James Cameron, Ex-Wife Vie for Oscars

In a post-marital Oscar rivalry for the ages, James Cameron and his ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow are tied for most Oscar nominations. Cameron's Avatar and Bigelow's The Hurt Locker will square off in nine different categories including Best Director and Best Picture.

Cameron and Bigelow wedded in 1989 and broke the knot in 1991. He was her first and only husband. As soon as the nominations were announced, entertainment reporters began choosing sides and weighing in on the competition:

• Awkward, cringes Fox News: "That means on Oscar night at least nine live camera shots going from Cameron, to Bigelow, and back again. Not to mention any victory speeches each might have to give graciously acknowledging the other nominee."

• What a Turn of Events! exclaims Chris Ayres at the Times of London: "He is the most successful man in Hollywood, responsible for the two most lucrative films in cinema history. And now only one thing stands between James Cameron and his chance to win the Oscar for Best Director at this year's Academy Awards: his former wife."

• Bigelow's a Favorite for Best Director--And Modest To Boot! writes Melena Ryzik at The New York Times: "Since the Directors Guild anointed her with its top prize, Kathryn Bigelow has become the frontrunner in the best director sprint. Even in an industry in which multiarmed back-patting is the cost of doing business, Ms. Bigelow seems to have an unusual level of support from her presumptive co-nominees... Ms. Bigelow, who is striking at nearly 6 feet tall, has always impressed [us] as fairly self-effacing; she once offered to remove her shoes to make herself camera-level for a video interview."

• Here's the Split, announces Gawker's Foster Kamer: "What's more American? A movie about the soldiers in Iraq, or a movie that made an inconceivable amount of money? Best Director's gonna go to Kathryn Bigelow, and Best Picture's gonna go to Cameron and Avatar."