Nominations for Oscar 2010 announced: Avatar, The Hurt Locker bags nine each

Recently, James Cameroon's magnum opus Avatar dethroned Titanic to become the highest-grossing movie of all time. Within 31 days of its opening, the movie has revolutionized the word 'Cinema'.

And now, the film has bagged as many as nine nominations in different categories, including Sound Editing, Art Direction, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original, Score), Best Picture, Sound Mixing and of course for Best Visual Effects.

Directed by James Cameron and produced by 20th Century Fox, Avatar is an epic action adventure. The film was first conceived by Cameron 14 years ago when the means to realize his vision did not yet exist. Cameron again combines elements of massive spectacle and intimate character to tell a relatable and emotional tale.

Avatar is the first-ever 3D Hollywood film to be released in Tamil. Fox Star Studios India released the 3D version of Avatar in around 700 prints in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, one of the biggest Indian releases for a Hollywood film, with a whopping 100 prints released in Tamil.

The Hurt Locker is the only other movie that is giving tough competition for the Pandora fever. The movie has also bagged nine nominations, including the Best Actor for Jeremy Renner, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original, Score), Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Original Screenplay.

Animated film Up scored an extraordinary five nominations in best animated feature film, best picture, Original Screenplay, Sound Editing and Music category. Up is the second animated feature in the best picture category after Disney’s 1991 film Beauty and the Beast.

Hollywood veteran Meryl Streep set a record by becoming the most nominated actress in Academy history. She has earned her 16th Oscar nomination for film Julie & Julia.

And the nominations are:

Best Actor - Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart, George Clooney in Up in the Air, Colin Firth in A Single Man, Morgan Freeman in Invictus and Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker.

Best Supporting Actor - Matt Damon in Invictus, Woody Harrelson in The Messenger, Christopher Plummer in The Last Station, Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones and Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds.

Best Actress - Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, Helen Mirren in The Last Station, Carey Mulligan in An Education, Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia.

Best Supporting actress - Penélope Cruz in Nine, Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart, Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air, Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.

Best Animated Feature Film - Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog, The Secret of Kells and Up.

Best Director - James Cameron (Avatar), Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds), Lee Daniels (Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire) and Jason Reitman (Up in the Air).

Foreign Language Film - Ajami (Israel), El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina), The Milk of Sorrow (Peru), Un Prophète (France) and The White Ribbon (Germany)

Best Picture - Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, A Serious Man, Up and Up in the Air.