It's not looking good for The Hurt Locker on Sunday. Not only has one of its producers been banned from the ceremony (due to over-soliciting votes from Academy members), but now, according to The Guardian, Kathryn Bigelow's intense war film is faced with a lawsuit. 

38-year-old Serfeant Jeffrey Sarver, member of the army's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, has claimed that Jeremy Renner's chraracter, Will James, is based on him. Summit Entertainment have responded that the character is purely fictitious despite Sarver's lawyer's argument that his life has been stolen.

The key is Mark Boal's screenplay, which he wrote after a 2005 stint in Iraq as a journalist for Playboy magazine. The lawsuit states that Sarver gave Boal details like the call-sign "Blaster One", which were then incorporated into the film. Sarver argues that Hollywood has "made billions exploiting veterans", but held off his lawsuit until after the Academy's voting period had finished.

Whether this backlash against Bigelow's movie - made for much less than its heated rival, James Cameron's Avatar - is a result of the contest between the two lead films is a matter of opinion. Bad-mouthing other contenders is a commonplace tradition (although The Hurt Locker seems to have been punished more than most), but a lawsuit is a new form of attack.

Ironically, alongside Sarver's claims that the realistic Hurt Locker is a little too realistic, other soldiers have stepped forward and criticised Mark Boal's screenplay in the LA Times for being "inaccurate" and "sloppy". Last year, Slumdog Milllionaire was heavily slated for supposedly exploiting Indian child actors. It ended up winning Best Picture.

Oh, what a night for British film! The BAFTAs got handed out to a gaggle of great talent tonight. Not only did Duncan Jones get his welcome reward for his Outstanding British Debut, but Colin Firth and Carey Mulligan waltzed off with the Best Actor prizes - a nice score for the home crowd, with both of them fully deserving the win.

Meanwhile, An Education got beaten to Costume and Make-Up by the equally English Young Victoria, spreading the national love around a bit - Fish Tank got a nice surprise as Outstanding British Film, again trumping Lone Scherfig's favourite. Other obvious victories came for Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique as Supporting Actors, with Up bagging both Best Score and Best Animation.

But it was The Hurt Locker which emerged at the top of the heap. Capitalising on its 8 nominations, it wiped the board with rival flick Avatar, nicking the well earned technical awards for Editing and Cinematography, alongside Sound and Original Screenplay (Adapted went to the lovely Up in the Air).

Avatar got Visual Effects and Production Design, but that was it for Cameron's blue box office horse. And rightly so. The Hurt Locker, which won Best Director with ease, ended the night crowned Best Film. There wasn't a single person in the room who could argue with that one.

Kristen Stewart, naturally, won the Rising Star Award - mostly thanks to the frantic support of her fans, all of whom were able to have their say in the public's vote.

Now the attention goes to the Oscars, where tonight's results may foreshadow (but not influence) the outcome across the Atlantic. For America's Academy, Jeff Bridges may be a better fit than Colin Firth and Sandra Bullock has a high chance of winning for The Blind Side. And, even more crucially, Cameron's financial success may well earn Avatar's producers Best Film (although Bigelow's Best Director is pretty much guaranteed now).

But before we get carried away, it's worth reading on for the full list of all our glorious British winners. Or even checking out the (semi-)live tweeting that we were bored enough to bring you. And then you can wonder about who'll win the Oscar. It certainly won't be Kristen Stewart.

Ok, so it's a little late in the day for this - in fact, the awards are already actually happening - but I'm avoiding any live feeds and sticking with the BBC coverage like the rest of the public (I wasn't allowed into the ceremony this year after I assaulted James McAvoy two years ago).

But with the Writers Guild awards giving the goods to The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air, James Cameron's hold on the evening is looking a little less firm. Will Avatar take home the big awards? I really hope not. And I don't think it will so far from its home shores; this is Britain's Academy and I like to think it's a little less swayed by box office takings.

On that naive note, here's a brief rundown of my predictions for tonight. Best Film and Director will hopefully go to The Hurt Locker and Kathryn Bigelow, with Cameron picking up the visual effects award - Hurt Locker will take all the technical visuals, because it's such an impressive piece of art. Avatar just has blue people in it.

Outstanding Debut will obviously go to Duncan Jones for the incredible Moon, which doesn't get much of a look in otherwise. Best British Film will head to An Education (but Fish Tank is the film that should really win it). As for writing awards, it's all about Up in the Air and The Hurt Locker (but I'd love it if A Serious Man and In The Loop won instead). I want Let the Right One In to get Best Foreign Film, but it will most likely go to A Prophet - Haneke triumphed in Cannes, but us Brits prefer prison flicks that are gritty and stylish. With Up scooping Best Animated and Best Score, the only other place where an upset might happen is Best Actor; could Colin Firth unsettle the near-certain Jeff Bridges? Not in America, but on his home turf? It's quite possible. As for Carey Mulligan? Well, she's clearly the Best Actress around (a special thank you to Sandra Bullock for not being nominated).

And finally, the Orange Rising Star? Well, I want Carey Mulligan to carry as many masks home as possible, but with all the fans of Twilight taking over the country, I can imagine that Kristen Stewart is a tiny bit of a favourite. Did you know Robert Pattinson will be there too? Commence screaming now. Then read on for the full predictions (in italics).

They're in. They're here. They're predictably all pointing towards Avatar and The Hurt Locker. Shame about the first bit there, but Cameron and Mrs Non-Cameron are squaring up with nine nominations apiece for their movies. And maybe, just maybe, The Hurt Locker might bag the majority of those.

Naturally, they're both up for the two biggies, but it's nice to see Kathryn Bigelow's brilliant war film pick up a Best Actor nomination for Jeremy Renner too. Although with Jeff Bridges in there for Crazy Heart, it's likely the Oscar is going his way - sorry, Colin Firth, but it's not a year for British actors.

British Actresses, on the other hand. Well, we've got Helen Mirren for The Last Station, as well as Carey Mulligan for An Education. Neither will get it with Sandra Bullock up for grabs, but hey, it's good to have our ladies honoured in passing at least. As for Supporting Actors, those are pretty much a given, too, with Mo'Nique and Christoph Waltz both nominated for their award-winning roles.

The best news for me is Best Adapted Screenplay, which sees not only Nick Hornby pick up his first nod for An Education, but also Armando Ianucci for In the Loop. I'll just repeat that again: In the Loop. Armando Ianucci. It's worth repeating, partly because it's brilliant but also because Academy President Tom Sherak can't pronounce his name correctly. Once again: Ianucci.

Anne Hathaway had no problem reeling off the other names on the list, with Costume and Art Direction seeing The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus receive some worthy creative attention - alongside Avatar, of course. Visual Effects obviously also mentioned the blue people (who thankfully didn't get any writing nominations), but it's stuff like Editing where Avatar might easily lose out to Bigelow's The Hurt Locker; while each have a raft of contenders, some of the technical categories could easily swing any which way.

Animation, naturally, sees Up at the front of the pack - with Fantastic Mr Fox, Coraline and even Princess and the Frog, but curiously no Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. But Up is also now playing with the big boys over in the Best Picture arena. Yes, with the major Oscar now extended to 10 entries, there's a chance for the more audience friendly fare to get a look in. Naturally, that means that Moon, Star Trek, A Single Man and (500) Days of Summer are nowhere near any of them. Instead we have Avatar, Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds (which is too heavily nominated with 8), Up in the Air (a solid 6 nods), Precious, A Serious Man, An Education, District 9 (a pleasant inclusion), Up and The Blind Side. Yes, The Blind Side. The Sandra Bullock thing.

So with no Moon, no Road and no (500) Days of Summer anywhere on the list, this year's Oscars are the usual mix of America-friendly biopics, box office smashes and heartfelt dramas. It's great to have an outsider like District 9 step into position, not to mention the wonderful A Serious Man, but if Young Victoria and Coco Before Chanel can get in there for Costumes, it seems unfair to completely dismiss Clint Mansell's score for Moon, or (500) Days' screenplay. Still, Jason Reitman's nominated for stuff. So I'm happy. The rest I blame on Sandra Bullock.

The Oscars will be happening live here on Sunday 7th March - expect big, multi-platform, cross-blogging coverage - in the wee small hours of the morning. I'll put up my predictions in the interim weeks. Until then, read on for the full list of nominees. And then leave your angry comments below. 

Kathryn Bigelow took home the Outstanding Directorial Effort Award from Directors Guild of America this weekend. Finally, the world is starting to make sense again. If anything, it's making more sense than ever before, with Bigelow being the first woman to win the award in the Guild's history.

The Directors Guild has long been an indicator of the eventual Oscar winner for Best Director - only six times have the two prizes not corresponded - which means that Hurt Locker is standing in great stead come March. With the Producers Guild Award to boot, it's shaping up to be a rather likely contender compared to James Cameron's clean sweep at the Golden Globes.

It's possible that I'm just kidding myself, hoping that Hurt Locker will have its rewards in the face of money-making 3-D blockbusters. But hey, as far as false hope goes, one of the best films of the 2009 isn't a bad choice. There were other winners at the DGA awards, of course, including acclaimed documentary The Cove, and Mad Men (who else?). You can read the full list over at the DGA's website.

But for now, savour this moment - the point when hope returned for Hurt Locker. A triumphant Bigelow called it the "most incredible moment" of her life. I think it might be the most incredible moment of my life too. Ok, maybe that is pushing it a bit too far. Roll on Academy Awards. You know who the Best Director is now. 

Well, it's official. There you go. Done and dusted. Avatar is the king of the world's box office. Fox confirmed that Titanic's title was lost to Cameron's successor early Monday following another massive haul over the weekend - it's now taken $1.292 billion in international receipts, $50 million ahead of Titanic.

With 70% of Avatar's income coming from oversees territories, Cameron still hasn't topped Titanic's domestic takings yet - he's on $551 million compared to $600 million in the US. Then again, technicalities can be trotted out all over the place; taking into account inflation, Titanic's worldwide record is actually closer to $2.5 billion. Let alone the skew 3-D prices put on Avatar's tickets. But is it wrong to take Cameron's title away from him? Perhaps. Unless he gets that Oscar too. In which case I'll be the first to roll out the old fact that Gone with the Wind's adjusted box office is still up at the $6 billion pound mark. No matter how big your blue people are, that's a hard target to beat.

Yes, Kathryn Bigelow's finally done it - she's pipped her ex-husband to the Best Film award. Sure, it's not the Globes or the Oscars but it is the next best thing: the Producers Guild Awards. Over the past years, the PGA have usually corresponded with the Academy's choices, so this is a good indication of hope for Hurt Locker fans. Especially with the field opened up to 10 nominees for the first time this season.

Other gongs given out went to Up for Best Animation and TV's trophies went to Mad Men and 30 Rock. No surprises there, then. But the thought of Hurt Locker surprising all those Avatards on Sunday 7th March? That makes me very happy. Almost as happy as seeing Dr Stephen Colbert, DFA (Doctor of Fine Arts) win Best Live Entertainment. Read on for the full list of winners.

Well, here come the Brits and the nominations for this year are quite diverse. Sure, the usual contenders weigh in for the big stuff (Avatar, Up in the Air, The Hurt Locker) but as you'd also expect from BAFTA, local produce such as An Education is right up there too. In fact, it has 8 nominations - tying with Cameron and Bigelow's pictures.

Jason Reitman's stellar effort comes in close behind with 6 nominations, joined by Inglourious Basterds. And in 2nd place? Why, it's District 9 with 7. Great to see that getting some attention. Blomkamp's even up for Best Director.

But while he may not nick that from Cameron, it's lovely to see the old Best British Debut Award dish out some praise - stand up Duncan Jones for Moon and Sam Taylor-Wood for Nowhere Boy. That one even got Supporting Actress nods for Kristin Scott-Thomas and Anne-Marie Duff. True to the strength of Jason Reitman's writing, Up in the Air's ladies both got nommed too - although the four of them are destined to lose out to Mo'Nique in Precious.

As for the leading lady, Carey Mulligan's out in force, battling with Meryl Streep and (rather pleasantly) Audrey Tautou in Coco Before Chanel. Other foreign films of note are also head to head, with no clear winner: The White Ribbon is a critic's favourite, but I'm rooting for Let the Right One In. And that's without counting A Prophet, Cannes darling and winner at the London Film Festival.

But while that may be one of the more exciting categories, the night's all about us Brits. So cheer on Andy Serkis in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Colin Firth for A Single Man, and In the Loop's Best Adapted Screenplay. And if things do go all Avatar once again, let's at least hope Kathryn Bigelow gets a bit more gold to take home. After all, the excellent Jeremy Renner has finally got nominated, so anything might happen. The awards get dished out on Sunday 21st February. Read on for the full list of nominees.

Avatar. Avatar Avatar Avatar. Jeff Bridges. That pretty much sums up a surprising night at the Golden Globes yesterday. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association shocked everyone when they awarded Avatar Best Picture and Best Director. Even Cameron agreed that his ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow, should've got the award for The Hurt Locker.

Others were more expected - Up got Best Animation, Meryl Streep struck gold with Julie & Julia (one of two nominations), and Jason Reitman got his well-earned Screenplay award for Up in the Air - but did anyone see Robert Downey Jr winning Best Comedy Actor for Sherlock Holmes? Even fewer predicted The Hangover walking away with Best Comedy Picture. Mostly because (500) Days of Summer deserved it.

But on a night when sense when out the window and blue was the in colour, it's hard to grumble about such as thing as taste. Who needs that when you've got $500 million and a fistful of 3-D glasses? Taste certainly ran away once our host Ricky Gervais found his stride. Quipping, plugging and drinking his way through the evening, he came up with several corkers which stunned the room of stars ("I like a drink as much as the next man. Unless the next man is... Mel Gibson!")

The highlight, however, was Martin Scorsese's win of the Cecil B DeMille Award, which saw Robert De Niro and Leonard DiCaprio graphically describing the director's sexual affair with film reel. Then old Marty himself stood up and waggled his eyebrows for a bit. It was lovely.

There were some TV shows in there too. Including Mad Men, of course. Glee won stuff as well. But the memory the stays in my head? Arnold Schwarzenegger trying to pronounce "Avatar". Read on for the full list of winners. And a clip of Arnie's incredible tribute to James Cameron. And then head over here for our full-on golden photo gallery of winners.

There was laughter, there were tears, there were Martin Scorsese's eyebrows. Visually speaking, the 2010 Golden Globes were as arresting as they come - and not just because of James Cameron's giant blue ewoks.

Leading the way at the height of fashion was Ricky Gervais, whose likeness to Ray Winstone only grew as the evening drew on. But what about the slinky Zoe Saldana? Or the smouldering Sam Worthington? Could Sigourney Weaver hold her own against Meryl Streep? Did Christoph Waltz bring his pipe?

Question no more and drool over Downey Jr with this shiny selection of photos from last night. And hey, if you're like me and think Kathryn Bigelow should have won Director, you can always print out James Cameron's picture and throw things at it - you could even stick it on some cardboard and make a 3-D experience out of it.

Read on for the gallery in its full-on golden glory.