Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Oscars nominations get “Army Strong”

By Staff Sgt. Walter Talens
302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
Feb. 2, 2010

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – You could say that “Army Strong” should be the theme of the 82nd Academy Awards – or at least “Military Strong” – given the number of nominations for military films this year.

The 2010 Oscar nominees were announced this morning in Beverly Hills, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and 2008 Oscar Nominee Anne Hathaway.

For the first time since 1943, there were 10 “Best Motion Picture of the Year” announcements, as opposed to the usual five.

Nominees like “The Hurt Locker,“ a film about an Army explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) squad trying to keep Baghdad streets clear of roadside bombs, and “Inglorious Basterds,” the World War II period movie about an elite team of Nazi Killers, are among the films portraying the Army and military operations in general.

The actors portraying the Soldiers received their share of nominations as well. Competing in the “Best Lead Actor” category is Jeremy Renner from “The Hurt Locker.” Nominated for “Best Supporting Actor” are Woody Harrelson and Cristoph Waltz.

Harrelson portrayed a casualty notification officer in “The Messenger,” and the Word War II film “Inglourious Basterd” actor Christoph Waltz, who played a Nazi colonel.

The Marines weren’t far behind the Army’s noms with representation in “Avatar,” which was nominated for nine awards, including best picture, director, and cinematography.

Throw in “District 9” with their representation of private military companies and it brings together a serious list of films that use the military as their theme, backdrop, and dramatic purpose.

Speaking of drama – keep an eye out for the results of several other categories. “Precious” director Lee Daniels is the second black filmmaker to be nominated since 1991, after John Singleton’s nomination for best director of “Boyz ‘N the Hood.”

If Lee wins, he will be the first black director to win an Oscar. If Kathryn Bigelow wins, she could be the first woman.

Another great-to-watch competition lies between ex-spouses James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow for best picture and director. One is a mega-million-dollar production, while the other is a low-budget feature film – each with their own messages about war.

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will host the 2010 Oscars live on Sunday, March 7, 2010.

The 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment out of Bell, Calif. will be on the red carpet at the 2010 Academy Awards and will bring you a behind-the-scenes look at the festivities – not to mention tons of shout outs from today’s hottest celebrities.

Staff Sgt. Walter Talens will also be posting behind-the-scenes footage of today’s nominations this week. For more on the nominations visit oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees.

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