Sandra Bullock and The Academy Awards: preparing for the 2011 Oscars

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So much has been written about Sandra Bullock and Jesse James, that the glow of Sandra Bullock's 2010 Oscar win has been diminished.

It's time to end that state of affairs.

Sandra Bullock achieved mega-stardom with her win for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the 82nd Academy Awards. At this point, it's appropriate to look back at that event, and also forward to the 2011 Oscars.

Sandra Bullock's path to the 2010 Oscars was set first, by an ever improving body of work that saw Bullock receive first major critical acclaim for her role as "Lucy" in While You Were Slepping, and then in Miss Congeniality, Crash, and The Proposal. By 2009 Sandra Bullock was an established star, and finally had a film vehicle that would give her the Oscar she deserved.

It was an outstanding performance as Leigh Anne Tuohy, the tough-minded, determined guardian of (Baltimore Ravens Offensive Tackle) Michael Oher in the movie The Blind Side, based on the book of the same name by Michael Lewis that was that vehicle. In all Sandra Bullock was nominated eight times and won awards four time, including the Academy Award for Best Actress. While the early favorite was Bullock's friend and rival Meryl Streep for Julia & Julia, Bullock's Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe wins made winning The Oscar a forgone conclusion.

On March 7th, 2010, it happened. Sandra Bullock received a standing ovation as she rose to accept the award after hearing her name called by Sean Penn. In her speech Bullock was modest and took time to thank the actresses competing against her....

Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down? I would like to thank the Academy for allowing me in the last month to have the most incredible ride with rooms full of artists that I see tonight and that I've worked with before and I hope to work with in the future, who inspire me and blaze trails for us. Four of them that I've fallen deeply in love with I share this night with and I share this award with.

Gabby, I love you so much. You are exquisite. You are beyond words to me. Carey, your grace and your elegance and your beauty and your talent makes me sick. Helen, I feel like we are family through family and I don't have the words to express just what I think of you. And Meryl, you know what I think of you and you are such a good kisser.

Here's the video of Sandra Bullock's acceptance speech:



After her win at The Oscars, Bullock talked about getting back to normal:



All of this sets the stage for the 2011 Oscars, where Sandra Bullock will almost certainly be asked to preset.

As for the 2011 Oscars, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced these key dates for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards:

Saturday, November 13, 2010: Governors Awards presentation
Wednesday, December 1, 2010: Official Screen Credits forms due
Monday, December 27, 2010: Nominations ballots mailed
Friday, January 14, 2011: Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PT
Tuesday, January 25, 2011: Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Wednesday, February 2, 2011: Final ballots mailed
Monday, February 7, 2011: Nominees Luncheon
Saturday, February 12, 2011: Scientific and Technical Awards presentation
Tuesday, February 22, 2011: Final polls close 5 p.m. PT
Sunday, February 27, 2011: 83rd Annual Academy Awards presentation

As the AMPAS list reports, The 2011 Oscars will be held Sunday, February 27, 2011. I look forward to seeing Sandra Bullock there, and here's toward a new effort to restore her well-deserved luster in the face of a personal tragedy played before the World.