The Banner

On March 7 the 82nd annual Academy Awards; also known as the Oscars were held. This time honored tradition that began back in 1928 made history this past Sunday with the first ever cer- emony to feature two hosts, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

This year another history making moment occurred when for the first time a woman won for Best Director; Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker". This was only the second time in Oscar history that 10 films were nominated for Best Picture; the first time was in 1943. "Casablanca" walked home with the Oscar that night.

Martin and Baldwin were not the only ones to bring comic relief to the nominees; it was Ben Stiller who presented the award for Best Makeup dressed as a character from "Avatar". Although "Avatar" made box office history, it did not win any of the most prestigious awards. With tension in the air, James Cameron sat behind ex-wife and fellow competitor Kathryn Bigelow. This was another first for the Academy Awards, having an ex-husband and ex-wife nominated against each other in a single category.

A tribute to the late John Hughes was introduced by Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick, two actors who got their start to in a Hughes' production. After a short introduction, Ringwald and Broderick were accompanied on stage by Macaulay Culkin, Jon Cryer, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson, all saying a few words about Hughes and the joy each of them had working with him.

With deserving nominees come more than thankful winners. The main categories at the Oscars this year were: for Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds", for Best Supporting Actress: Mo'nique "Precious", for Best Actor: Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart", for Best Actress: Sandra Bullock "The Blind side", for Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker" and for Best Picture: "The Hurt Locker".