href="/topics/Iraq_War">Iraq war</a> film was unrelentingly realistic. 
&nbsp; WHO Jason <a href="/topics/Jason_Reitman">Reitman</a> 
THE MOVIE "Up in the Air" 
THE DEAL Somehow, this popular and timely comedy has gone from Oscar favorite to dark horse. This is Reitman's second directing nod, after "Juno," and at 32 he's young enough to wait his turn for a win. 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-best-director-poll-2010-1.1791212">Who should win an Oscar for best director?</a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a>

ETOSC04.WEB

Best director selection may not be a guy thing

On Sunday night, I'll be watching the <a href="http://www.newsday.com/oscars">Academy Awards</a> along with the rest of America. I'm hoping to catch some fun moments, such as <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/mo-nique-is-the-one-to-beat-for-supporting-actress-1.1789205">Mo'Nique</a> sporting those now-famous hairy legs, Alec Baldwin squaring off with Steve Martin, and a few on-camera slip-ups! However, I'm most curious to see which movie will get an "Oscar bump" after the awards show has come and gone. Have you ever noticed that Best Picture winners seem to do better at the box office after the Oscars? (See photos of <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-picture-nominees-2010-1.1778799">Best Picture nominees</a>) 
It makes total sense. The Oscars is a great place to promote a movie because everyone is tuning in. Last year, I had no interest in "Slumdog Millionaire" but after seeing it win a truckload of Oscars, I felt a strong urge to watch the movie. Plus, you have to admit the "Jai Ho" song from the "Slumdog" soundtrack was pretty catchy! <a href="http://www.hollywood.com/feature/Oscars_Box_Office_Bump/6783574">Hollywood.com</a> has caught onto the "Oscar bump" and even has an interesting chart of past winners to illustrate it. 
<img align="left" src="http://cdn.newsday.com/polopoly_fs/1.1792963.1267726576!/image/3054372769.jpg" style="padding: 15px 15px 15px 0px;" alt=""> While you're in the mood for Oscars, take a look at Newsday's coverage of the big show at <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">newsday.com/oscars</a>. 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/liers-pick-their-oscar-favorites-1.1782778">Long Islanders pick their Oscar favorites </a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a> 
Photo: Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are co-hosts for the Academy Awards (ABC photo)

Oscars' Box Office Bump

In a field of terrific supporting actresses, the Oscar seems destined to go to a woman who, at least initially, seemed reluctant to publicly campaign for it. Here's the lineup. 
&nbsp; WHO Mo'Nique 
MOVIE "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" 
THE DEAL Critics said the comedian should have done more to publicize this film and her own amazing performance as an abusive mother. Then she won a <a href="/topics/Golden_Globe_Awards">Golden Globe</a> and began appearing more in the media. Now she's the front-runner, and deservedly so. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actress-nominees-1.1778989">Best supporting actress nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actress-2010-1.1779013">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actress?</a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a> 
 WHO <a href="/topics/Vera_Farmiga">Vera Farmiga</a> 
MOVIE "Up in the Air" 
THE DEAL At 36, <a href="/topics/Vera_Farmiga">Farmiga</a> emerges in this movie as a bona fide movie star: smart, beautiful and glamorous enough to rock <a href="/topics/George_Clooney">George Clooney</a> back on his heels. As for the Oscar, she'll have other years. 
&nbsp; WHO Anna <a href="/topics/Anna_Kendrick">Kendrick</a> 
MOVIE "Up in the Air" 
THE DEAL Best known as <a href="/topics/Kristen_Stewart">Kristen Stewart</a>'s sidekick in the "Twilight" flicks, Kendrick showed she could do more by playing a cold but vulnerable businesswoman. A breakthrough role but probably not a gold winner. 
 WHO <a href="/topics/Maggie_Gyllenhaal">Maggie Gyllenhaal</a> 
MOVIE "Crazy Heart" 
THE DEAL As the girlfriend of a broken-down country star (<a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Jeff Bridges</a>), <a href="/topics/Maggie_Gyllenhaal">Gyllenhaal</a> put as much as she could into a thinly written role. The nomination, her first, is praise enough. 
 WHO Penélope Cruz 
MOVIE "Nine" 
THE DEAL A decent role (as the mistress of an arrogant film director) but a miserably bad movie. Not a chance. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actress-nominees-1.1778989">Best supporting actress nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actress-2010-1.1779013">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actress?</a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a>

ETOSCB03.WEB

Mo'Nique is the one to beat for supporting actress

PRECIOUS

Four of the five names in this year's race for the supporting actor Oscar are immediately recognizable to most Americans. As for the one that's not, well, place your money on him. 
 WHO <a href="/topics/Woody_Harrelson">Woody Harrelson</a> 
MOVIE "The Messenger" 
THE DEAL <a href="/topics/Woody_Harrelson">Harrelson</a> was terrific as a damaged soldier in this war drama, but a certain Austrian seems certain to edge him out. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actor-2010-1.1778952">Best supporting actor nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actor-2010-1.1778969">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actor?</a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a> 
 WHO <a href="/topics/Matt_Damon">Matt Damon</a> 
MOVIE "Invictus" 
THE DEAL This would be <a href="/topics/Matt_Damon">Damon</a>'s first acting Oscar (he won for the screenplay for "Good Will Hunting," with <a href="/topics/Ben_Affleck">Ben Affleck</a>). But although <a href="/topics/Matt_Damon">Damon</a>'s face is big on the posters for "Invictus," his role is oddly small. 
&nbsp; WHO Christopher <a href="/topics/Christopher_Plummer">Plummer</a> 
MOVIE "The Last Station" 
THE DEAL Amazingly, this is Plummer's first nomination (he plays an aging Leo Tolstoy). But the 80-year-old actor may have to wait for his first win. 
&nbsp; WHO Stanley <a href="/topics/Stanley_Tucci">Tucci</a> 
MOVIE "The Lovely Bones" 
THE DEAL Tucci plays a terrific creep in this chiller, but this nomination (his first) was the wrong one: He was far better as the elegant Paul Child in "Julie &amp; Julia." 
&nbsp; WHO <a href="/topics/Christoph_Waltz">Christoph Waltz</a> 
MOVIE "Inglourious Basterds" 
THE DEAL This 53-year-old unknown (outside his native Austria, at least) completely stole this movie as the world's cheeriest Nazi. Conventional wisdom, and a <a href="/topics/Golden_Globe_Awards">Golden Globe</a>, says he's the shoo-in. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-supporting-actor-2010-1.1778952">Best supporting actor nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-supporting-actor-2010-1.1778969">Who should win an Oscar for best supporting actor?</a> 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a>

ETOSC03.WEB

Go with the long shot for best supporting actor

A producer of the war story "The Hurt Locker" will not be allowed to attend Sunday's <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a> because of e-mails he sent urging academy members to vote for his movie, The Associated Press reports. 
But Nicolas Chartier will receive an Oscar at a later date if "The Hurt Locker" wins best picture. The executive committee of the producers branch of the <a href="/topics/Academy_of_Motion_Picture_Arts_and_Sciences">Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</a> imposed the penalty on Chartier, who violated Oscar rules that prohibit mailings promoting a film and disparaging another. 
Chartier sent an e-mail Feb. 19 to some academy members asking for their support for "The Hurt Locker," "not a "$500 million film" - an obvious reference to blockbuster best-picture contender "Avatar." 
Subsequent e-mails, posted by the <a href="/topics/Los_Angeles_Times">Los Angeles Times</a>, showed Chartier asking Oscar voters to rank "The Hurt Locker" at No. 1 and "Avatar" at No. 10 among this year's best-picture lineup of 10 films. 
Chartier apologized in a subsequent e-mail. 
"My naivete, ignorance of the rules and plain stupidity as a first-time nominee is not an excuse for this behavior and I strongly regret it," Chartier wrote. 
He did not immediately return a call yesterday seeking comment on the academy's penalty. Officials at Summit Entertainment, which released "The Hurt Locker," declined to comment. 
" The Hurt Locker" and "Avatar" lead the Oscar field with nine nominations each. Chartier's penalty does not affect the other three producers, who are free to attend the Oscars.

ETHURT03

'Hurt Locker' producer barred from Oscars

The Kodak Theatre goes quiet as the big screen at center stage begins flashing images of actors and filmmakers who have died. A photo of <a href="/topics/Heath_Ledger">Heath Ledger</a> or <a href="/topics/Paul_Newman">Paul Newman</a> might move the audience to spontaneous applause. Other images inspire deep sighs, as viewers reflect on the entertainers who have touched our lives. 
The In Memoriam segment can be the most moving part of the Oscar telecast. It’s also the toughest to produce. 
“It is the single most troubling element of the Oscar show every year,” says Bruce Davis, executive director of the <a href="/topics/Academy_of_Motion_Picture_Arts_and_Sciences">Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</a>. “Because more people die each year than can possibly be included in that segment.” 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a> 
Davis’ office keeps a running list of academy members and others in the movie business who have passed since the previous year’s segment was compiled. Then, a few weeks before the awards, he&nbsp; and a small committee of academy officials whittle the list of more than 100 names down to the 30 or so folks who will be included in the show’s memorial — from the famous faces viewers at home are sure to recognize to the behind-the-scenes workers familiar only to academy members.&nbsp;&nbsp; 
“It gets close to agonizing by the end,” Davis says of the annual meeting. “You are dropping people who the public knows. It’s just not comfortable.” 
Oscar’s In Memoriam montage began in the early 1990s and other awards shows followed suit, including the <a href="/topics/Screen_Actors_Guild_Awards">Screen Actors Guild Awards</a>, Grammys and <a href="/topics/Emmy_Awards">Emmys</a> — all of which go through the same painful process every year. 
“It’s a killer because we have hundreds of members that pass each year and we can’t get them all in,” says <a href="/topics/Screen_Actors_Guild_Awards">SAG Awards</a> producer Kathy Connell. 
The film academy gives its final list of in-memoriam honorees to the producer of the segment just days before the big show. Chuck Workman, who is producing the memorial montage for Sunday’s telecast, says he was working with a temporary list until last week. 
Many of the names made the final cut, he says, but some did not. 
“It’s a constant balance for the academy,” says Workman, who has 20 years of experience making film montages for the Oscar show. 
"They do try their best, but there’s only so many spots.” 
Workman says his first step would normally be to choose “some schmaltzy music” to accompany the segment, but this year the&nbsp; music “is coming directly from something they’re doing for the show.” 
Workman’s task, then, is to find footage and photographs that best represent the 30 or so people in the memorial piece. He looks for images that “they would be proud of, their families would be proud of and the people in the audience would be proud of.” 
For Patrick Swayze, who died Sept. 14, Workman picked clips from “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost.” 
But Workman notes that “In ’Ghost,’ you don’t want it to look too much like he died.” 
Using computers and digital editing software, he assembles the sequence like a puzzle. 
“It’s very tricky,” he says. “You want a good juxtaposition, but you don’t want it to be too cute. It’s really an honor to the people who&nbsp; died.” 
Davis, meanwhile, is already prepared for the calls he always gets after the show from family members upset that their loved one&nbsp; wasn’t included in the memorial piece. 
“They’re brokenhearted sometimes,” Davis says. “There’s nothing you can say that will make them feel better. 
“I always hope that they take some comfort that the very fact that they worked in movies confers a certain amount of immortality ... and their work lasts longer than being briefly acknowledged in a short clip sequence at one show in one year.” 
Still, he takes the calls personally and feels the callers’ pain. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
Davis says he’s “never had an enjoyable year” working on Oscar’s memorial segment. But it’s always worth it to pay tribute to those who have died. 
“Even though I’ve been keeping the list as we went along, it’s always stirring to see it all assembled and just remember how&nbsp; much extraordinary work a list of 25 to 30 people may represent,” he says. “It’s important because even though every given <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a> broadcast is about the year just past, this is a way of evoking the whole history of movies.” 
VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for Oscar-nominated movies</a> 
MORE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the </a><a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Academy Awards</a>

etmemo04

'In Memoriam' is touching to watch, painful to make

In this year's category for the Best Actress Oscar, there probably won't be any big upset. In fact, that in itself is the upset: Is <a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Sandra Bullock</a> really guaranteed to take it from <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Meryl</a> <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Streep</a>? Read on. 
&nbsp; ACTRESS <a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Sandra Bullock</a> 
MOVIE "The Blind Side" 
THE DEAL Thespian-snobs may be wondering why this lightweight suddenly became a contender. Get ready: Bullock seems sure to win for her sincere performance as a wealthy Southerner who adopts a black teen in this heartland-targeted, box-office smash. 
 ACTRESS <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Meryl Streep</a> 
MOVIE "Julie &amp; Julia" 
THE DEAL Fluffy movies like this don't often win <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a>, but ask yourself this: Why would <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Streep</a> care? With two statues on her mantel and 16 nominations, <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Streep</a> has been defying <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a> wisdom by starring in hugely popular comedies even as she approaches 60. Oscar? She don't need no stinking Oscar! 
&nbsp; ACTRESS Gabourey <a href="/topics/Gabourey_Sidibe">Sidibe</a> 
MOVIE "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by <a href="/topics/Sapphire">Sapphire</a>" 
THE DEAL In her first proper screen role, Sidibe put herself on the line playing an obese, sexually abused teenager in a movie that some critics saw as black stereotyping. Call this nomination a badge of courage. 
 ACTRESS Helen <a href="/topics/Helen_Mirren">Mirren</a> 
MOVIE "The Last Station" 
THE DEAL Mirren has the requisite skills and poise, but this little-seen picture about Leo Tolstoy's later years didn't get much buzz. Plus, she already has a statue for "The Queen" (2006). 
 ACTRESS <a href="/topics/Carey_Mulligan">Carey Mulligan</a> 
MOVIE "An Education" 
THE DEAL This newcomer won't win, but that doesn't matter. Her lovely, heartbreaking performance in <a href="/topics/Lone_Scherfig">Lone Scherfig</a>'s coming-of-age film will be remembered as the moment a star was born.

ETENT02.WEB

Academy Award voters could be on Bullock's 'Side'

This year's horse race for the leading actor Oscar has been tumultuous. The initial front-runner became the also-ran, the dark horse became the odds-on favorite and the rest of the pack fell by the wayside. Here's a look at the contenders: 
ACTOR <a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Jeff</a> <a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Bridges</a> 
MOVIE "Crazy Heart" 
THE DEAL Fox Searchlight's last-minute entry into the Oscar race showed good timing: All of a sudden, <a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Bridges</a>' portrayal of a broken-down country singer is the one to beat. 
&nbsp; 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actor-nominees-2010-1.1778909">Best actor nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-actor-2010-1.1738075">Pick who you think should win an Oscar for best actor.</a> 
VIDEOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailers-best-picture-oscar-nominees-2010-1.1780493">Watch trailers for nominated movies</a> 
MORE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the Academy Awards</a> 
&nbsp; 
ACTOR <a href="/topics/George_Clooney">George Clooney</a> 
MOVIE "Up in the Air" 
THE DEAL Initially, this recession-themed comedy-drama about a professional downsizer had the momentum (Oscar loves a topical film) and <a href="/topics/George_Clooney">Clooney</a> seemed the default favorite. But, oh, how things change during Oscar season. 
&nbsp; 
ACTOR Colin <a href="/topics/Colin_Firth">Firth</a> 
MOVIE "A Single Man" 
THE DEAL You won't find a more moving, nuanced performance than this one from Firth - he plays a gay college professor grieving for a dead lover. But his Oscar chances? Slim to none for this arty, moody film. 
&nbsp; 
ACTOR <a href="/topics/Morgan_Freeman">Morgan Freeman</a> 
MOVIE "Invictus" 
THE DEAL <a href="/topics/Nelson_Mandela">Nelson Mandela</a> is the role of a lifetime for <a href="/topics/Morgan_Freeman">Freeman</a>. Still, this ably directed drama by <a href="/topics/Clint_Eastwood">Clint Eastwood</a> didn't have the magic spark that could have boosted the actor to the top of the list. 
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ACTOR Jeremy Renner 
MOVIE "The Hurt Locker" 
THE DEAL This 39-year-old unknown, playing an unhinged soldier in <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn Bigelow</a>'s <a href="/topics/Iraq_War">Iraq war</a> film, should be feeling like an Olympic skater from an unpronounceable principality: Just proud to be here. 
&nbsp; 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actor-nominees-2010-1.1778909">Best actor nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-actor-2010-1.1738075">Pick who you think should win an Oscar for best actor.</a> 
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MORE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the Academy Awards</a>

ETOSCA01.WEB

Jeff Bridges is the one to beat for best actor

Ask the critics about the best movie of the year and the answer will be nearly unanimous: <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Kathryn Bigelow</a>'s "The Hurt Locker," a jarringly violent look at an Army bomb squad in <a href="/topics/Iraq">Iraq</a>. 
Ask the folks who actually pay for their tickets, however, and they'll tell you it's <a href="/topics/James_Cameron">James Cameron</a>'s "Avatar," a high-tech fantasy-adventure that recently became the top-grossing movie of all time. 
These two films, widely considered the front-runners to take home the best picture Oscar March 7, couldn't be more different. They provide an unusually stark example of the choice that voters of the <a href="/topics/Academy_of_Motion_Picture_Arts_and_Sciences">Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</a> face every year: Should the "best" picture be the most intelligent and thought-provoking? Or should it be the most enjoyable and entertaining? In short, are the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a> about art or commerce? 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-picture-nominees-2010-1.1778799">Best picture nominees</a> 
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Over the years the pendulum has swung rather wildly. In 2008 the best picture Oscar went to "No Country for Old Men," an enigmatic literary adaptation from the Coen brothers. By contrast, last year's winner was "<a href="/topics/Slumdog_Millionaire_%28film%29">Slumdog Millionaire</a>," an action-romance that featured a <a href="/topics/Bollywood">Bollywood</a> dance number. Over the decades the award has gone to subtle dramas (1980 winner "Ordinary People") but also to slam-bang epics (the 2000 film "Gladiator"). 
That unpredictability keeps the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a> exciting - at least sometimes. In past years, audiences have been tuning out the annual awards broadcast on ABC, partly because the nominees have been critical rather than popular favorites. Who wants to stay up late and root for a movie you haven't seen? Last year's show drew about 36 million viewers, compared to the 55 million or so who watched in 1998, the year "Titanic" won. 
In response, the academy this year expanded the best picture field to 10 nominees, up from the usual five, in the hopes that more well-known films would make the cut. As a result, the 10 nominees include not just serious-minded fare like the urban drama "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by <a href="/topics/Sapphire">Sapphire</a>," but several blockbusters whose grosses topped $100 million. Among them: the heart-tugging sports movie "The Blind Side," the sci-fi flick "District 9" and the animated crowd-pleaser "Up." 
"I've been saying this is the populist <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a>," says Harry Medved, spokesman for the movie-ticket service Fandango. "The fact that you've got movies that are huge box-office hits for best picture means that finally, the awards will be relevant to TV watchers around the country." 
In decades past, this didn't seem to be a problem. In the 1940s and '50s, the major studios reliably produced well-written, star-studded crowd-pleasers. And the winners really did seem to be the cream of the crop: "Casablanca," "All About Eve," "From Here to Eternity." In hindsight, at least, it's tough to imagine feeling disappointed or alienated by such <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a> high-water marks. 
It wasn't until the '60s and '70s that movies, like the overall climate of the country, became a little more challenging. As highbrow foreign films made inroads into American culture, the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a> began nominating edgy, difficult movies like the ultraviolent "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967) and <a href="/topics/Robert_Altman">Robert Altman</a>'s semi-experimental "<a href="/topics/Nashville">Nashville</a>" (1975). In 1977 the best picture nominees were particularly striking: the Watergate exposé "All the President's Men," the cynical satire "Network," <a href="/topics/Martin_Scorsese">Martin Scorsese</a>'s blood-soaked "Taxi Driver" and <a href="/topics/Hal_Ashby">Hal Ashby</a>'s "Bound for Glory," about folk musician <a href="/topics/Woody_Guthrie">Woody Guthrie</a>. (The winner, however, was "Rocky.") 
That turbulent era reinforced an Oscar truism: Voters tend to favor timely, topical or issue-oriented movies. Among this year's nominees are the recession-themed "Up in the Air," the sexual-abuse drama "Precious" and the race-conscious sports movie "The Blind Side." Even the popcorn flick "District 9" can be read as a political allegory for South African apartheid. 
"From the beginning, the academy members have always gone for the Important Movies," says film critic Leonard <a href="/topics/Leonard_Maltin">Maltin</a>. "They're suckers for that. They haven't changed their stripes." 
That explains the nomination for "The Hurt Locker," which directly addresses America's war in the <a href="/topics/Middle_East">Middle East</a>. Other movies that have tackled that theme, like "Redacted" and "Lions for Lambs," went largely ignored by the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a> and the public alike. "The Hurt Locker" could become the first war movie of any kind to win the top Oscar since <a href="/topics/Oliver_Stone">Oliver Stone</a>'s "Platoon" in 1987. 
"Avatar" also counts as an Important Movie, though in a very different way: Its motion-capture techniques, groundbreaking 3-D effects and computer animation - all brought to unprecedented levels of sophistication - may open new doors to filmmakers. Maltin isn't alone in calling the approximately $230 million film a game-changer, although for now it's a game few directors can afford to play. 
As of last week, several Internet betting sites had "Avatar" as the odds-on favorite, followed by "The Hurt Locker." Either way, as long as viewers tune in, the big winner will be the Oscars themselves. 
THE BATTLE OF THE EXES 
Two of this year's highest-profile Oscar nominees are not only highly respected filmmakers but former spouses. Stylistically, at least, their differences don't seem irreconcilable. 
<a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">KATHRYN BIGELOW</a> 
Age:&nbsp;58 Oscar contender:&nbsp;"The Hurt Locker" Known for:&nbsp;Artsy film theory meets face-crunching action 
Career high:&nbsp; "Point Break" (1991), a post-modern pulp masterpiece, with FBI agent <a href="/topics/Keanu_Reeves">Keanu Reeves</a> chasing bank-robbing surfer Patrick Swayze 
Career low:&nbsp;"Blue Steel" (1990), overwrought feminist thriller starring <a href="/topics/Jamie_Lee_Curtis">Jamie Lee Curtis</a> as a hyper-aggressive cop 
Overlooked:&nbsp;"Strange Days" (1995). Stylish, sleazy sci-fi flick with <a href="/topics/Ralph_Fiennes">Ralph Fiennes</a> as a virtual-reality peddler 
Past awards: Very few until "The Hurt Locker," which has racked up scores of critical, festival and industry honors 
Oscar chances: <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> recently won the Directors Guild of America's top award, a near-faultless Oscar predictor - which means <a href="/topics/Kathryn_Bigelow">Bigelow</a> could become the first woman ever to win the gold for best director. 
<a href="/topics/James_Cameron"> </a><a href="/topics/James_Cameron">JAMES CAMERON</a> 
Age:&nbsp;55 Oscar contender:&nbsp;"Avatar" Known for:&nbsp;High-tech razzle-dazzle anchored by old-fashioned storytelling 
Career high: "Titanic" (1997). <a href="/topics/Leonardo_DiCaprio">Leonardo DiCaprio</a> and <a href="/topics/Kate_Winslet">Kate Winslet</a> play young lovers on the doomed ship. Grand, romantic and immensely popular, comparable to a classic like "Gone With the Wind" 
Career low:&nbsp;"Piranha II: The Spawning" (1981). Hey, you gotta start somewhere. 
Overlooked: "The Abyss" (1989). Not a blockbuster, especially by <a href="/topics/James_Cameron">Cameron</a>'s standards, but an effective sci-fi romance with Oscar-winning underwater effects 
Past awards:&nbsp;Oscars for directing and editing best picture "Titanic" 
Oscar chances: "Avatar" has the edge after winning the <a href="/topics/Golden_Globe_Awards">Golden Globe</a> for best dramatic film, but "The Hurt Locker" has critical momentum on its side. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-picture-nominees-2010-1.1778799">Best picture nominees</a> 
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MORE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the Academy Awards</a> 
&nbsp;

ETRAFER28.WEB

It's 'The Hurt Locker' vs. 'Avatar' for best picture

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On the gateway outside the <a href="/topics/Memphis">Memphis</a> prep school where so much of "The Blind Side" happens, there is a quote from Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:26): "With God all things are possible." Indeed. Maybe even an Oscar for Sandra <a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Bullock</a>. 
Right now, Bullock seems poised to be named best actress when the 24 statuettes are handed out March 7. Long one of <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a>'s more popular players, Bullock is also a major star, especially if one gauges stardom by box-office numbers: Among her competition, Helen <a href="/topics/Helen_Mirren">Mirren</a>, so strong in "The Last Station," has made movies with a cumulative gross of about $630 million. Bullock's figure is $1.6 billion (figures courtesy of boxofficemojo.com). 
PHOTOS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/sandra-bullock-1.209019">Sandra Bullock through the years</a> |&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actress-nominees-2010-1.1778853">Best actress nominees</a> 
VOTE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/sandra-bullock-movies-1.1778773">Favorite Sandra Bullock movie</a> 
VIDEO:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/trailer-the-blind-side-1.1446599">"The Blind Side"&nbsp;trailer</a> 
MORE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete Oscar coverage</a> 
As they say in boxing, a good, big fighter will always beat a good small fighter. In terms of <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a> accounting, Bullock is <a href="/topics/Mike_Tyson">Mike Tyson</a>, and most of her opponents are the St. Louis Ballet. And while money isn't everything - from "The Dark Knight" to "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," many of the all-time box-office earners were not even nominated for best picture - the <a href="/topics/Academy_of_Motion_Picture_Arts_and_Sciences">Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences</a> clearly loves it when a moneymaking performer gives a performance that can credibly be defined as Oscar-worthy (<a href="/topics/Nicole_Kidman">Nicole Kidman</a> in "The Hours," <a href="/topics/George_Clooney">George Clooney</a> in "Syriana," to name two). 
Of course, it isn't Mirren whom Bullock has to worry about. It's Meryl <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Streep</a> ("Julie &amp; Julia"), whose performance as <a href="/topics/Julia_Child">Julia Child</a> seems as beloved as <a href="/topics/Julia_Child">Julia Child</a> herself. Having won critics' prizes in <a href="/topics/New_York%2C_NY">New York</a>, <a href="/topics/Boston">Boston</a> and <a href="/topics/San_Francisco">San Francisco</a>, Streep also took home the <a href="/topics/Golden_Globe_Awards">Golden Globe</a> this year for best actress in a musical/comedy. She's always a contender. The ever-aging academy membership knows who she is. This is an advantage not necessarily held by the two fabulous younger actresses in the mix, <a href="/topics/Carey_Mulligan">Carey Mulligan</a> ("An Education") and <a href="/topics/Gabourey_Sidibe">Gabourey Sidibe</a> ("Precious"). 
But Bullock has also tapped into something this year that has gotten a response across the demographic board - a $250-million response, at last count. As <a href="/topics/Leigh_Anne_Tuohy">Leigh Anne</a> Tuohy - rich, white, Republican, gun-toting, outspokenly Christian - Bullock does everything right: When she meets Big Mike Oher (Quinton Aaron), a massive, homeless, athletically gifted teenager, she immediately brings him home, clothes him, feeds him and sees that he gets into her children's school. It is, we are told repeatedly, the Christian thing to do. And, of course, it is - although not exclusively, which seems what the movie would have you believe. 
Dramatically speaking, Bullock's performance doesn't seem to have more than a couple of dimensions; <a href="/topics/Eva_Longoria_Parker">Eva Longoria</a> does much the same thing every week on "<a href="/topics/Desperate_Housewives">Desperate Housewives</a>," and Julia <a href="/topics/Julia_Roberts">Roberts</a> did exactly the same thing in "<a href="/topics/Erin_Brockovich">Erin Brockovich</a>" - which, not coincidentally, won her an Oscar. Bullock, like <a href="/topics/Julia_Roberts">Roberts</a>, has spent a career playing America's sweetheart - smart, savvy, but usually the girl-next-door. 
Bullock doesn't exactly do a <a href="/topics/Mary_Tyler_Moore">Mary Tyler Moore</a> (a 360-degree image reversal, a la "Ordinary People"), but as Leigh Anne, she's all hard shell and upscale, a woman of a certain age (Bullock is 45) who looks the way she does, one suspects, thanks to personal trainers and starvation. The physical aspect of Bullock's performance should not be discounted; it likely compensates in a major way for the fact that Leigh Anne's soft, gooey center, which we have to believe exists, never really oozes out. Like <a href="/topics/Julia_Roberts">Roberts</a>' <a href="/topics/Erin_Brockovich">Brockovich</a>, Leigh Anne may do good things, but revealing a rounded personality is not one of them. 
But again, like Roberts, Bullock may benefit from the fear among Oscar voters that they may never get another chance to give an Oscar to an actress they like, and who has raked in so much dough. With exception of her portrayal of <a href="/topics/Harper_Lee">Harper Lee</a> in the <a href="/topics/Truman_Capote">Truman Capote</a> bio "Infamous," Bullock has seldom turned in work that one would consider Oscar-worthy - much like Roberts pre-"<a href="/topics/Erin_Brockovich">Brockovich</a>." Bullock has specialized in romantic comedies except when she did action movies like "Speed." It's a generalization that Oscar always pretends doesn't exist. "The Blind Side" may be the anti-"Precious" - an upbeat movie with black people - but it's not a romantic comedy. 
Streep has been nominated 16 times, and hasn't won since "Sophie's Choice" (1982). Judging the quality of a performance, which is what Oscar voters are supposed to do, is always subjective. It's arguable, for example, that <a href="/topics/Marisa_Tomei">Marisa Tomei</a> was actually better than <a href="/topics/Vanessa_Redgrave">Vanessa Redgrave</a>, <a href="/topics/Judy_Davis">Judy Davis</a>, <a href="/topics/Joan_Plowright">Joan Plowright</a> and <a href="/topics/Miranda_Richardson">Miranda Richardson</a> when she won her best supporting actress for "My Cousin Vinny" (1992). Arguments can be made. But, very often, other factors are also at play. Like money. Maybe politics. 
To judge by TV commentators, Tea Party rallies and <a href="/topics/Massachusetts">Massachusetts</a> voters, the nation is in the throes of some kind of conservative counterrevolution. No place is more fearful of the right than <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a>. From the early-'30s Motion Picture Production Code, by which Hollywood censored itself, through the often inscrutable decision-making of the MPAA, the film industry has been very happy to genuflect before its most indignant constituency (lest Congress actually get involved). Oscar voters are independent and predominantly liberal, and it would be totally coincidental. But honoring "The Blind Side" - in which <a href="/topics/Tim_McGraw">Tim McGraw</a>'s character says, "Who thought we'd have a black son before we knew a Democrat?" - would be a very easy bone to throw to those on the right who are always keeping the excesses of pop culture in their crosshairs. 
PLAYING AGAINST TYPE IS THE ACADEMY'S TYPE 
Among best actresses of the millennium, a large number have been beautiful women tarting it up - or uglying it up - for the sake of actorly gravity: <a href="/topics/Julia_Roberts">Julia Roberts</a> ("<a href="/topics/Erin_Brockovich">Erin Brockovich</a>," 2000); <a href="/topics/Halle_Berry">Halle Berry</a> ("Monster's Ball," 2001); <a href="/topics/Nicole_Kidman">Nicole Kidman</a> ("The Hours," 2002); <a href="/topics/Charlize_Theron">Charlize Theron</a> ("Monster," 2003); Hilary <a href="/topics/Hilary_Swank">Swank</a> ("<a href="/topics/Million_Dollar_Baby">Million Dollar Baby</a>," 2004); and Kate <a href="/topics/Kate_Winslet">Winslet</a> ("The Reader," 2008). 
To be fair, Swank had already played against type in "Boys Don't Cry" (for which she won her first Oscar), and Winslet has always been adventurous. But just as the academy seems to roll over and howl whenever an actor turns director (<a href="/topics/Robert_Redford">Robert Redford</a>, <a href="/topics/Warren_Beatty">Warren Beatty</a>, <a href="/topics/Clint_Eastwood">Clint Eastwood</a>, <a href="/topics/Mel_Gibson">Mel Gibson</a>, <a href="/topics/Kevin_Costner">Kevin Costner</a>), its membership has a soft spot for any actor who plays against type. And it never hurts to have some history behind you. 
HUMPHREY BOGART (best actor, 1951, "The African Queen") - The quintessential movie tough guy, Bogart had never played anyone quite like the eccentric, gin-guzzling boat pilot Charlie Allnut. 
GRACE KELLY (best actress, 1954, "<a href="/topics/The_Country_Girl">The Country Girl</a>") - Because she was a ravishing blonde, Kelly played ravishing blondes, until George Seaton's adaptation of the <a href="/topics/Clifford_Odets">Clifford Odets</a> play, in which she plays the anguished wife of <a href="/topics/Bing_Crosby">Bing Crosby</a>'s alcoholic actor. 
LEE MARVIN (best actor, 1965, "Cat Ballou") - Leathery and legendary, the hard-boiled Marvin got to show his comedy chops opposite <a href="/topics/Jane_Fonda">Jane Fonda</a> in the twin roles of Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn. 
ROBIN WILLIAMS (best supporting actor, 1997, "Good Will Hunting") - Oscar, always startled to find that comedians can act, got gaga over Williams' portrayal of tortured academic <a href="/topics/Sean_Maguire">Sean Maguire</a>. 
JAVIER BARDEM (best supporting actor, 2007, "No Country for Old Men") - It was largely about the haircut, but the usually suave and handsome Bardem made a big impression as contract killer Anton Chigurh in the Coen brothers' adaptation of the <a href="/topics/Cormac_McCarthy">Cormac McCarthy</a> novel. 
PHOTOS:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities/sandra-bullock-1.209019">Sandra Bullock through the years</a> |&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actress-nominees-2010-1.1778853">Best actress nominees</a> 
VOTE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/sandra-bullock-movies-1.1778773">Favorite Sandra Bullock movie</a> 
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MORE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete Oscar coverage</a>

ETBULL28.WEB

Is it Sandra Bullock's turn to take home an Oscar?

Golden Globes: Sandra Bullock

We're not just whistling "Dixie" in saying that <a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Sandra Bullock</a> seems to have the edge over Meryl <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Streep</a> in the March 7 best actress Oscar race. 
Given the academy's history of rewarding actresses who've played Southern magnolias, <a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Bullock</a>'s grits and gravy portrayal of <a href="/topics/Memphis">Memphis</a> mom <a href="/topics/Leigh_Anne_Tuohy">Leigh Anne Tuohy</a> in "The Blind Side" seems like pure Oscar bait. 
Those Southern belles of the Oscar ball go all the way back to the second ceremony in 1930 when <a href="/topics/Mary_Pickford">Mary Pickford</a> played against type as a flirty Dixie chick in "Coquette." Over the next decade, the South would rise again and again with <a href="/topics/Bette_Davis">Bette Davis</a> and <a href="/topics/Vivien_Leigh">Vivien Leigh</a> picking up statuettes, respectively, for "Jezebel" (1938) and "Gone With the Wind" (1939). The British-born Leigh would pull the rare coup of winning a second Oscar for playing a Southerner (Blanche Du Bois in the steamy 1951 drama "A Streetcar Named Desire"). 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actress-nominees-2010-1.1778853">Best actress nominees</a> 
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Of course, those Southern girls with the way they talk really charmed the academy from 1979 to 1989: In that time, five of the 11 best actress performances were for roles South of the Mason-Dixon Line (Sally Field in 1979's "Norma Rae" and 1984's "Places in the Heart," <a href="/topics/Sissy_Spacek">Sissy Spacek</a> as "Coal Miner's Daughter" <a href="/topics/Loretta_Lynn">Loretta Lynn</a> in 1980, <a href="/topics/Geraldine_Page">Geraldine Page</a> in "The Trip to Bountiful" in 1985 and <a href="/topics/Jessica_Tandy">Jessica Tandy</a> in 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy"). 
And in the past decade, <a href="/topics/Halle_Berry">Halle Berry</a> ("Monster's Ball," 2001), <a href="/topics/Hilary_Swank">Hilary Swank</a> ("<a href="/topics/Million_Dollar_Baby">Million Dollar Baby</a>," 2004) and <a href="/topics/Reese_Witherspoon">Reese Witherspoon</a> ("Walk the Line," 2005) all drawled their way to a best actress Oscar. 
<a href="/topics/Sandra_Bullock">Bullock</a>'s strongest competition comes from Streep as "French Chef" <a href="/topics/Julia_Child">Julia Child</a> in "Julie and Julia." If only <a href="/topics/Julia_Child">Child</a> had mastered cooking in the south of France, Streep's chance of winning might be a little stronger. 
PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/best-actress-nominees-2010-1.1778853">Best actress nominees</a> 
VOTE: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscar-best-actress-2010-1.1738083">Pick who you think should win an Oscar for best actress.</a> 
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MORE:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/oscars-complete-coverage-1.1780511">Complete guide to the Academy Awards</a>

ETBUZZB28

Southern belles of the Oscar ball

When the Oscar nominees are announced Tuesday, you'll likely see a lot of familiar names and titles, from <a href="/topics/Jeff_Bridges">Jeff Bridges</a> to <a href="/topics/Mo%27Nique">Mo'Nique</a> to "<a href="/topics/Avatar_%28movie%29">Avatar</a>." But enough about them. Here are some of the long shots, dark horses and shoulda-been-contenders that went largely overlooked in 2009: 
BEST PICTURE No matter what the <a href="/topics/Academy_Awards">Oscars</a> tell you, "A Single Man" was the year's most thoughtful and moving film, anchored by Colin Firth playing a gay literature professor losing his will to live. 
BEST ACTOR Speaking of Firth, he deserves this one. Not since <a href="/topics/Paul_Giamatti">Paul Giamatti</a> in "Sideways" has an actor turned in such a thoroughly detailed, beautifully crafted performance. 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR While <a href="/topics/Christoph_Waltz">Christoph Waltz</a> will take this one - and rightly so - for playing the world's happiest Nazi in "Inglourious Basterds," a nomination at least should go to <a href="/topics/Alfred_Molina">Alfred Molina</a>, heartbreaking as a deceived father in "An Education." 
BEST ACTRESS In the little-seen indie drama "Julia," <a href="/topics/Tilda_Swinton">Tilda Swinton</a> was astounding as an alcoholic pulled into a nasty kidnapping scheme. This award ought to be hers, but the only Julia that Oscar voters care about is the one played by <a href="/topics/Meryl_Streep">Meryl Streep</a>. 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Though she barely appeared in "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee," <a href="/topics/Winona_Ryder">Winona Ryder</a> was hilarious as <a href="/topics/Robin_Wright_Penn">Robin Wright Penn</a>'s ultra-needy, semi-suicidal best friend - deserving of a nod, if not a statue. 
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE <a href="/topics/Pixar">Pixar</a>'s "Up" is the biggest crowd-pleaser; <a href="/topics/Wes_Anderson">Wes Anderson</a>'s "<a href="/topics/Fantastic_Mr._Fox_%28film%29">Fantastic Mr. Fox</a>" is the most sophisticated. But in terms of sheer craft, the statue should go to Henry Selick's elaborate stop-motion fantasy, "Coraline."

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Get movie reviews, movie news, and features about current and upcoming movies playing on Long Island from Newsday film critic Rafer Guzmán.

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