Officials Warn al Qaeda 'Certain' to Try Attack Soon

Erick Stakelbeck

CBN News Terrorism Analyst


Senior U.S. intelligence officials told Congress today that Al Qaeda is looking to hit the U.S. homeland sometime in the next 3 to 6 months. From Fox News:

Al Qaeda can be expected to attempt an attack on the United States in the next three to six months, senior U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Tuesday.

The terrorist organization is deploying operatives to the United States to carry out new attacks from inside the country, including "clean" recruits with a negligible trail of terrorist contacts, CIA Director Leon Panetta said. Al Qaeda is also inspiring homegrown extremists to trigger violence on their own, Panetta added.

The annual assessment of the nation's terror threats provided no startling new terror trends, but amplified growing concerns since the Christmas Day airline attack in Detroit that militants are growing harder to detect and moving more quickly in their plots.

"The biggest threat is not so much that we face an attack like 9/11. It is that Al Qaeda is adapting its methods in ways that oftentimes make it difficult to detect," Panetta told the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Al Qaeda is increasingly relying on new recruits with minimal training and simple devices to carry out attacks, the CIA chief said as part of the annual assessment of national threats provided to Congress by the top five U.S. intelligence officials.

Panetta also warned of the danger of extremists acting alone: "It's the lone-wolf strategy that I think we have to pay attention to as the main threat to this country," he said.

I documented some of that lone wolf activity from '09 recently on CBN News. Looks like we're in for rmore of the same in 2010.

Palin to Rahm: 'Are You Capable of Decency?'

The White House/Flickr under a CC license and Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Republicans love to hate White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and Democrats love to hate Sarah Palin: what better show than the two duking it out directly? Their recent spat is as emotional as it is theatrical, however. Monday evening, Sarah Palin fired the first shot. "Are You Capable of Decency, Rahm Emanuel?" asks the headline of her Facebook note. Apparently a "patriot in North Andover, Massachusetts," told Palin of Emanuel's alleged scolding of liberals in a health care meeting by calling them "retarded," immediately preceded by a colorful participle. Both Palin and the Massachusetts patriot have children with Down Syndrome. Palin's response:

Just as we'd be appalled if any public figure of Rahm's stature ever used the "N-word" or other such inappropriate language, Rahm's slur on all God's children with cognitive and developmental disabilities--and the people who love them--is unacceptable, and it's heartbreaking.

Iran taking steps to blunt future sanctions: US spy chief

Iran has taken steps to blunt possible future global and US sanctions, notably seeking out new sources of gasoline in China and Venezuela, the top US intelligence official said Tuesday.

US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair told key lawmakers that Tehran was "keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons" but that existing sanctions had harmed the Islamic republic's struggling economy.

And Blair said Iran's leaders weighed "Iran's security, prestige and influence" in deciding how to proceed on the country's nuclear program and said the world still had leverage in the standoff.

"We continue to judge Iran?s nuclear decision making is guided by a cost-benefit approach, which offers the international community opportunities to influence Tehran," he said.

But "Iran has made contingency plans for dealing with future additional international sanctions by identifying potential alternative suppliers of gasoline -- including China and Venezuela," said Blair.

"Tehran also has resorted to doing business with small, non-Western banks and dealing in non-US currency for many financial transactions," he told the Senate Intelligence Committee in a hearing on global threats to US interests.

Blair said Iran's opposition press had reported Iranian forces were involved in smuggling in crude oil "as a way of both skirting and profiting from sanctions.

"Despite these activities and Iran?s gasoline subsidy cuts, which could in part serve to mitigate some effects of the embargo, we nonetheless judge that sanctions will have a negative impact on Iran?s recovery from its current economic slowdown," he said.

His comments came as the US Congress weighed a sweeping package of sanctions aimed at forcing Iran to freeze its suspect nuclear program, including steps meant to hurt Tehran's ability to import refined petroleum goods like gasoline.

The United States and its Western allies fear Iran is secretly developing fissile material for nuclear weapons under the cover of its uranium enrichment program -- a charge denied by Tehran.

As a close ally of Iran with oil interests in the country, China -- a permanent member of the UN Security Council -- is reluctant to support sanctions.

Defense Department Suggests Policy Change on Gays in Military

Top Defense Department officials told the Senate Tuesday that it was time to allow gay men and women to serve openly in the military, rather than continuing the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that has forced thousands of them out.

The hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee was a response to President Obama's call during his Jan. 27 State of the Union address to end discrimination against gays in the military.

"No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,"

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified at the Senate hearing. He said that "allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do."

The U.S. military is beginning a year-long review of its 16-year policy to figure out the best way to tolerate gays in the armed services.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates agreed in his testimony that it was time to change the policy that says gays who openly proclaim their sexual orientation, or display it through their behavior, can be forced out of the military.

He said the military needs more time to study a new policy, which would require approval from Congress. He also predicted some members of the military would be upset if gays are allowed to serve openly.

Gates warned against Congress acting too swiftly on its own policy change.

"Keep the impact it will have on our forces firmly in mind," Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Even within Congress, opposition to a more liberal policy is strong.

Among the opponents is Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a former Navy pilot who was imprisoned in Hanoi during the Vietnam War.

"Don't ask, don't tell has been an imperfect but effective policy," McCain said during the Senate hearing.

He said military personnel sometimes are forced to live under "spartan conditions" that include "forced intimacy."

They must expect restrictions on their personal conduct to maintain order and cohesion within their units, McCain said.

He held up a petition signed by more than 1,000 military generals and other top officers opposing openly gay personnel in the military.

He called the policy dispute "an extremely difficult issue."

McCain faces what appears to be a change of heart among the American public.

In 1993, popular opinion polls showed a majority of Americans opposed the idea of gays in the military. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said, "In the latest Gallup poll, the American public overwhelmingly supports allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. Sixty-nine percent of Americans are recorded as supporting their right to serve, and many are in fact serving."

In some cases, discrimination against gays has hurt the military, he said.

In one example, dozens of Arabic and Farsi linguists were forced out of the military recently for what appeared to be gay lifestyles at a time their services were critical to U.S. Army efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, Levin said.

Advocacy groups have joined the dispute over gays in the military with their own heated arguments.

"Fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan is difficult and dangerous already," said Andrea Lafferty, director of the Traditional Values Coalition, a conservative group. "We don't need someone sitting in a foxhole concerned about whether or not the night will turn into a date night for someone serving beside him."

The civil liberties advocacy group Human Rights Watch has been outspoken in opposing the don't ask, don't tell policy.

"It sends a message that this country doesn't consider some people worthy to defend it," said Scott Long, director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program for Human Rights Watch. "It also deprives people of their rights to free speech - to say, and be, who they are. It undermines the very freedoms our military says it defends."

Michael Jackson's doctor 'to be charged over death'

Michael Jackson's doctor is expected to be charged with the singer's involuntary manslaughter, US media reports say.

A spokeswoman for Dr Conrad Murray said he is expected to surrender to authorities within the next 48 hours.

If Dr Murray is charged, a judge would decide if he should then go on trial.

Michael Jackson's death, at the age of 50, in Los Angeles on 25 June last year was ruled as homicide, mainly caused by an anaesthetic.

Dr Murray has always maintained that he did not prescribe nor administer anything that should have killed Jackson.

Powerful anaesthetic

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles District Attorney's office told the BBC that so far nothing had been filed against Dr Murray.


Several drugs were found in Michael Jackson's body

Dr Murray's leading lawyer, Ed Chernoff, told Reuters news agency his client was in Los Angeles, saying: "If the cops want him he's not hiding. We'll be happy to surrender him and they know that."

Mr Chernoff added: "I don't think they should be filing charges at all."

Involuntary manslaughter occurs when a death is the indirect result of negligence or recklessness.

If he is charged, the doctor would face a hearing at which a judge would consider the evidence and decide whether Dr Murray should go on trial.

Jackson's death was primarily caused by the powerful anaesthetic Propofol, the Los Angeles coroner confirmed in August.

A cocktail of drugs - also including sedatives Midazolam and Diazepam, the painkiller Lidocaine and the stimulant Ephedrine - were detected in his body.

Dr Murray told police he had been giving Jackson Propofol as part of his treatment for insomnia, according to an affidavit made public in August.

Jayson Williams Robbed, Thieves Took $150K in Valuables

Just call him "Bad Luck Jay." Ex-NBA player and now permanent courtroom fixture Jayson Williams has had yet another run-in with misfortune. Williams' South Carolina estate was recently broken into and more than $150,000 worth of items were hauled away.


According to the sheriff's office, when the burglary occurred could not be pinpointed because Williams and his wife were away for two weeks. The ex-athlete reported missing such treasured possessions as a pair of personally autographed Tiger Woods shoes. Williams also noted that a pair of shorts signed by basketball legend Wilt Chamberlain were allegedly taken. A handwritten lyric sheet penned by rapper extraordinaire Tupac Shakur was also included among the inventory of stolen items.

The burglars are also said to have taken electronic equipment, such as four plasma televisions, a gold Rolex, diamond Breitling watches and a host of other sports memorabilia.

Wife Tanya Young Williams recently put the burglary on blast on her Facebook page. Tonya suspects that whomever burglarized their property had to know them because they live in a gated waterfront community.

The couple are offering a reward of $5,000 for the return of their stolen items.

"I want my memorabilia back, because they mean more to me than what they represent," says Tanya.The sheriff's office says that the investigation is active but are declining to state whether any suspects have been caught.
Only recently, Williams crashed his Mercedes SUV in New York City while allegedly driving drunk. He faces between 18 months and five years in prison during his sentencing next month.

Tea Partiers Portray Barack Obama as a Pimp

TeaParty.org, a Houston-based group founded by Dale Robertson, has decided to further play the race card by sending out an e-mail portraying President Barack Obama wearing a pimp hat, with a mustache painted on his face. The hat has zebra stripes and even includes a feather. The subject line of the e-mail states, "Obama Pimpin Obama-care, one last time!"
Robertson's group was taken to task recently for a sign that the founder held up at a rally that used the word "niggars" in reference to tax payers under the regime of the Obama administration.

When you have outlandish protesters like Robertson, it's difficult to believe that the tea party protests against the president aren't at least a little bit racist. I am sure that every legitimate protester, who at least thinks that race has nothing to do with his or her disdain for Obama, is disgusted by the actions of Robertson. To that effect, many other tea partiers are partying as far away from Robertson as they possibly can.

But events like this do beg additional questions regarding just how much race has to do with the extreme hatred being shown toward President Barack Obama. Do they just happen to hate the president because they think he is too liberal or because they are not accustomed to dealing with African American authority figures? Many black scholars document fundamental disrespect in the classroom from white students who've never had a black teacher before. The disrespect from students is heightened when your teaching style differs from what students are accustomed to. It is not inconceivable that many people who hate Obama because he's black are not even aware that race has something to do with their disdain.

While we will never know the origins or the intent of the tea party protests (they seem to be more determined to undermine Obama than to sway his opinion), we do know that protesters like Robertson are not good for our country. At the same time, I'm sure that the president knows that these kinds of attacks simply come with the territory. I'm sure he can handle it, and so can we.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition.

Black police group says racism rampant in city police department

Kevin Killeen Reporting
An organization representing African American officers in the St. Louis police department accuses the new chief, who is also black, of failing to deal with a "culture of racism" in the department.

Ethical Society of Police President, officer Eddie Simmons, laid out his complaints at a news conference, which he says he was forced to hold because Chief Dan Isom has failed to meet with him in the past several weeks.

Among the allegations:

**A white colonel cursing a black officer during a public roll call for failing to wear a hat.

**White officers routinely referring to black officers by the "n" word, and claiming they don't want to ride with them.

**A white sgt telling a black officer that he "could train monkeys to burn up gas all night and ride around;" what he needed was 'intelligent" officers.

**Bloggers on a St. Louis police website referring to black officers as "monkeys."

**Black officers finding stuffed monkeys and bananas on their patrol cars.

Simmons says the problem is affecting job performance in a department of 1400, where 540 black officers are black.

"The morale among black officers is very low, "Simmons said, "We are the last in promotions. We are the last in moving around to the good jobs, transfers."

Simmons is calling for creation of an Equal Employment Opportunity office within the department, so that officers can file complaints without fear of reprisal. He also wants all race-related problems brought to the attention of the Police Board. And he wants a policy change in the Bureau of Internal Affairs, so that Simmons can file complaints on behalf of officers.

Chief Isom's Public Relations Division released a statement, disputing Simmon's claim that Isom has been unavailable and claiming that the Chief is working to ensure diversity and fairness on the department.

The statement claims that Isom and Simmons see each other at least once a month on a board they both sit on. (Simmons had complained that he's getting the buffer treatment from a Lt. who shields him from seeing the chief, whereas with Chief Mokwa, he says he used to walk in and sit down to talk.)

Isom's statement says the department outsources its EEO complaints to an outside investigator, to avoid fears of retaliation.

Isom's statement also mentions that the department recently formed a Diversity Council to address problems in the department.

Simmons says he's planning a series of town hall forums to better inform the public of allegations of racism against black officers in the department.

Stephen Colbert Grills Flip-Flopping Harold Ford Jr. (Video)

Stephen Colbert drives a nail into Harold Ford who is trying to be the next Senator from New York. He gets the politician on a few flip flops, and doesn't let go. Great and funny interview.

Davos Annual Meeting 2010 - The US Economic Outlook

The economic outlook for the world's largest economy remains uncertain with unemployment levels reaching 10% and budget deficits increasing at the national and state levels.

How will the Obama Administration address these and other economic challenges in 2010?

Conversation with
Lawrence H. Summers, Director, National Economic Council (NEC), Executive Office of the President, USA

Moderated by
Charlie Rose, Anchor, Executive Producer and Executive Editor, The Charlie Rose Show, USA

Watch Davos Annual Meeting 2010 - Skills Creation: The Future of Employment

Although unemployment rates continue to rise, there are still 2.6 million jobs unfilled in the US and 4 million in Europe because of a shortage of skilled workers.
What imbalances in terms of human capital should be addressed for a sustainable post-crisis recovery?

Watch Davos Open Forum 2010 - After the Financial Crisis: Consequences and Lessons Learned

The financial crisis has caused an economic crisis around the world. Drastic state measures have prevented the collapse of the economic system: governments have established rescue funds for failing banks or nationalized banks for relaunching economic growth. At the same time, central banks have intervened with important injections of liquidity and have lowered interest rates.

What were the causes of the financial crisis?

In the future, how can such crises be prevented?

What effect will state measures have in the long term?

What will a global adjustment of the financial system look like? Who should develop and apply the rules?

This session is co-organized with the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (SEK-FEPS).

Ziya Akkurt, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, Akbank TAS, Turkey
Christine Lagarde, Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment of France; Member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum
Patrick Odier, Chairman, Swiss Bankers Association, Switzerland
Nikolaus Schneider, Vice-Chairperson of the Council, Evangelical Church in Germany, Germany
Juan Somavia, Director-General, International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva; Global Agenda Council on Employment & Social Protection
Joseph E. Stiglitz, Professor, Columbia University, USA

Moderated by
Stephan Klapproth, Anchor, Ten O'Clock News, Swiss Television SF DRS, Switzerland

Baptists and the Haitian orphans

Ten Baptists from Idaho are being held in Haiti after attempting to leave the earthquake-devastated country with 33 Haitian orphans.

This is shocking. Who knew there were Baptists in Idaho? And not just Baptists, but Southern Baptists. Have these people never seen a map? Idaho isn't southern anything. Except maybe southern Canada.

But there is a secondary aspect to this story: Baptists are being accused of child-smuggling.

Unless you're a Baptist, this might come as a shock. But it's not a shock to me. You see, I'm a Baptist. And not just a Baptist, I'm a Southern Baptist. So, you can depend on my telling you the truth about this issue.

Baptists are known for many things, mostly for what they don't do:

Baptists don't drink.
Baptists don't dance.
Baptists don't have fun.

At least, that's the impression most people have about Baptists.

The other thing that people know about Baptists is that we've had three Baptist presidents: Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton.

Most people don't remember Harry Truman, but neither Carter nor Clinton could be used for recruiting purposes.

But, Baptists are huge proponents of fund-raising.

Baptists are always raising money for some building project. Whether it's adding a new fellowship hall, renovating the sanctuary, or building a new church far away from all the undesirables that live the next street over from the current building, hardly a week goes by that a Baptist church isn't having some fund-raising event.

Southern Baptists have three big fund-raisers during the year: The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering (for International Missions), the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering (for North American Missions), and the Black Orphan Auction (for funding Right-Wing Extremist Missions).

As a Baptist, I'm asking you to support the missionaries from Idaho who are simply trying to good work. If not God's work, at least, Rush Limbaugh's.

Idaho has an extreme shortage of Black orphans. Have you ever seen a Black person in Idaho? No Black person would willingly go to Idaho. You can hardly convince a White person to go there. Well, if the choices were Idaho or Montana, then Idaho might be the choice, but otherwise, you won't find a single person of color. It's the Whitest state west of Delaware.

That's why the Baptist churches in Idaho need these Haitian orphans. Without the Black Orphan Auction, they won't be able to fund Right-Wing Extremist Missions. And if that happens, Air American will return to the airwaves.

NBA Basketball Betting: LA Lakers at Memphis

The Lakers play Memphis tonight. (AP Images)

The L.A. Lakers look to conclude their longest road trip of the season with a fifth consecutive victory while trying for a sixth straight win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

NBA basketball betting lines have the Lakers listed as 2-point road favorites.

As Los Angeles looks to conclude an already successful trip on a positive note at Memphis, Kobe Bryant has a chance to bounce back from Sunday’s performance against a team he’s victimized with a big night once this season. Bryant scored 41 points and went 19 for 30 from the field in the Lakers’ 114-98 home win over the Grizzlies on Nov. 6.

Bryant’s averaging 33.0 points and shooting 51.5 percent in his last six games at Memphis, highlighted by a 60-point effort in a 121-119 Lakers victory there March 22, 2007.

Though the Grizzlies are 17-6 at home this season, Los Angeles has won its last four trips to FedExForum.

Exxon profits fell 23% in fourth quarter

Profits at Exxon Mobil Corp., the world’s largest publicly traded oil company, dipped 23 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009, the company said today.

The company reported net income of $6.05 billion, or $1.27 a share, for the previous quarter. The company posted net income of $7.82 billion, or $1.54 a share during the same period last year.

For the full year, Exxon’s profit dropped 56 percent to $19.4 billion, compared with $44 billion in 2008.

Still, while much of the industry was retracting, Exxon expanded. The company increased its capital spending plan for the year by 4 percent to $27.1 billion. Its production of oil and gas went up 2 percent from the same quarter a year ago.

But the company’s global refining business, hurt by weaker oil prices and lower refining margins, lost $189 million in the fourth quarter.

The company continues to make investments for new contracts. It announced its $31 billion purchase of XTO Energy Inc., a top U.S. shale producer, in December. Exxon also was the first U.S. company to gain a toehold in Iraq’s oil fields after it won a bid for the West Qurna Phase 1 field with Royal Dutch Shell PLC. The companies plan to boost the field’s output to 2.325 million barrels a day, up from 279,000 barrels a day (Jad Mouawad, New York Times, Feb. 1). – DFM

Concorde crash trial opens in Paris

-- Five individuals as well as Continental Airlines were facing trial in Paris Tuesday in the 2000 crash of an Air France Concorde jet.

The people and the company are charged with involuntary manslaughter in the July 25, 2000, crash of Air France Flight 4590, which killed 113 people when it exploded shortly after takeoff from Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, CNN reported.

A 2004 investigation concluded a tire under the left wing blew up when it struck a small strip of titanium left on the runway by a Continental DC-10 which took off just before the Concorde, the U.S. broadcaster reported. Prosecutors allege the strip wasn't installed properly on the DC-10 engine, which has resulted in charges against the airline and two of its employees.

The crash has been widely regarded as the beginning of the end for supersonic passenger flights, with the last Concorde flight coming in 2003, Radio France Internationale reported.

The French broadcaster says Continental denies the metal strip is to blame for the crash, during which the Concorde's wing and one of its engines caught fire.

Pope Criticizes Pending British Equality Bill

Pope Benedict XVI yesterday, while confirming he would be making an Apostolic visit to Great Britain in September, challenged the Equality Bill now working its way through Britain's Parliament. Yesterday's London Times reports on the Pope's remarks to the bishops of England and Wales who were completing their five-year "ad limina" visit to Rome. The Pope said in part:

Your country is well known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society. Yet as you have rightly pointed out, the effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed.... Continue to insist upon your right to participate in national debate through respectful dialogue with other elements in society.... [W]hen so many of the population claim to be Christian, how could anyone dispute the Gospel’s right to be heard?
Both the Catholic bishops and the Church of England have been concerned that the Equality Bill will require churches to employ gays and transsexuals or to admit women to the priesthood. In recent weeks, the House of Lords has agreed to broader exemptions than those originally proposed for religious organizations. (See prior posting.) Now the Church of England and the bishops will work together to prevent the European Commission from pressuring Britain to again narrow those exemptions.

Groundhog Day Goes High-Tech

It’s Groundhog Day! Will there be six more weeks of winter, or an early spring?
I’m hoping for an early spring, personally–I’ve practically been living in my Snuggie™ this past week. And I’ve been hearing from a lot of my friends who live in the Carolinas, Virginia and Maryland that I’m not alone in having had enough of winter.

Even though I know full well that spring begins on March 21, regardless of whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not, I can’t help but get caught up in the whole Groundhog Day hype. I’ll turn on the TV news and try to catch the “did he see the shadow moment” in between making school lunches and watching for the kids’ bus.

This year, though, I won’t have to worry about missing the moment of prediction. I’ve signed up to get a text message from Punxsutawney Phil himself! It will contain his 2010 weather prognostication; after 120 years, Phil has gone high tech.

When I joined the 16,000+ cell-phone users who signed up for Phil’s special message, I got a speedy reply:
“Welcome to the Visitpa.com first to know on Groundhog day. You are so in the know it is like being in the burrow.”

China Warns Obama Against Meeting with Dalai Lama

China has warned U.S. President Barack Obama not to meet with Tibet's spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, saying such a meeting would harm bilateral relations.

Zhu Weiqun, the head of the department in charge of talks with the Dalai Lama, told a news conference Tuesday that if Mr. Obama meets with the Dalai Lama, it would threaten trust and cooperation between China and the United States.

The warning follows a meeting between China and envoys of the Dalai Lama last week. The meeting ended with no compromise from Beijing on Tibet's status.

Two envoys of the Dalai Lama are expected to brief him on their talks, from which they returned largely empty-handed.

The two envoys are to meet with reporters after speaking with the Dalai Lama Tuesday. On Monday, they were to brief the Tibetan prime minister-in-exile, Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche.

A spokesman for the Tibetan government-in-exile Monday said it is encouraged that contacts with the Chinese have resumed.

However, Chinese state media said Beijing officials told the envoys during talks last week there will be no compromise on China's sovereignty over Tibet. The official Xinhua news agency quoted Du Qinglin, head of a department in charge of the talks, that there is no room for discussion, and no concessions will be made on autonomy for Tibet.

Talks between the two sides 15 months ago also achieved virtually nothing.

82nd Annual Academy Award Nominations

Tom Sherak and Anne Hathaway announced the nominations for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards Presentations Tuesday morning, February 2nd. The show will be aired on March 7th and co-hosted by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.


Actor in a Leading Role

* Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
* George Clooney – Up in the Air
* Colin Firth – A Single Man
* Morgan Freeman – Invictus
* Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker

Actor in a Supporting Role
* Matt Damon – Invictus
* Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
* Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
* Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
* Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

Actress in a Leading Role

* Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
* Helen Mirren – The Last Station
* Carey Mulligan – An Education
* Gabourey Sidibe – Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
* Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

Actress in a Supporting Role

* Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
* Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
* Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
* Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Animated Feature Film

* “Coraline” Henry Selick
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
* “The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
* “The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
* “Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction

* “Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
* “Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
* “Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
* “The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

* “Avatar” Mauro Fiore
* “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
* “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
* “Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
* “The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

* “Bright Star” Janet Patterson
* “Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
* “Nine” Colleen Atwood
* “The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing

* “Avatar” James Cameron
* “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
* “Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
* “Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)

* “Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
* “The Cove” Nominees to be determined
* “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
* “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
* “Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)

* “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
* “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
* “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
* “Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
* “Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing

* “Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
* “District 9” Julian Clarke
* “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
* “Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz


Music (Original Score)

* “Avatar” James Horner
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
* “The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
* “Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
* “Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)

* “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
* “Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
* “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Best Picture

* “Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
* “The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined
* “District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
* “An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
* “The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
* “Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
* “A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
* “Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
* “Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Short Film (Animated)

* “French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
* “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
* “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
* “Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
* “A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)

* “The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
* “Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
* “Kavi” Gregg Helvey
* “Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
* “The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson


Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

* “District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
* “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
* “In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
* “Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)

* “The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
* “Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
* “The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
* “A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
* “Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy