'Precious' up for top Spirit Award

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LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- "(500) Days of Summer," "The Last Station" and "Precious" earned nods for the Film Independent Spirit Award for best feature in Los Angeles Tuesday.

Also in the running for the competition's top prize are "Amreeka" and "Sin Nombre."

The nominees for best director are Joel and Ethan Coen for "A Serious Man;" Lee Daniels for "Precious;" Cary Joji Fukunaga for "Sin Nombre;" James Gray for "Two Lovers;" and Michael Hoffman for "The Last Station."

Competing for the best female lead honor are Maria Bello for "Downloading Nancy;" Nisreen Faour for "Amreeka;" Helen Mirren for "The Last Station;" Gwyneth Paltrow for "Two Lovers;" and Gabourey Sidibe for "Precious."

Vying for the prize for best male lead are Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart;" Colin Firth for "A Single Man;" Joseph Gordon-Levitt for "(500) Days of Summer;" Souleymane Sy Savane for "Goodbye Solo;" and Adam Scott for "The Vicious Kind."

Shortlisted for best screenplay are scribes Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman for "The Messenger;" Michael Hoffman for "The Last Station;" Lee Toland Krieger for "The Vicious Kind;" Greg Mottola for "Adventureland;" and Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for "(500) Days of Summer"

Nominated for best first feature are the films "A Single Man," "Crazy Heart," "Easier With Practice," "Paranormal Activity" and "The Messenger."

In the running for best first screenplay are Sophie Barthes for "Cold Souls;" Scott Cooper for "Crazy Heart;" Cherien Dabis for "Amreeka;" Geoffrey Fletcher for "Precious;" and Tom Ford and David Scearce for "A Single Man."

The awards are to be handed out March 5 in Los Angeles.