Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences president Tom Sherak and talented actress Anne Hathaway announced the 82nd Academy Awards nominations this morning.

Avatar and The Hurt Locker both were honored with nine nominations as 10 films will compete for the best picture of the year — the first time since 1943 (when Michael Curtis’ Casablanca won) that we’ve had so many nominations in that category.   

The other best-film nominees include The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ By Sapphire, A Serious Man, Up and Up in the Air. 

The best-actress nominations include Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, Helen Mirren in The Last Station, Carey Mulligan An Education, Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire and Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia.

The best-actor nominations include Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, George Clooney in Up in the Air, Colin Firth in A Single Man, Morgan Freeman in Invictus and Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker.

The best-supporting actress nominations include Penélope Cruz in Nine, Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart, Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air and Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire,

The best-supporting actor nominations include Matt Damon in Invictus, Woody Harrelson in The Messenger, Christopher Plummer in The Last Station, Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones and Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds.

Some wonderful choices to mention are Christopher Plummer being nominated for best-supporting actor for The Last Station.  He plays the famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy.  Plummer is a very generous actor who starred in three  other movies this year: Shane Acker’s 9 as 1, Up as Charles Muntz and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus as Doctor Parnassus.  The other nomination, which I am excited about, is Nine‘s “Take it All” for original sound. I love Nine’s soundtrack.  It very upbeat and whimsical.

The winners will be announced and the awards handed out on March 7, 2010 at the Kodak Theatre with hosts by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

For a complete list of nominations,  click here to go to the Oscars website.

Here is the announcement of the nominations via Livestream.