Los Angeles, February 3 -- The Academy Awards night, highly anticipated and looked forward, is that one night when all movie fans around the globe get to watch what Hollywood has to present. Be it history-making mastery or art films the Oscars telecast some of the best talent of the industry. Of course, with an element of surprise.

Oscar depends on popularity of nominated films
Last year, despite the struggling economy and studio cutbacks, lot of attention-grabbing movies were made, marketing it to niche audiences.

There are a number of people who go to see Hollywood movies yet jury picks the best among the lot.

Interestingly this year’s Academy Awards have voted to put forward the Oscar cast and co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin on its posters and they hope that this joint appeal would pull off a winner.

Oscar producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman are working doggedly after the CBS’ success of the Grammys to make it a well-paced show with brilliant musical performances and a star-dazzling evening.

It is even rumored that Oscar producers want to make the comings awards an evening that’s full of buoyant interactivity, fun and memorable moments of dance numbers. it is reported that they are even planning later to get folks off the stage before tedium crops up.

‘Avatar’, 'The Hurt Locker’ top Oscar nominations
Apart from the glitz and glamour of the awards, the season augurs supremacy in the nominations too.

The best picture that Academy voters have picked is James Cameron's highest grossing science-fiction epic ‘Avatar ‘ and least commercial yet critically acclaimed gritty Iraq war drama ‘The Hurt Locker.’ The two films will battle for domination at the Oscars after having topped the nominations at the Oscars.

The 'Hurt Locker' has scraped only $13 million domestically, but the film being a low-budgeted one has been valued and appreciated for its caliber.

It has earned nine nominations for its remarkable direction by Katherine Bigelow, Cameron’s ex-wife, as well as best picture, best actor and best original screen play.

Ms. Bigelow is the fourth woman ever to be nominated for direction after Sofia Coppla received a nod for ‘Lost in translation’ in 2003. No woman in the history of Oscars has won the top prize though.

Meanwhile James Cameron’s Avatar-the most expensive movie ever made and the highest earning film, has already started to pick up gobs of nominations including best picture and best director.

There is now a battle of exes among the two movies.

The awards will be presented on March 7. The other best picture nominations include the British drama ‘An Education’, the recession-era ‘Up in the Air’, ‘A Serious Man’ and Sandra Bullock’s ‘The Blind Side’.

the current year also marks a share of surprise entry in the acting nominations with Sandra Bullock for best actress.