The 82nd Academy Awards -- Live!

5:11pm Game time. Red Hook, Black Velvet, and Southern Comfort (for special toasts) fully stocked; sausage and onion pizza and dinner salad from Absolute Pizza up the street. Here we go.

Last minute predictions:

Best Picture: AVATAR
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, CRAZY HEART
Best Actress: Gabourey Sidibe, PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
Best Adapted Screenplay: Geoffrey Fletcher, PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIE
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Eleven minutes to kick off....

5:53pm Campy opening song and dance number by Neil Patrick Harris, followed by a refreshingly good opening monologue by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Martin has hosted twice before, first time he was really annoying and second time was pretty good. He's shaping up pretty well this time around.

First Oscar of the night goes to Christoph Waltz for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, no real surprise there. And presenter Penelope Cruz slipped and said "And the winner is...", not the established "And the Oscar goes to...".

6:07pm Best Animated Feature goes to UP, as I'd hoped--I wouldn't mind seeing it being a spoiler and grabbing Best Picture if AVATAR and HURT LOCKER split the vote. I thought UP was amazing in every way, and it's the nominee that I have the fewest problems with.

Best Song goes to "The Weary Kind" from CRAZY HEART, which I was also pulling for. Though I much preferred "A Hold On You" from the same movie, I thought that was excellent, and I don't much like country music.

6:26pm Mark Boal wins Best Original Screenplay for HURT LOCKER. Interesting, I didn't think it had much of a story. I'd guessed Tarantino for INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, simply because I thought it was novel. No complaints.

And a warm tribute to John Hughes from the brat pack he introduced to audiences. I was never a big fan, but I have to admit he did some good work.

6:47pm I didn't see any of the nominees in the short subjects categories, so I didn't have a pick there. I would've guessed Nick Park, but that's only because he's a known entity, and I don't know the others.

I also haven't seen any of the nominees for Best Makeup, so I can't say whether STAR TREK deserved it or not.

7:03pm YES!! Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress go to PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE (Geoffrey Fletcher and Mo'Nique, resp.). This is a film that deserves more attention, so I'm enthusiastic that they got recognition. I'm hoping this bodes well for a win by Gabourey Sidibe as Best Actress, and builds momentum for a spoiler in the Best Picture category.

Best Costume goes to THE YOUNG VICTORIA, didn't see it but it was a period piece so that's no surprising. I'd've guessed COCO BEFORE CHANEL, simply because it was a movie about costumes/fashion. Didn't see that either, though, so I couldn't say.

7:31pm Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing both go to HURT LOCKER. As they should. And a tribute to horror films that was refreshingly inclusive. I'm just disappointed that the Governor's Award to Roger Corman didn't get more attention.

7:42pm Best Cinematography to AVATAR, and rightly so.

And a great retrospective of those who died in 2009.

8:00pm Best Original Score goes to UP. Cool.

Best Visual Effects goes to AVATAR. Really? Never would've....

8:11pm And Editing goes to HURT LOCKER. Again, no surprise.

8:37pm Best Actor to Jeff Bridges for CRAZY HEART. Most excellent, though I hate the new hagiographic presetation they're doing now, where five presenters get up and laud the nominees. Guess it's a trade off for the fact that they're now allowed to say "And the Oscar goes to..."

9:05pm What an evening! Sandra Bullock for THE BLIND SIDE, didn't see it.

Best Direction goes to Kathryn Bigelow, and Best Picture goes to HURT LOCKER. Excellent!