‘Avatar,’ ‘Hurt Locker’ each grab 9 Oscar nominations

'Avatar' was given nine Academy Awards nominations Monday.

The old question of whether awards should be given for commercial success or through critical praise will certainly be renewed at this year's Oscars, where the biggest film of all time money wise squares off against an indie boasting universal rave reviews; but meager box office earnings.

Avatar and The Hurt Locker each earned nine nominations, topping all entries. The 82nd annual Oscar Awards will be presented live at 7 p.m. March 7 on ABC.

James Cameron’s Avatar, already the biggest grossing film of all time internationally and also on pace to smash his own Titanic's domestic mark, was one of 10 nominees in the Best Picture list as the Academy doubled the amount of eligible contenders for the first time since 1943.

Besides The Hurt Locker, Avatar goes up against other acclaimed productions like Precious and Up in the Air, plus Up, one of the rare animated films to get general movie Oscar consideration, and the sci-fi drama/allegory District 9.

Expanding the category was widely seen as a way to get more audience favorites into the Oscar discussion, a move that in turn might drive the rshow's ratings, which have fallen to record lows the past few years. Yet the category still has plenty of cult and/or low impact movies commecially, among them The Coen Brothers' A Serious Man, An Education and the football biopic The Blind Side, plus Quentin Taratino's alternative history of World War II Inglourious Basterds.

While Cameron also received a Best Director nod, no Avatar cast member earned any acting bids, and the film's storyline garnered as much negative reaction as its spectacular 3-D Imax visuals did positive response.

There were familiar names and expected results in both the Best Actor and Actress categories. George Clooney (Up In The Air), Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart) and Morgan Freeman (Invictus) were givens, while Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) and Colin Firth (A Single Man) received widespread praise for their portrayals. Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) already has captured two major awards, while Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) is the most nominated actress in Oscar history, and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) this year's indie darling. Helen Mirren (The Last Station') and Carey Mulligan (An Education) are the two other contenders for Best Actress.

Matt Damon (Invictus) is one of five big names vying for Best Supporting Actor. The others are Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Christopher Plummer (The Last Station), Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones,) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds).

Two pivotal members of the Up In the Air cast, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, were nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category. They are joined by Mo'Nique (Precious), who's already won several major awards, Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart) and Penelope Cruz (Nine).

The director's race also looms as another referendum on art vs. commerce, with Kathyrn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) already the consensus choice among journalists and critics, up against James Cameron (Avatar), the person responsible for the two biggest blockbusters in modern cinema history (though both Avatar and Titanic actually trail Gone With The Wind when box office receipts are adjusted for inflation). Quentin Taratino, who spent several years writing and finally completing Inglourious Basterds, is a sentimental choice of some voters in this category, while other nominees include Lee Daniels (Precious) and Jason Reitman (Up In The Air).

History could also be made if either Bigelow or Daniels takes Best Director honors. No female or black director has ever won in this category, though Bigelow has already become the first female winner of the Director's Guild award, as well as the fifth woman to be nominated.

Daniels is just the second black director nominated in Oscar history, and the first since John Singleton in 1991 (Boyz in the Hood). Bigelow is now considered the front-runner, though she wouldn't be the first or last person thought to be ahead who didn't win in the end.

Whatever the results, there are definitely some intriguing questions that will be answered next month at the Oscars.

Best Picture nominees now available on DVD are District 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds and Up. A Serious Man will be released on DVD Feb. 9; The Blind Side March 9. Up In the Air and Avatar are still in theatrical runs, while release dates haven't yet been announced for An Education and Precious.