It was perhaps the second-closest race of the night, but Best Director finally came to a close with one of the two logical winners taking home the statue-ette. Ex-spouses James Cameron and Katherine Bigelow fought it out for Avatar and The Hurt Locker, and Katherine Bigelow took home the prize, becoming the first female director to win the award.
I disagree strongly with this win. Not because of any inadequacies on Bigelow's part, but simply because Cameron put so much blood, sweat, and tears into Avatar (ten years worth of work) that it must be a huge letdown for him not to have won the award. However, I'm thinking that now Avatar might take the big prize, though that's still speculation at this point.
"The time has come," said Barbra Streisand, who was obviously chosen to present the award because Bigelow won. Bigelow spent her acceptance speech dedicating her Oscar to the armed forces. It's a nice move, and it's an interesting end to a very close race.
[...] Best Picture – The Hurt Locker [...]