Oscar Awards Night

3.30am (UAE time)

James Cameron’s wife Suzy Amis wore a blue dress designed by a school she sponsors, while Cameron himself sported a blue silk pocket square in his suit in apparent tribute to the Na’Avi, the blue race of aliens he created in Avatar.

The director, whose film is up for nine Academy Awards, including best picture, said he had nothing to lose. We’ve been nominated with nine, I look at it as a celebration of what we do as movie makers.

“When people see a movie once it’s a tribute to the marketing campaign. When they see it twice it means they’ve been moved and as a director that’s what matters. There’s nothing to lose. “

3.45am

Mo’Nique, in a crisscross, drape blue dress, declined to show her legs on the red carpet this year, but said she was just enjoying her time in the limelight. The comedienne is up for best supporting actress for her role as an abusive mother in Precious.

“I just want to remember the moment,” she said. She’ll soon be touring the US.

“It is the Mo’Nique spread the love tour. All we wanna do it bring the love.”

4.05am

Sandra Bullock stood out from a sea of maroon in a silver-grey shimmering re-embroidered lace, cap sleeve dress.

“I was trying to find the calming element today,” she said. “I’ve met so many people. We’re all in this crazy business. Most of them are so down to earth. I’ve had such a sweet time.”

Nominated for best actress, the people’s favourite said she was relaxed on the night. Perhaps collecting her Razzie for worst actress on Saturday had calmed her nerves.

“I’m relaxed now. What can go wrong,? Well, lots but there’s nothing you can do about it. There’s no competition, you have to release how lucky we are.”

4.30am

In a tight silver-grey dress, best-director nominee Kathryn Bigelow, up for Iraq-War drama The Hurt Locker, wished her fellow nominees the best – including her ex-husband, James Cameron.

“I wish him well. I’m so excited to be here.”

Like the star of her film Jeremy Renner, she had a shout out for US troops. “I’d like people to think about the troops and not forget about them. Come home safe!”

4.55am (UAE time)

Best actress nominee Gabourey Sidibe, for Precious, in a navy dress was like an excited teenager. “Am I the belle of the ball? Yay me! Yes I do look hot.”

“I’m really excited. I’m looking at it like it’s the prom. It’s pretty awesome!”

5.30am

The show began with the best actress and actor nominees on the stage, with Gabourey Sidibe posing heavily, before Neil Patrick Harris’ opening musical number. “I know – you’re all wondering what I’m doing here,” said the Emmys host, before breaking into a traditional song-and-dance style number, “Nobody Wants to Do It Alone.”

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have descended from the ceiling and introduced each other to the audience.

“Everyone wants an Oscar and they are very hard to get.”

“6,000 members of the Academy vote, they all get tabulated and counted by Pricewaterhouse coopers. And then Meryl Streep gets nominated.”

5.45am (UAE time)

Christophe Waltz has won his first Academy award, as best supporting actor for his role as Col Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds.

6.15am

The award for best original screenplay has gone to Mark Boal for The Hurt Locker, the first award for the film which is nominated for 8 other awards, including best picture.

“You honour me and humble me more than you know. I was a reporter back from Iraq with a story about these men on the front lines of an unpopular war.”

He dedicated his award to “one extraorginary visionary, Kathryn Bigelow”, and to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

6.45am (UAE time)

Ben Stiller – as he had been rumoured to do – poked fun at Avatar, with a Na’avi costume, including blue face, braid and a long tail, which he said he wanted to plug into James Cameron’s “dragon”. Cameron grinned good naturedly. Stiller was presenting the award for best make up, although Avatar itself was not nominated. The award went to Star Trek, accepted by Barney Berman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow. They thanked the over 40 make up artists who worked on the film.

7.00am

Mo'Nique - the favourite - has won the best supporting actress Oscar for her role as the abusive mother in Precious, one of the night’s big awards.

“First, I would like to thank the Academy for showing it can be about the performance and not the politics. I want to thank Miss Hattie McDaniel [the first African-American to win an Oscar] for enduring. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, because you touched it the world saw it. Thank you for showing me that sometimes you have to forgo what’s popular for what’s right.”

7.05am

First Oscar for Avatar. Sigourney Weaver recalled her earlier film with Avatar director James Cameron – Aliens – and how the stunning sets were subsequently destroyed by the rampaging extraterrestrials. So it was with no small amount of joy that she presented the award for Outstanding Art Direction to Avatar – the first award for the film, which is nominated for eight others.
7.30am

Second and third award for The Hurt Locker – this time for Best Sound Editing and Sound Mixing to Paul N. J. Ottoson.

7.35am

Second win for Avatar, this time in Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography – as predicted, they are picking up the technical awards.

That’s three to The Hurt Locker, two to the rival Avatar.

7.50am (UAE time)

So, who’s leading the field? So far, it’s a three-man field between Precious, Avatar and its main rival, The Hurt Locker.

The Hurt Locker has three awards: Sound editing, sound mixing, and best original screenplay for Mark Boal - who is currently being sued over the story.

Avatar has two: Art direction and cinematography.

Precious has two: Best supporting actress for Mo’Nique and Adapted Screenplay.

8.00am

Though there was some very stiff competition from the likes of District 9 and Star Trek, there was really only one winner for the visual effects award: Avatar.

Avatar is now neck and neck with Hurt Locker – can it pull ahead?

8.35am

Jeff Bridges has won the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role.

Bridges, receiving his first Oscar for his role as country singer in Crazy Heart, held it to the sky and said, “mum and dad, look! My dad and my mum they loved showbiz so much. This is honouring them as much as it is me.“ The audience gave him a standing ovation – and he gave yet another shout-out to the film’s songwriter T-Bone Burnett.

8.50am

Sandra Bullock has won for best actress for The Blind Side. She’s looking very emotional as she collects her first Oscar. “Did I just wear you all down?” She described the last month as “an incredible ride” and shared her award with her fellow nominees and the people who “showed me kindness was it wasn’t fashionable. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I know.” She also paid tearful tribute to her mother, Helga – and yet still managed to end on a comical note – thanking “my lover, Meryl Streep”.

9.00am

The Hurt Locker has won best picture at the Academy Awards, taking the film’s total haul to six awards, including best director for Kathryn Bigelow.

In depth: Oscars 2010

In an unusual turn of events, presenter Tom Hanks read out the name of the winner without reading the nominees, before Bigelow had even had time to leave the stage with her best director award. She returned, visibly shocked, to the stage, and again thanked men and women in uniform – including firemen.

9.15am (UAE time)

The 2010 Academy Awards are over! Here is a list of the winners:

Best Film: The Hurt Locker
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, Blind Side
Best Foreign Language Film: The Secret In their Eyes, Argentina
Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Animated Feature Film: Up
Original Song: The Weary Kind (Theme From Crazy Heart) from Crazy Heart, Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Best original score: Michael Giacchino, Up
Original Screenplay: Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker
Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker
Animated Short Film: Logorama
Best Documentary Feature: The Cove
Documentary (short subject): Music by Prudence
Live Action Short Film: The New Tenants
Makeup: Star Trek
Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious; Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Art Direction: Avatar
Costume: The Young Victoria
Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker
Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker
Cinematography: Avatar
Best Visual Effects: Avatar

(adapted from gulfnews)