Los Angeles: The 82nd Academy Awards will see a battle of the exes with James Cameron’s sci-fi blockbuster Avatar and his former-wife Kathryn Bigelo-w’s Iraq war drama Hurt Locker fighting it out for top honours after receiving nine nominations each.

The red carpet had been rolled out as organisers make last minute checks for the Hollywood extravaganza, which gets under way at 5 pm local time on March 7.
Both the films have been nominated in the Best Picture category with Cameron and Bigelow being pitted against each other in the Best Director category.
While, Cameron’s 3D sci-fi juggernaut, which has taken more than $2 billion at the box office, won the Best Film trophy at the Golden Globes, Hurt Locker sweeped the Baftas and Directors Guild Awards.
Despite being hit by controversies, industry paper Hollywood Reporter on Friday predicted wins for Bigelow in both Best Picture and Director categories. One of the producers of the film has been banned from attending the ceremony over illegal campaigning and the film is also facing a lawsuit from a serviceman alleging he was the inspiration for the movie. If Hurt Locker wins, it will be the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner in Oscars history with earnings of around $15 million. And if Bigelow is named best director she would be first female to win the award, for which only four women have ever been nominated. Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds which won the Best Cast award at the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards came is also in the fray with seven nominations.     —PTI