Oscar winners no big surprise

Ten best picture nominees. Two former spouses competing for best director. Two funny-man hosts and no best-song nominee performances.

Advertising billed the 82nd annual Academy Awards as a night that would be like no other. The results were mixed.

Sunday's show opened promising enough, with a musical number from Neil Patrick Harris, who wore a glittering tux jacket and sang and danced his way through an explanation of why "no one wants to do it alone," a nod to hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. The pair then took the stage and poked a bit of fun at themselves and the night's nominees.

But while Baldwin and Martin shined, the rest of the show lacked cohesion, and without the best song performances, the broadcast fell into the predictable nominations-winner-acceptance speech pattern.

A tribute to horror films, which rarely garner attention during awards season, offered a brief --albeit odd -- respite from the routine.

In two of the most highly anticipated awards of the night, best picture and best director, ex-spouses Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron squared off over their films "The Hurt Locker" and "Avatar," respectively. In the end both honors went to Bigelow, who became the first woman to win a directing Oscar for a war drama, which also was named best picture.

In a battle that pitted one of Hollywood's most popular actresses against one of its most critically acclaimed, Sandra Bullock edged past Meryl Streep to take home the best actress Oscar for her role in "The Blind Side." Both actresses portrayed real-life women, but Bullock's Leigh Anne Tuohy, a white Southerner who takes in a homeless black teen and helps him reach his full potential, left a more lasting impression with the academy than did Streep's Julia Child.

The academy named Jeff Bridges best actor for his role as washed-up country singer Bad Blake in "Crazy Heart."

The remaining acting honors went to Christoph Waltz, who was named best supporting actor for his role as the methodical and sadistic Nazi Col. Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds," and Mo'Nique, named best supporting actress for her portrayal of the title character's monstrous mother in "Precious."

In more poignant moments of the night, Molly Ringwald and Matthew Broderick introduced a tribute to the late John Hughes, whose coming-of-age films gave us the Brat Pack, Ferris Bueller and Kevin McCallister being left "Home Alone." James Taylor played acoustic guitar and sang The Beatles' "In My Life" as the in memoriam tribute.

WINNERS

Among the winners at the 82nd annual Academy Awards:

Best Picture: "The Hurt Locker"

Lead Actor: Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart"

Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds"

Lead Actress: Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"

Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"

Director: "The Hurt Locker" Kathryn Bigelow

Adapted Screenplay: "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher

Original Screenplay: "The Hurt Locker" Written by Mark Boal

Animated Feature Film: "Up"

Art Direction: "Avatar" Art Direction, Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration, Kim Sinclair

Cinematography: "Avatar" Mauro Fiore

Costume Design: "The Young Victoria" Sandy Powell

Documentary (Feature): "The Cove"

Documentary (Short Subject): "Music by Prudence"

Film Editing: "The Hurt Locker" Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Foreign Language Film: "The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)" Argentina

-- For a complete list of winners, go to oscar.com.

Reach Jessica Runnels Rourk at jrunnels@postandcourier.com.