New faces and veteran talents spice up 2010's Oscar race with sex appeal and big-screen style.
This year's Oscar contenders are a captivating mix. Some are enjoying Academy Award fame fresh out of the gate. Others are basking in Oscar glow after years in the industry.
That fresh, head-turning combo brings welcome diversity at last to the king of all award shows.
Unscripted underdogs
Gabourey Sidibe ("Precious")
Nominee, Best Actress
Smart, articulate Gabourey Sidibe, 26, blew into Hollywood like a fresh breeze with her bravura turn in "Precious." Since then, the African-American ingénue has become the poster girl for a new breed of daring leading lady. Take that, you size-0 beauty queens!
Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker")
Nominee, Best Actor
Virtually unknown to moviegoers one year ago, Jeremy Renner, 39, put a meaningful face to the war in Iraq war in "The Hurt Locker." With Oscar momentum building in his favour, Renner's inner intensity brings welcome new dimensions to modern star appeal.
At the Oscars…at last!
Colin Firth ("A Single Man")
Nominee, Best Actor
After more than two decades in the biz, Colin Firth, 49, finally scored an Oscar nomination for his moving turn as a bereaved gay professor in "A Single Man." Thanks to Firth, grief never looked so believable or so beautiful!
Sandra Bullock ("The Blindside")
Nominee, Best Actress
Oscar frontrunner Sandra Bullock, 44, turned the feel-good tale "The Blindside" into a winning pick with Academy voters. "The Blindside" is no "Ben-Hur." But, Bullock should slay her rivals and prove that actresses over 40 have still got it going on in.
Christopher Plummer ("The Last Station")
Nominee, Best Supporting Actor
Despite his five-decade career, 80-year-old Christopher Plummer nabbed his first Oscar nod for "The Last Station." Plummer's venerable chops and presence among this year's nominees reminds us all that age can still come before beauty, even in Hollywood.
Style sisters:
Carey Mulligan ("An Education")
Nominee, Best Actress
Dressed to impress with her 60s frocks and slick updos, Carey Mulligan, 24, gave the gamine heroine a modern revival in "An Education." Mulligan lacks Audrey Hepburn's rare beauty. But, her "young Hollywood" style quotient still comes across in fine fashion.
Penélope Cruz ("Nine")
Nominee, Best Supporting Actress
Spanish bombshell Penélope Cruz, 35, stole the show in "Nine" draped in nothing but bed sheets. With that heady blend of vibrant sexiness and old-Hollywood glam, Cruz is a golden as it gets when it comes to grand Oscar style on screen and off.
The groundbreakers
Lee Daniels ("Precious")
Nominee, Best Director
Lee Daniels, 50, may not have a lengthy Hollywood career. But, his nomination for "Precious" has made Oscar history. Daniels is the second African-American to earn a Best Director's nod. That alone makes 2010's Oscar race a sweet deal for Daniels.
Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker")
Nominee, Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, 58, broke new career ground in 2009 with her gripping war-time thriller, "The Hurt Locker." Favoured to defeat James Cameron ("Avatar"), Bigelow could become the first woman to win Best Director. That's Oscar history worth making.
