Academy Awards Recap

On Sunday, the 82nd annual Academy Awards took place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood to pay tribute to the best films of the year alongside the actors and actresses.

It was a spectacular evening with stars such as Robert Duvall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Morgan Freeman, and Sean Penn, to name a few.

There were several movies competing for that special Oscar statuette, but some movies were expected to do better than others.

A couple days before the event, I asked the students at Santa Monica College which movies they were hoping would win at the Oscars.

Many of them told me that James Cameron's "Avatar" was one of the best movies they had ever seen and felt that it deserved to win as many prizes as possible. Some disagreed and felt that "Inglourious Basterds" starring Brad Pitt should be the big winner at the awards.

Others felt that "Precious" was the movie of 2009 and thought that actress Gabourey Sidibe played the role as Precious well enough to have an impact on them.

Even though people were rooting for their favorite movie to win, they all had one thing in common: their love for movies and their excitement towards seeing their favorite celebrities walk the red carpet.

This year's ceremony was hosted by award-winning television, and film actor Alec Baldwin and actor, comedian and producer Steve Martin.

Kathryn Bigelow's "The Hurt Locker" was the winner of the night with nine nominees and six wins including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. It was also a historical night for Bigelow who became the first woman in history to receive an Oscar for Best Director.

James Cameron's "Avatar," one of the highest-grossing films of all time, was nominated in nine categories and won three Oscars for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.

On May 16, 1929 the first Oscar Awards took place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with an audience of only 270 people. Today, nearly 81 years later, the award has come to be one of the biggest events in the world. Actors, actresses, directors, producers and writers gathered once again to recognize excellence in the film industry and it's safe to say that the 82nd Academy Awards was a beautiful night where the stars shone like never before.