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Oscars 2010: The 82nd Annual Academy Awards The war thriller The Hurt Locker and the sci-fi sensation Avatar took the lead in the Academy Awards nominations Tuesday, earning nine citations each. For the first time since 1943, the Oscars featured 10 best-picture contenders instead of the usual five; Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will jointly host when the trophies are handed out March 7.
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Oscars 2010

A war-on-terror thriller and a sci-fi sensation lead in the nominations, with nine citations each.
Veterans Say Exaggerations Abound In 'Hurt Locker'

The Hurt Locker has been hailed by critics for its gritty portrayal of Army bomb disposal troops. But veterans say the film — nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture — is riddled with inaccuracies. AP/Summit Entertainment hide caption

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AP/Summit Entertainment

Veterans Say Exaggerations Abound In 'Hurt Locker'

The Hurt Locker has been hailed by critics for its gritty portrayal of Army bomb disposal troops. But veterans say the film — nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture — is riddled with inaccuracies.

Veterans Say Exaggerations Abound In 'Hurt Locker'

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Opinion

Unsex The Oscars — Let The Best Performer Win

Bob Mondello has a modest proposal: Make the Oscars gender-neutral so Sandra Bullock can compete with Jeff Bridges. After all, nobody separates best director from best directress, so why separate actors by gender? And it might even shorten the ceremony.

Unsex The Oscars — Let The Best Performer Win

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James Cameron: Pushing The Limits Of Imagination

The official budget of Avatar was $237 million, with an additional $150 million built in for promotional activities. Mark Fellman/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation hide caption

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Mark Fellman/Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

James Cameron: Pushing The Limits Of Imagination

Fresh Air

You might define the films of James Cameron by listing two characteristics: state-of-the-art special effects and huge box-office receipts. For starters,Titanic, The Terminator and Aliens all qualify on both counts. Now he adds Avatar to the list. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his complex special effects and innovative filming techniques.

James Cameron: Pushing The Limits Of Imagination

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Annoying Music For The Academy Awards

Clint Eastwood is better off sticking to film. Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images hide caption

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Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images

Annoying Music For The Academy Awards

Hollywood is hosting its annual "fight night" Sunday: It's the 82nd annual Academy Awards. Jim Nayder, host of The Annoying Music Show! on Chicago Public Radio, recently sat down with Scott Simon to prove that talent on screen does not necessarily translate to talent on tape.

Annoying Music For The Academy Awards

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Belief On The Big Screen: Secrets Of Special Effects
Cindy Carpien/NPR

Belief On The Big Screen: Secrets Of Special Effects

A spaceship lands. Humans become avatars. A man in a cape can fly. Special effects have made movies magical for decades. NPR's Susan Stamberg goes backstage to learn how moviemakers frighten, fool and thrill the audience.

Belief On The Big Screen: Secrets Of Special Effects

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How Hollywood Gets Fed: A Lesson In Craft Service

"A lot of times when parents are in this industry, they really don't get to see their children," says Charlie Scott III (left). "In the morning, you know, Dad's gonna be there. Like death and taxes." Cindy Carpien/NPR hide caption

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Cindy Carpien/NPR

How Hollywood Gets Fed: A Lesson In Craft Service

Gone are the days when actors brought their own lunches to the set in brown paper bags. It's a full-time job feeding the hundreds — sometimes thousands — of men and women working each day on major films. Susan Stamberg spends a day with craft service — the crew responsible for the snacks that keep moviemakers going during long days of filming.

How Hollywood Gets Fed: A Lesson In Craft Service

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When Oscar's Best Picture Really Isn't (And Why)

Jack Wild, left, and Mark Lester played the Artful Dodger and Oliver Twist in Oliver! — the movie that was supposedly the Best Picture of 1968. Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images hide caption

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Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images

When Oscar's Best Picture Really Isn't (And Why)

When great movies are ignored by the Motion Picture Academy, the reasons are often institutional. Check Back Sunday: Our live coverage includes Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! goes Hollywood, plus play-by-play coverage from Linda Holmes & friends.

When Oscar's Best Picture Really Isn't (And Why)

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Opinion

'Blind Side' Won't Win, But We're Glad It's Nominated

This year's Oscars' Best Picture list has been expanded to 10 nominees. Many contenders wouldn't have had a chance in the previous years' five-film cut. Linda Holmes explains why mass-appeal movies, like The Blind Side, help the Oscars more than hurt.

'Blind Side' Won't Win, But We're Glad It's Nominated

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Best Directors: The 'Fresh Air' Interviews

The Best Director nominees for the 2010 Academy Awards on set (clockwise from upper left): Kathryn Bigelow, Lee Daniels, Jason Reitman, James Cameron and Quentin Tarantino. Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate Films, Dale Robinette/Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, The Weinstein Co. hide caption

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Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate Films, Dale Robinette/Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, The Weinstein Co.

Best Directors: The 'Fresh Air' Interviews

Fresh Air

All five of the directors nominated for an Academy Award appeared on Fresh Air to discuss their latest films. Before the Oscars on Sunday, listen to James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino, Lee Daniels and Jason Reitman discuss what it takes to create an Academy Award-nominated film.

Best Directors: The 'Fresh Air' Interviews

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Jeremy Renner, Breakout Star Of 'The Hurt Locker'

Jeremy Renner, Breakout Star Of 'The Hurt Locker'

Fresh Air

The actor has been nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of a solider disarming explosive devices in the Iraq war thriller The Hurt Locker. Renner describes what it was like to spend hours a day in a Kevlar suit — as well as how it felt to portray a serial killer in the movie Dahmer.

Jeremy Renner, Breakout Star Of 'The Hurt Locker'

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Sandra Bullock: Just Really Happy To Be Nominated

A Good Year: Sandra Bullock had a summer hit with The Proposal and a surprise holiday-season smash with The Blind Side — which so far has earned her a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Kevin Winter/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Sandra Bullock: Just Really Happy To Be Nominated

She had one of the year's biggest flops — and two of its solid hits. Now actress and producer Sandra Bullock is basking in the glow of an Oscar nomination for her performance in the drama The Blind Side. She tells NPR's Linda Wertheimer that it's a good place to be.

Sandra Bullock: Just Really Happy To Be Nominated

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Shankman's Winning Job: Producing The Oscars

Fresh Air

Adam Shankman has one of the coolest, most stressful jobs around: He's producing the Oscars. The Hairspray director, who is also a judge onSo You Think You Can Dance, joins Fresh Air to dish about seating arrangements and speeches.

Shankman's Winning Job: Producing The Oscars

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1962: The Year Oscar Really Needed 10 Nominees

This year Hollywood nominated 10 films for Best Picture instead of the usual five, leaving some movie buffs feeling nostalgic for years that honestly could have used more Best Picture slots. Critic Bob Mondello points to one year in particular that had more than its share of potential contenders.

1962: The Year Oscar Really Needed 10 Nominees

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Movie Interviews

Colin Firth: By Anyone's Measure, A Leading Man

Fresh Air

Yesterday Colin Firth received a Best Actor nomination for his starring role in A Single Man, the Tom Ford adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel. Today Firth talks to Terry Gross about playing professor George Falconer, a gay professor navigating Southern California in 1962.

Colin Firth: By Anyone's Measure, A Leading Man

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Oscar Nominations Announced

Nominations for the 82nd annual Academy Awards were announced Tuesday. The big change this year is that there were 10 Best Picture nominees instead of five. The Hurt Locker and Avatar got the most nominations — nine each.

Oscar Nominations Announced

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