Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker" Big Winners at 2010 Oscars

Kathryn Bigelow didn't even have time to take a breath after exiting the stage at Sunday evening's 82^nd Academy Awards where she had just become the first woman in history to win the Best Director Oscar. Apparently producers wanted to end the show at midnight (it was already past midnight when the final envelope was presented), so Steve Martin quickly read that "The Hurt Locker" had won for Best Picture of 2009. Bigelow looked stunned as she stood holding her two Oscars during the acceptance speech. And well she might have been. She and "The Hurt Locker" had were the big winners of the night, taking home six 2010 Oscars, making history, and beating out nine movies for Best Picture that had grossed more than her little film, including the most successful movie of all time, "Avatar."

The 2010 Oscar ceremony was a long affair, going on for three hours and 37 minutes. Steve Martin quipped that it had gone on so long that "Avatar" now occurred in the past. James Cameron's multi-billion dollar blockbuster, which was tied for most nominations with "The Hurt Locker," took home three awards.

Most of the night's big winners were predicted beforehand. Jeff Bridges finally got his first Best Actor Oscar for his role in "Crazy Heart." Sandra Bullock was a first-time winner for Best Actress for "The Blind Side." The two Supporting Oscars went to expected (and first-time) winners as well: Mo'Nique ("Precious") and Christolph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds").

But the fate of the 2010 Best Picture and Best Director Oscars had been one of debate leading into the night. James Cameron, who was also nominated for a Best Director Oscar, proved prescient when he told "60 Minutes" in an interview that Kathryn Bigelow's story, that exes (he and Bigelow were once married) and David versus Goliath and being the first woman to win, would be too "irresistible" at the moment an Academy member filled out the ballot.

"The Hurt Locker" not only took home two of the top 2010 Oscars, it also was the winner of Best Original Screenplay (Mark Boal), Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing. Other multiple winners were the aforementioned "Avatar"with three and two each for "Crazy Heart," "Precious," and "Up," which won Best Animated Feature.

Kathryn Bigelow, after winning for Best Director, thanked everyone associated with the film. She finished by honoring American servicemen in Iraq and Afghanistan. When she accepted her award for Best Picture, she apologized for "reiterating," but thanked servicemen and first responders that are there in times of great danger and emergency. "The Hurt Locker" is a suspenseful drama that follows the tour of a bomb squad mechanic in Iraq (played by Jeremy Renner, who was also nominated for a 2010 Best Actor Oscar) who finds that war is its own kind of addictive drug.

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Sources:

"82^nd Academy Awards," ABC Television

"60 Minutes: Kathryn Bigelow," CBS Television

Oscar.go.com

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