The 2010 Academy Awards (the 82nd award show, for those keeping count) were given out last night, Sunday, March 7th. Clocking in at 3.5 hours, the ceremony was hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, and it saw The Hurt Locker walk away with Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture.

The show opened with a musical number by Neil Patrick Harris, star of the TV comedy "How I Met Your Mother." Martin and Baldwin followed that up with a dual-monologue that was awkward, ill-timed, and occasionally funny. Martin can be very funny, but I've never seen Baldwin on TV's "30 Rock" so I don't know if he was bringing them down, or if they just didn't work well together.

I was surprised that the Academy gave The Hurt Locker both of the major awards, and limited Avatar to Art Direction, Cinematography, and Visual Effects. Maybe I'll have to see The Hurt Locker again, as I didn't think it was Best Picture material after seeing it (not that I thought Avatar should have won in that category, I just figured it would). Personally, I would have given the award for Best Picture to District 9 for making a statement about an important issue while using science fiction as a way of telling the story.

It's odd that each year's ceremony seems to be increasingly poor in the production department. This year, the "In Memoriam" montage with James Taylor singing "In My Life" by The Beatles was marred by wide shots of the crowd and stage when it should have been focusing on the people who passed away in the previous year.

The entire night built up to the climactic moment of finding out which movie won the Best Picture, but the audience needed to watch long dance numbers set to musical scores and too-often-unfunny comedy sketches from the hosts and quips from the presenters. Ben Stiller said it best during his blue-face presentation when he said "this seemed like a good idea in rehearsal." Then, seeming to realize that they overstayed their welcome and the after-parties were starting without the stars, Tom Hanks came out and announced the winner so quickly, the only way they could've gone any faster was if they had thrown the Oscar statuette to the winners while they were coming on-stage.

But that's the Oscars! It rarely changes for the better, and no matter how much we whine about it, we still watch, and we still talk about it afterwards! Speaking of talking about it, let us know what you think by adding your comments below!

Below are the winners and the nominees in each category:

Academy Award Winners by Category

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Winner - Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
   
• George Clooney in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Colin Firth in "A Single Man" (The Weinstein Company)
• Morgan Freeman in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
• Jeremy Renner in "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Winner - Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)
   
• Matt Damon in "Invictus" (Warner Bros.)
• Woody Harrelson in "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
• Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Stanley Tucci in "The Lovely Bones" (DreamWorks in association with Film4, Distributed by Paramount)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Winner - Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
   
• Helen Mirren in "The Last Station" (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Carey Mulligan in "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
• Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia" (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Winner - Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
   
  
• Penélope Cruz in "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
• Vera Farmiga in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
• Maggie Gyllenhaal in "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight)
• Anna Kendrick in "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

Best animated feature film of the year

• "Up" (Walt Disney) - Pete Docter
   
• "Coraline" (Focus Features) - Henry Selick
• "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) - Wes Anderson
• "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) - John Musker and Ron Clements
• "The Secret of Kells" (GKIDS) - Tomm Moore

Achievement in art direction

• Winner - "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg
  Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
  
  
• "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics)
  Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro
  Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
• "Nine" (The Weinstein Company)
  Art Direction: John Myhre
  Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
• "Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.)
  Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood
  Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
• "The Young Victoria" (Apparition)
  Art Direction: Patrice Vermette
  Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Achievement in cinematography

• Winner - "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - Mauro Fiore
   
• "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Warner Bros.) - Bruno Delbonnel
• "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Barry Ackroyd
• "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Robert Richardson
• "The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics) - Christian Berger

Achievement in costume design

• Winner - "The Young Victoria" (Apparition) - Sandy Powell
   
  
• "Bright Star" (Apparition) - Janet Patterson
• "Coco before Chanel" (Sony Pictures Classics) - Catherine Leterrier
• "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (Sony Pictures Classics) - Monique Prudhomme
• "Nine" (The Weinstein Company) - Colleen Atwood

Achievement in directing

• Winner - "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Kathryn Bigelow
   
• "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - James Cameron
• "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Quentin Tarantino
• "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) - Lee Daniels
• "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) - Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature

• Winner - "The Cove" (Roadside Attractions)
  An Oceanic Preservation Society Production
   
• "Burma VJ" (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
  A Magic Hour Films Production - Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
• "Food, Inc." (Magnolia Pictures)
  A Robert Kenner Films Production - Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
• "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"
  A Kovno Communications Production - Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
• "Which Way Home"
  A Mr. Mudd Production - Rebecca Cammisa

Best documentary short subject

• Winner - "Music by Prudence"
  An iThemba Production - Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

• "China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province"
  A Downtown Community Television Center Production - Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill
• "The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
  A Just Media Production - Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
• "The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant"
  A Community Media Production - Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
• "Rabbit à la Berlin" (Deckert Distribution)
  An MS Films Production - Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Achievement in film editing

• Winner - "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
   
  
• "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
• "District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Julian Clarke
• "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Sally Menke
• "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) - Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year

• Winner - "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" (Sony Pictures Classics)
  A Haddock Films Production - Argentina

• "Ajami"(Kino International)
  An Inosan Production - Israel
• "The Milk of Sorrow"
  A Wanda Visión/Oberon Cinematogràfica/Vela Production - Peru
• "Un Prophète" (Sony Pictures Classics)
  A Why Not/Page 114/Chic Films Production - France
• "The White Ribbon" (Sony Pictures Classics)
  An X Filme Creative Pool/Wega Film/Les Films du Losange/Lucky Red Production - Germany

Achievement in makeup

• Winner - "Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) - Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
   
  
• "Il Divo" (MPI Media Group through Music Box) - Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
• "The Young Victoria" (Apparition) - Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• Winner - "Up" (Walt Disney) - Michael Giacchino
   
• "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - James Horner
• "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (20th Century Fox) - Alexandre Desplat
• "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
• "Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros.) - Hans Zimmer

Listen to samples from the scores:

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• Winner - "The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" from "Crazy Heart" (Fox Searchlight) - Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
   
  
• "Almost There" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
• "Down in New Orleans" from "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney) - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
• "Loin de Paname" from "Paris 36" (Sony Pictures Classics) - Music by Reinhardt Wagner
  Lyric by Frank Thomas
• "Take It All" from "Nine" (The Weinstein Company) - Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston

Best motion picture of the year

• Winner - "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)
  A Voltage Pictures Production - Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro
   
  
• "Avatar" (20th Century Fox)
  A Lightstorm Entertainment Production - James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
• "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros.)
  An Alcon Entertainment Production - Nominees to be determined
• "District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing)
  A Block/Hanson Production - Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
• "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics)
  A Finola Dwyer/Wildgaze Films Production - Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
• "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company)
  A Weinstein Company/Universal Pictures/A Band Apart/Zehnte Babelsberg Production - Lawrence Bender, Producer
• "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
  A Lee Daniels Entertainment/Smokewood Entertainment Production - Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
• "A Serious Man" (Focus Features)
  A Working Title Films Production - Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
• "Up" (Walt Disney)
  A Pixar Production - Jonas Rivera, Producer
• "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)
  A Montecito Picture Company Production - Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Titles available on Blu-ray/DVD:

Best animated short film

• Winner - "Logorama" (Autour de Minuit)
  An Autour de Minuit Production - Nicolas Schmerkin
   
  
• "French Roast"
  A Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films Production - Fabrice O. Joubert
• "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty" (Brown Bag Films)
  A Brown Bag Films Production - Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell
• "The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)"
  A Kandor Graphics and Green Moon Production - Javier Recio Gracia
• "A Matter of Loaf and Death" (Aardman Animations)
  An Aardman Animations Production - Nick Park

Best live action short film

• Winner - "The New Tenants"
  A Park Pictures and M & M Production - Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson
   
  
• "The Door" (Network Ireland Television)
  An Octagon Films Production - Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
• "Instead of Abracadabra" (The Swedish Film Institute)
  A Directörn & Fabrikörn Production - Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
• "Kavi"
  A Gregg Helvey Production - Gregg Helvey
• "Miracle Fish" (Premium Films)
  A Druid Films Production - Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey

Achievement in sound editing

• Winner - "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Paul N.J. Ottosson
   
• "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
• "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Wylie Stateman
• "Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) - Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
• "Up" (Walt Disney) - Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Achievement in sound mixing

• Winner - "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
   
• "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
• "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
• "Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) - Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
• "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro, Distributed by Paramount) - Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Achievement in visual effects

• Winner - "Avatar" (20th Century Fox) - Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
   
• "District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
• "Star Trek" (Paramount and Spyglass Entertainment) - Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Adapted screenplay

• Winner - "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" (Lionsgate) - Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
   
  
• "District 9" (Sony Pictures Releasing) - Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
• "An Education" (Sony Pictures Classics) - Screenplay by Nick Hornby
• "In the Loop" (IFC Films) - Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
• "Up in the Air" (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) - Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Original screenplay

• Winner - "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment) - Written by Mark Boal
   
  
• "Inglourious Basterds" (The Weinstein Company) - Written by Quentin Tarantino
• "The Messenger" (Oscilloscope Laboratories) - Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
• "A Serious Man" (Focus Features) - Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• "Up" (Walt Disney) - Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter
  Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy