The UrbanWire

The Hurt Locker blazes apart a predictable Oscar night with six wins, including one with history made. Uploaded at 12:35pm.

Boom. The bomb squad is moving in now at the Kodak Theatre.

And so it has just been decided after 3 hours of glitz, self-congratulations, spilled Moet, brief speeches and making history at the 82nd Academy Awards, war drama The Hurt Locker wins Best Picture. Coupled with Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow (first ever female director to win), Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing,  Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, the low-budget (production budget is 1/10 of Avatar) and low-grossing film at the box office ends up the biggest winner with six awards.

What can we make of James Cameron and the Na’vi people from Avatar, the monster blockbuster and one of the favourites to win Best Picture? At least it scores in the less glamorous categories – Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. No matter, the awards are always secondary to the titanic box office takings.

Jeff Bridges, Mo’Nique and Christoph Waltz win Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively. Yawn. All were locked in winners before James Cameron ruled 3D and the box office. What about the match up between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep? No drama there either, as Sandra Bullock clinches Best Actress with panache. To boot, she won the Razzie earlier and even showed up to accept it. Don’t we just love Sandy?

The only shocker here? Up in the Air’s loss to Precious for Best Adapted Screenplay. Most considered the film to be the best this year, including this writer. At least writer-director Jason Reitman is still young full of remarkable potential and we can’t wait for his next hit after Thank You for Smoking, Juno and UITA. Another almost empty-handed loser is Inglourious Basterds, save for its Best Supporting Actor win.

But perhaps, the real biggest loser is the audience. What happened to a great awards show? Where is Brangelina?! Speeches are so short thanks to the backstage Thank You cams so here’s to an average awards show with predictable winners, succinct speeches without any dramatic tears or catcalls and safe dresses in safer colours at the red carpet.

Nonetheless, we love the triumph of the underdog and how The Hurt Locker reminded us that the little movie can.

Check back here for a full and complete coverage of the Oscars tonight. Until then, see you at the movies.

And the winners are…

Best Picture
The Hurt Locker

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress
Mo’Nique, Precious

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Best Original Screenplay
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker

Best Adapted Screenplay
Geoffrey Fletcher, Precious

Best Animated Film
Up

Best Foreign Language Film
El Secreto do Sus Ojos (Argentina)

Best Art Direction
Avatar

Best Cinematography
Avatar

Best Costume Design
The Young Victoria

Best Documentary
The Cove

Best Film Editing
The Hurt Locker

Best Makeup
Star Trek

Best Original Score
Up

Best Original Song
‘The Weary Kind’ from Crazy Heart by T-Bone Burnett & Ryan Bingham

Best Sound Editing
The Hurt Locker

Best Sound Mixing
The Hurt Locker

Best Visual Effects
Avatar

Best Documentary Short
Music by Prudence

Best Animated Short
Logorama

Best Live-Action Short
The New Tenants

Join us for live tweets on www.twitter.com/theurbanwire on the awards show!

This is what you missed:

End of Oscars preshow and red carpet. Onto the awards show.

Favourites at the red carpet: Meryl Streep, Rachel McAdams, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe, Zac Effron and Jennifer Lopez.

Meryl Streep: “I like seeing all my friends all cleaned up.” Referring to all the stars descending at the awards show.

I found out what Rachel McAdams is wearing. It’s an Elie Saab Haute Couture gown.

“I’m all Gucci-ed up,” Jeff Bridges, Best Actor nominee and hot favourite.

“Everyone’s taller and better looking,” Tina Fey.

Last min attempt to bet in the office pool. For help, check my predictions at http://theurbanwire.com/2010/03/06/oscarspredictions/

15 minutes before show starts. They have stopped serving Moet at the bar.

Morgan Freeman talks about jewellery!

Deep juicy burger, fries and milkshake. Sandra Bullock’s post-Oscar diet.

OMG. She actually said you have commitment issues to George Clooney in front of Elizabeth Canalis.

Penelope Cruz is smoking hot in maroon gown.

Everyone in America is switching from E! News to ABC for more red carpet action. In Singapore, we switch to Channel 5.

Ryan Seacret asked Cameron Diaz if this is the last Shrek movie. Please say yes!

Cameron Diaz at the red carpet. Her eyes are really small. Bad makeup or shudder, surgery?

Robert Downey Jr will present with Tina Fey. LOL already!

Spotted: Taylor Lautner descending at the red carpet.

Gerard Butler, presenter at the awards, wants to do a “mooney”.

“If fashion was porn, this dress is the money shot, and you know it!” Gabourey Sidibe on her gown.

Robert Downey Jr wears a blue bow tie at the red carpet. Did he vote for Avatar?

Gabourey wears a beautiful blue on the red carpet.

Gabourey Sidibe hijacks Keanu Reeves’ chat with Ryan and does an awkward buddy punch with him.

Jenny from the Block wears a yummy Princess dress with a funny train.

Rachel McAdams is looking beautiful and dreamy at the red carpet. I love you Rachel!

Meryl Streep, Lead Actress nominee, at the red carpet: “You were cheerleading a little.” Referring to Seacret’s dalliance with Bullock.

George Clooney, “I’m not the lonely guy. I’m surrounded by women in long dresses. You (Ryan Seacrest) are the lonely guy.”

George Clooney, Oscar nominee at the red carpet: “I voted for Jeff.”

Spotted: George Clooney worked the crowd signing autographs. Is it me or is his hair growing longer?

Charlize Theron is gorgeous in fuschia gown but too much details at her chest.

Whoa. Kathryn Bigelow is almost a head taller than Ryan Seacrest.

“She scared me. She still scares me.” Sandra Bullock on meeting Leigh Anne Tuohy, the character she played on The Blind Side.

Sarah Jessica Parker is wearing Chanel couture at the red carpet.

Ryan Seacrest and Jake Gyllenhaal share a brief bromance on the red carpet.

“I thought you got creeped out!” Tina Fey to Ryan Seacrest after he apparently pushed her to get a better view in front of the camera.

Diane Kruger at the red carpet: “Mad.” When asked to describe Quentin Tarantino on set.

Tina Fey wears Michael Kors at the red carpet: “[Hosting the Oscars] is easier than doing SNL. Steve (Martin) tells me it’s only 20 minutes.

Ryan Seacrest asked Tom Ford of A Single Man what was he wearing at the red carpet: “It’s…a Tom Ford suit.”

Elizabeth Banks, presenter, at the red carpet: Pretty in soft lilac Versace frock.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Supporting Actress nominee, and Peter Sarsgaard at red carpet: “My birthday gets postponed if she wins.”

James Cameron: “We don’t feel any competition at all. She (Kathryn) saw Avatar 5 times.”

James Cameron at the red carpet: Tuxedo with blue hanky slipped into breast pocket. Nice touch.

Vera Farmiga, Supporting Actress nominee, at the red carpet: “I voted for Kathryn (Bigelow).”

Spotted: James Cameron at the red carpet. Not wearing blue.

Nicole Richie at the red carpet: What is she wearing? It looks like an expensive blanket.

Zoe Saldana at the red carpet: Gorgeous in purple and bling.

Mariah Carey at the red carpet: “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” Ryan Seacrest: “I’m not sure what diamonds you’re referring to.” Cheeky

Get the brollys out! It’s raining at the red carpet.

Anna Kendrick, presenter and Oscar nominee, meets Mo’Nique at the red carpet.

Zac Effron at the red carpet: 2 minutes of airtime translate into 2 million females gushing worldwide.

Sam Worthington (Avatar) at the red carpet: That’s why I’m here. You put on your monkey suit on.

Random fact: Moët & Chandon is the official champagne of the Oscars.

Sandra Bullock wins Razzie and shows up to collect it. Will she be the first actress to win a Razzie AND Oscar in the same year?

This is it. We are live tweeting at the Oscars. Thank you for joining us. We will begin from the red carpet shortly!

Ronald Wan imagines what Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, the two co-hosts for the 82^nd Annual Academy Awards, would say and pip against each other

It will be a riot at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. The two co-hosts are terrific in hosting (Alec Baldwin hosted Saturday Night Live 14 times while Steve Martin hosted the Oscars twice in 2001 and 2003) and are qualified comedians themselves. We can’t wait to hear what they have to say at the awards so we imagine up some not-so-funny quotes for our own amusement.

Steve: “Alec, I admire you. You are dashing and you have Tina Fey as your partner on 30 Rock.”
Alec: “You’re not that bad either. You have…the Pink Panther?” – Steve Martin starred in The Pink Panther and The Pink Panther 2.

Alec: “Steve, I just realised the earnings for our last 5 movies combined together can’t even buy us the craft service for Avatar.” – Both actors had rather dismal film careers recently.

Steve: “Alec, I love you and I will always answer your calls. If the producer wants to change the script, I will answer your call. If you want to do a movie together, I will answer your call. If you want to have supper at Rodeo Drive, I will do it too. Just do not leave any voicemail messages on my phone!!!” – Alec Baldwin’s infamous incident involved leaving an angry voicemail message on his daughter’s cell phone.

Steve: “Alec, we shared the same woman on set. But I do not want to share your woman in our personal lives!” – Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin were co-stars with Oscar nominee Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated. Baldwin’s ex wife is actress Kim Basinger, who’s been involved in an ugly divorce and custody battle with him.

Steve: “Alec, you know, I had better co-hosts.” – Steve Martin co-hosted with Donald Duck in Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years shown at Disneyland.

Steve: “You know, Alec, you’re not that bad a host yourself and you are a successful TV personality. Ever considered getting your own TV talk show?”
Alec: “Seriously?”
– Alec stars in the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. NBC was recently flagged for mishandling the Jay Leno-Conan O Brien late night talk show saga.