Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive.

What do you mean "The Blind Side" got nominated for Best Picture? I refuse to acknowledge that a racist fable straight out of redneck America got in; not the year after they elected an African American president, Hollywood discussed equality so much through blockbusters ("District 9") and Clint Eastwood made a biopic about Nelson Mandela's struggles against racism.
Now that we're clear on my denial, why not see the good things AMPAS did today?

• They didn't screw Best Foreign Language Film!
  "The Secret in Their Eyes", "The Milk of Sorrow","A Prophet" and "The White Ribbon" are perhaps the best collective nominees in any category this year.
  That they chose something like the Peruvian film when they had the chance to nominate yet another WWII melodrama ("Winter in Wartime") or a disastrous inspiration film ("The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner") is quite a breakthrough.
  Kudos to Latin American cinema but more than that kudos to great cinema from wherever in the world it may come from!
• The great Christopher Plummer finally became an Academy Award nominee (that probably doesn't mean that much when Sandra Bullock is one too, but still...)
• This one's completely personal and very biased but yay Penélope Cruz! As much as you hated the movie, she was terrific in it!
  
• Kathryn Bigelow becomes the fourth woman nominated for Best Director and the first who actually has a chance of winning it! (I had to bring that up sorry) And not only that, but the phenomenal "The Hurt Locker" tied "Avatar" as the most nominated film with nine each.
  As much as everyone is trying to point out the David vs. Goliath, ex vs. ex, man vs. woman and CGI vs. naturalist aspect of these films, the matter of fact thing is that for once AMPAS wasn't afraid to choose quality over quantity, given how "The Hurt Locker" might be the best live action American movie of 2009.
• "Up" becomes the second animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. Its nominations for Best Original Screenplay, Sound Editing and Best Score perhaps continue to announce that a day will come when such events won't even have to be highlighted.
• Random nominations I'm glad about:
  "The White Ribbon" Best Cinematography
  "Bright Star" Best Costume Design
  "In the Loop" Best Adapted Screenplay

Now excuse me while I go nurse my nausea.