Oscars ceremony under way in LA

LOS ANGELES, March 7 (UPI) -- Hollywood's biggest stars gathered in Los Angeles Sunday night for the 82nd annual Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the best in film of 2009.

Presiding over the festivities are co-hosts and "It's Complicated" co-stars Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

The show opened with an introduction of this year's best actor and actress nominees on stage. In the running for best actor are Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart," George Clooney for "Up in the Air," Colin Firth for "A Single Man," Morgan Freeman for "Invictus" and Jeremy Renner for "The Hurt Locker." The nominees for best actress are Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side," Meryl Streep for "Julie & Julia," Helen Mirren for "The Last Station," Carey Mulligan for "An Education" and Gabourey Sidibe for "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

Neil Patrick Harris then sang a lively, comedic tribute to the nominated pictures before Martin abd Baldwin took the stage.