Oscar firsts:: Kathryn Bigelow & Lee Daniels

OK, the Oscar nominations have been announced. And maybe Hollywood has decided to join the rest of U.S. society. But it's clearly easier to elect a Black President than for a Black or female director to win an Oscar.

The best picture fight is between Avatar and The Hurt Locker. As I said earlier, Kathryn Bigelow is the fourth woman to be nominated for Best Director (Lina Wertmuller, Seven Beauties ; Jane Campion, The Piano,; and Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation). Only The Piano was nominated for Best Picture. Bigelow would be the first woman to ever win for Best director.

But there is another important award to focus on. Lee Daniels (Precious) is the second African American to be nominated for Best Director (John Singleton, Boyz N the Hood, was the first). But Daniels has already made Oscar history, because Precious is the first film by a Black director to be nominated for a Best Picture award.

Oscar nominations tomorrow (Tues)

Tommorow (Tues) morning the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will announce its nominations for the Oscars. The winners will be announced March 7th.

Here's a tip for those who plan to wager on the outcome: In 54 out of the last 60 years the winner of the Directors Guild award for best picture went on to win the Oscar. Last Saturday the Directors gave their award to The Hurt Locker.

More importantly, if The Hurt Locker wins it will be the first movie directed by a woman -Kathryn Bigelow - to win the Best Picture Oscar. If she wins the Best Director, that would also be a first for women.

As a Hollywood gossip footnote Bigelow and her main competitor - James Cameron (Avatar) used to be married. Sounds like a Spencer Tracy/Kathryn Hepburn movie to me.