HOLLYWOOD, California, United States?Nominees in selected major categories ahead of the 82nd annual Academy Awards to be held at the Kodak Theater on March 7:

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker, Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Up in the Air, Precious, A Serious Man, and Up.

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), George Clooney (Up in the Air), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker).

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia), Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Helen Mirren (The Last Station), and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious).

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds), Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Christopher Plummer (The Last Station), Matt Damon (Invictus), and Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones).

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Penelope Cruz (Nine), Mo'Nique (Precious), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart).

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), James Cameron (Avatar), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), Jason Reitman (Up in the Air), and Lee Daniels (Precious).

Best Foreign-Language Film: Ajami (Israel), El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina), The Milk of Sorrow (Peru), Un Prophete (France), and The White Ribbon (Germany).

Best Animated Feature Film: Coraline, Up, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, and The Secret of Kells.