British rising star among those nominated in the Oscars race

BRITISH starlet Carey Mulligan will be up against grandes dames of Hollywood, including Dame Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep, for the best actress Oscar following the Academy Award nominations yesterday.

Mulligan has been nominated for her role in An Education, written by Nick Hornby and based on the memoirs of journalist Lynn Barber.

The 24-year-old only started acting in 2005 after putting herself forward for the film version of Pride and Prejudice, having been rejected by several drama schools.

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"This is beyond anything I've ever dreamed of," she said yesterday. "I've definitely never felt such excitement and nausea this early in the morning!"

Her compatriot Mirren, who won the best actress award for her 2007 performance in The Queen, receives her fourth Oscar nomination for her role as the wife of Russian author Leo Tolstoy in The Last Station.

But the British pair face tough competition from Golden Globe winner and bookies' favourite Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side, Streep for her performance in Julie and Julia and Gabourey Sidibe for her debut film role in Precious.

An Education is nominated for best picture alongside James Cameron's 3D behemoth Avatar, his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow's acclaimed drama The Hurt Locker, District 9, Precious and Up In The Air. Cameron and Bigelow also go head-to-head for the best director gong, alongside Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds.

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Nominations for best actor include British star Colin Firth, up for his first Oscar for his role in A Single Man. He is against Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), George Clooney (Up in the Air), Morgan Freeman (Invictus) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker).

Other British Oscar hopefuls include Nick Park, nominated for best short animation for Wallace And Gromit's latest adventure, A Matter of Loaf and Death. Park already has four Oscars to his name.

The best supporting actor gong will be contested by Matt Damon (Invictus), Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Christopher Plummer (The Last Station), Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds). Nominees for best supporting actress are Penelope Cruz (Nine), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart), Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air) and Mo'Nique (Precious).

THE NOMINATIONS

Best actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart); George Clooney (Up in the Air); Colin Firth (A Single Man); Morgan Freeman (Invictus); Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker).

Best actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side);

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Helen Mirren (The Last Station); Carey Mulligan (An Education); Gabourey Sidibe (Precious); Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia).

Best film: Avatar;

The Blind Side; District 9; An Education; The Hurt Locker; Inglourious Basterds; Precious; A Serious Man; Up, inset; Up in the Air.

Best director: Avatar – James Cameron; The Hurt Locker – Kathryn Bigelow;

Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino; Precious – Lee Daniels; Up in the Air – Jason Reitman.

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