Jeff Bridges Makes Crazy Heart Sing

But maybe he could have kept that to himself?

(NEWSER) - George Clooney voted for Jeff Bridges instead of himself to win this year's Best Actor Oscar, and he even photographed his ballot and sent it to Bridges with best wishes. Stuff like this is why Clooney "might be the classiest man in Hollywood," declare the experts at the New York Post 's Page Six. More»

Nine nominations each for Cameron, Bigelow films

(AP) - The science-fiction sensation Avatar and the war-on-terror thriller The Hurt Locker lead the Academy Awards with nine nominations each, including best picture and director for James Cameron and ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow. Also nominated for best-picture: District 9; the animated comedy Up; the World War II saga Inglourious Basterds; the football drama The Blind Side; the recession tale Up in the Air, the 1960s drama A Serious Man, and the teen tales An Education and Precious. More»

Upcoming projects for Jeff Bridges, Kathryn Bigelow, and more

(NEWSER) - They've won Oscars...now what? The Los Angeles Times reports on what's next for a few Academy Award winners:

• Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal: The Hurt Locker director and screenwriter are collaborating again on Triple Frontier, a thriller set in South America. Bigelow will also direct the pilot for HBO's The Miraculous Year.
• Jeff Bridges: "The Dude" will be reunited with the Coen brothers for a remake of True Grit, a western that scored original star John Wayne an Oscar. He also stars in December's Tron sequel, Tron Legacy.
• Sandra Bullock: Nothing is on her plate yet, but she's considering Bobbie Sue, a legal comedy.

If actors are smart, they negotiate bonuses before filming starts

(NEWSER) - Figuring out the worth of an Oscar is tricky business, but the Vulture blog at New York gives it a try for some of this year's big winners. Jeff Bridges, for instance, likely picked up $125,000 for being nominated and another $125,000 for winning Best Actor. Those bonuses—built into his contract for taking the role—could be double or triple had he been in a big-studio blockbuster instead of the indie flick Crazy Heart. More»

First directing honors for a woman as Iraq thriller reaps 5 awards

(AP) - The Iraq war thriller The Hurt Locker earned the Best Picture Academy Award tonight, and Kathryn Bigelow won for best director. Bigelow is the first woman in the 82-year history of the Oscars to earn Hollywood's top prize for filmmakers. Among those Bigelow beat were ex-husband James Cameron, the best director winner for 1997's Titanic, who was nominated this time for his sci-fi spectacle Avatar. Bigelow and Cameron were married from 1989 to 1991. More»