Of course, James Cameron's Avatar leads the pack, but I'm hoping
his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow wins the Best Director statuette for The
Hurt Locker instead. Her chances are pretty good since she recently
won the equivalent award from the Directors Guild of America, which has historically
determined the winner of the Oscar.

Plus, I am the last person on earth
who has yet to see Avatar (I do not apologize for having no
desire to see this film), but I thought The Hurt Locker was
excellent and am glad to see a female amongst the director nominees this
year. Blue people vs. bad-ass bomb squads? No contest.

Sadly, I have to report that there are no Asian American Oscar nominees
this year. There aren't even any movies from Asia nominated for Best
Foreign Film. We are going to have to live vicariously through Pixar's Up
and its pudgy animated hero Russell, nominated for Best Picture,
Animated Feature Film, Music (Original Score), Sound Editing, and
Writing (Original Screenplay).

Hey, buck up. At least it's not Mulan. Also, it's been a stellar year for Lee Daniels' Precious and his lead actresses Gabourey Sibide and Mo'nique. District 9 didn't pull any punches about institutional racism and is a nice counterbalance to Avatar's "saving the natives" narrative. Or so I've heard. 

Best Picture Nominees

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