Kathryn Bigelow, director of "The Hurt Locker." Photo courtesy of Wire Image.

Depending on where you stand in the battle between brave, war-hardened soldiers and the noble Na’vi, the 82nd Annual Academy Awards telecast was either capped by a great victory or a massive upset.

“The Hurt Locker” won the night, defeating “Avatar” for Best Picture and creating history by making Kathryn Bigelow the first woman to take home a Best Directing Oscar. To think it only took 82 years!

If you’d like a sense of how long of a wait that is…well, you only had to watch this year’s Academy Awards telecast from beginning to end.  Hype and oddsmaking aside, this had to be one of the dullest Oscar nights in recent memory, and we reached that opinion long before it ran more than half an hour overtime.

Certainly the 2010 Oscar telecast had its moments; the tribute John Hughes was catnip to all the children of the ’80s tuning in, and it was legitimately touching, as was the In Memoriam montage set to a live performance by James Taylor.  Neil Patrick Harris’s surprise opening number was a winner (if not le…gen…wait for it…), but rare is the time when NPH isn’t a welcome addition to our TV screens.  (…dary.)

The problem was almost everything else.  Oscar’s ode to horror films, for example, inexplicably included a frame from “Edward Scissorhands”.  The thing felt strangely out of place. (And a note to Kristen Stewart:  If you’re going to present at Hollywood’s biggest event, can you please muster up a smidgen of faux cheer for a couple of hours? You’re an actress, for crying out loud, not an undertaker’s wife.)

(P.S.  We apologize to any undertaker’s wives we might have offended with that statement.)

(P.P.S.  But seriously Kristen…leave the sneer at home with your jeans next time.)

Then there were our hosts.  No need get your pants in a twist — Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin did just fine.  But didn’t the idea of Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin hosting sound stupendous at first blush?  The reality fell quite short of those expectations. From what we know of these men and their comedic abilities, one would never think that the term “workmanlike” would describe their tag-team hosting stint. Yet, that’s what we got Sunday night. Martin and Baldwin hit their marks and made us laugh at all the right moments, but there were no surprises. Nothing off the book or unexpected.   Their joint opening monologue was pleasant, but this is Oscar night. Oscar demands all things to sparkle.

Alas, most of the night’s glitter was provided by Neil Patrick Harris’s performance blazer and the bodice of Zoe Saldana’s gown. We were promised magic, and were left bored out of our skulls.  We wanted extraordinary fashion, or even some equivalent of Bjork wearing a comatose swan on the Red Carpet, but the stars and their stylists behaved themselves.  We wanted to be wowed by jaw-dropping art direction and choreography worthy of Busby Berkeley’s legacy, but instead, we were served a hot mess of interpretive poppin’ and lockin’.  (Why, Adam Shankman…why?)

All of that was window dressing to the main event: “Avatar” vs. “The Hurt Locker” and the saltier undercard, director James Cameron versus his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow. When the dust cleared and “The Hurt Locker” and Bigelow were declared the winners,  a major blow was landed on behalf of indie filmmakers everywhere.

The final trophy count:  “Hurt Locker” 6, “Avatar,” 3.  It was a feel-good victory, no question. Nevertheless, we will always be haunted by the notion that we never got to see James Cameron make a bombastic, quoteworthy thank you speech delivered completely in Na’vi.

But that’s the way  all Oscar telecasts go;  the victories are either just and deserved, or complete travesties.  It’s all in how you look at it. Tomorrow, there will be many celebrating Mo’Nique’s victory or sniffing that her Best Supporting Actress win was overrated; there will be Sandra Bullock fans who will be in the position of defending her Best Actress trophy to those who believe Meryl Streep was robbed.

As for Jeff Bridges winning Best Actor and Christoph Waltz dancing off with Best Supporting Actor…it’s a fair guess most people are just fine with those wins.

What did you think of the show?  Cast your vote in our day-after Oscar poll, and check out our full list of 2010 nominees at winners here.  Miss something? You can find scores of photos here, or click here for a full recap of the show.

You Need to Restrain Your Dragon: According to the L.A. Times a businessman has been arrested and is being held on a million dollar bail for affixing an illegal, eight-story “supergraphic” to the building he partially owns. The billboard promoted Dreamworks Pictures’ How to Train Your Dragon. The building in question is the historic Hollywood First National Building on the corner of Highland and Hollywood Blvd, the eastern backdrop for the Academy Awards.

How to Train Your Dragon Supergraphic

The Times goes on to tell that supergraphics, large digital displays or vinyl billboards posted on the sides of buildings, an advertising practice that has gone on for years, were banned as part of a citywide ordinance last August. Just last week the city attorney filed a lawsuit involving over a dozen supergraphics scattered across the city. In seeming defiance of that filing a few days later the vinyl wrap was attached to the 1928 building.

Officials cited several concerns over public safety as the main reason for removing unpermitted supergraphics because the huge sheets of vinyl could fall on cars and people if not properly secured. Since the signs lack proper permitting and inspection they have not been certified as safe. Officials also noted that supergraphics often cover many windows, making it difficult for firefighters to enter during an emergency.

The incidental coverage and impressions from the Academy Awards ceremony may have prompted the gamble as some industry experts estimate that over $100,000 may be made for a month’s worth of supergraphic exposure.

Regardless the supergraphic has been removed.

Two Views Looking North Up Highland

Jeff Bridges Is Even Cooler Than You Thought: Outside at the Spirit Awards almost all the celebs moved from their limos through the chilly night air to the red carpet line (some, like Christopher Plummer, who understandably at his age by-passed the red carpet altogether). A few, however, made a point of getting over the fan section and signing autographs. There were some first-timers, like Mia Wasikowska and Carey Mulligan, who took the time to stop but might have just been savoring their new-found fame. There were some who may have been appreciative of her fans or may have been doing a mite bit of PR repair, like Mariah Carey. And then there was the Dude. Jeff Bridges spent the most time of anyone signing autographs and bantering with the fans. And he looked happy doing it. And mind you, the press really wasn’t around, they were mostly inside the red carpet tent. The Dude Abides.

Jeff Bridges signing autographs outside the Spirit Awards

1. When anyone in L.A. is trying to convey a hypothetical yet likely scenario of a winner they say, “So, imagine that Jeff Bridges has just won…”
2. I find this ironic, since many people consume films in malls, that the Oscars take place, essentially, in a really fancy mall. The Hollywood and Highland Center includes the Kodak Theatre (which uses the snooty British spelling) where the awards have been held since 2001, but the stars are walking past a “Build a Bear” sign to get into the event.
3. The Hollywood and Highland Center pays homage to the great epics of D.W. Griffith and the grandeur of old Hollywood by recreating the elephants and sets from Griffith’s Intolerance. And there is a Starbucks there.
4. On February 9, 1960 Joanne Woodward was the first person to get a star on the Walk of Fame. Not to take anything away from Ms. Woodward but I was surprised it was her and I was laboring under the impression that the Walk of Fame was much older than that, perhaps conflating them with the cement impressions.
5. For the first time this year the award winners won’t have to give their Oscar back to the Academy to have their nameplates attached and returned at a later date.  An Oscar Engraving Service area will be available to personalize their statuette during the Governors Ball post-party…just like at the mall!!

   by Keith Simanton

Oscar weekend is almost here!  We wanted to give you an update on all the ways that we’ll be covering both the Oscars and the Independent Spirit Awards.

On Friday night, check the site for the red carpet photos and a complete list of winners from the Spirit Awards. Then on Sunday for the Oscars, we’ll do a homepage takeover with up-to-the-minute winners and photos.

For both shows, we will also post award coverage on Facebook and you can follow us on Twitter: @IMDb for award results, and @IMDbLive for on-the-scene commentary  from both Oscars and Spirit Awards!

Make sure you check out our Road to the Oscars section, which is complete with photos of the nominees, and trailers and clips from all of your favorite nominated films! And don’t forget to print our downloadable Oscar ballot, so you can keep track of the winners during the show.

Have you voted in our Oscar poll? The poll closes today at 8pm PST, so make sure you cast your vote!