Sandra Bullock

Could it finally be Sandra Bullock's time for recognition of her dramatic efforts? Other than her ensemble work in the drama "Crash," she's largely been singled out for her comedic films, and she's had a string of People's Choice awards and nominations for favorite female movie star. But this year could be a milestone for her with "The Blind Side." GOLDEN GLOBES 2001: Nominated for performance by an actress in a motion picture comedy or musical, "Miss Congeniality."

Alfonso Cuaron, who labored for four years in creating "Gravity," won the Oscar Sunday for best director at the 86th Academy Awards. The native Mexican filmmaker, who had already won the Golden Globe, the BAFTA and the Directors Guild Award, became the first Latin-American to win the Academy Award in the category. The director received a rousing reception when his name was announced. When he finally reached the stage after hugging and kissing several well-wishers, Cuaron shared a soulful handshake with presenter and Oscar winner Sidney Poitier.

Sandra Bullock, America's sweetheart of popular movies, has suddenly become Oscar's sweetheart too. One of Hollywood's most beloved comic actresses, Bullock walked off with the Academy Award for playing true-life Southern power mom Leigh Anne Tuohy in the unexpected blockbuster "The Blind Side." Based on the nonfiction bestseller by Michael Lewis, and written and directed by John Lee Hancock, the film told the story of how Tuohy and her family adopted and nurtured homeless black teenager Michael Oher, who became a star Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman.

On most films, adding visual effects is part of the postproduction process. But on "Gravity," the editing and cinematography had to begin two months before shooting even started. To prepare, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki -- who won his first Oscar Sunday night -- sifted through a library of photographs from the NASA library in an effort to make the film look as "naturalistic as possible," he said backstage. "A lot of the lighting of the movie is based on those photographs," Lubezki said, clutching his Oscar.

As part of what is shaping up to be a busy awards season for the actress, Sandra Bullock will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January. The Oscar winner has been receiving strong reviews for her role in "Gravity" and is considered a top contender in this year's lead actress race. Matthew McConaughey was also recently announced as a recipient of the Desert Palm award at the Palm Springs festival's Jan. 4 awards gala. Past recipients of the actress prize include Halle Berry, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts and Michelle Williams.  PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times Bullock's turn in the sci-fi survival adventure "Gravity," which has been a surprise smash at the box office, comes hot on the heels of her role in the summer female buddy cop comedy "The Heat.

In a year when A-listers Will Smith, Matt Damon and Tom Cruise tried to rocket to the stars in big-budget science fiction movies, the actor who has achieved the most powerful liftoff is Sandra Bullock. Her film, “Gravity,” has been in sustained orbit as the top box office moneymaker for two weekends in a row. Now topping $123 million in ticket sales, the Warner Bros. space thriller left Universal Studios' Formula 1 racing pageant, “Rush,” stuck in traffic with about $22 million.

Film critics are over the moon for "Gravity," director Alfonso Cuarón's orbital drama starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as a pair of astronauts stranded in space trying to find their way home. Since the movie's premiere at the Venice Film Festival in August, it has earned nearly universal praise for its immersive visuals and down-to-earth performances, and the latest round of reviews is no different as the film arrives in U.S. theaters on Friday. The Times' own Kenneth Turan writes , "'Gravity' is out of this world.

TORONTO -- By now the back story to “Gravity,” Alfonso Cuaron's escape-from-space action piece that hits theaters next month -- is becoming almost as striking as the film itself. There was the possible involvement of several stars -- Natalie Portman and Angelina Jolie were each in talks -- before the lead role went to Sandra Bullock.  There were the years of development at Universal before it landed at current studio Warner Bros. There was the fact that Cuaron wanted to make it a long time ago but, in James Cameron-esque fashion, had to wait for four years for the technology to be invented, and even had to invent some of it himself.

As "Gravity" made waves at the box office this weekend, pundits both professional and amateur struggled to find comparisons. One of the striking attributes of the Alfonso Cuarón film is that it's not really like anything that's come before. But one of the striking attributes of Hollywood is that everything is like something that's come before. And so a few journalists - including this ink-addled simpleton - came to a conclusion: In some ways, Cuarón's "Gravity" was much like James Cameron's "Avatar.

"Gravity," the long-gestating project about an astronaut trapped in space, will kick off the Venice Film Festival. The Warner Bros. production starring Sandra Bullock will premiere Aug. 28, festival organizers said Wednesday. The movie, which also features George Clooney, was directed by  Alfonso Cuarón , whose  “Y tu Mamá También” and “Children of Men" screened at the Italian event in years past.  "Gravity," the first 3-D film to launch the festival, will not play in the competition.

Alfonso Cuaron has won the Oscar for director for his space adventure “Gravity,” becoming the first Latin American director to take the top filmmaking prize. The Mexican director, 52, was the fourth Latin American to be nominated in this Oscar category, following Hector Babenco (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”), Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (“Babel”). The Oscar also offers a personal vindication of sorts for Cuaron, who before “Gravity” had not made a movie since 2006's dystopian thriller “Children of Men” and who waited years on “Gravity” for financing and technological issues to be sorted out. The win follows Cuaron's triumph in the same category at the Directors Guild of America's annual prizes.

When nominee names are called out at Sunday's Academy Awards, audiences will quickly recognize them--Jennifer Lawrence, Matthew McConaughey, Spike Jonze, to name three favorites. But what to actually call them? In Hollywood, a name is just a name, until it's not. And a nickname is more than a nickname, unless it shouldn't be used all, in which case it's less than a nickname, or something US Weekly editors came up with because they were bored. The act of identifying celebrities is a complex mix of semiotics and subtle Hollywood codes.

Anyone who has seen director Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki work together might think they spend all of their time arguing like an old married couple, the squabbles punctuated by all manner of Spanish swear words. "They are very intense," said David Heyman, a producer of "Gravity," their Oscar-nominated and most celebrated collaboration. "They are both perfectionists and unrelenting in their pursuit of that perfection. " But like some old married couples, underneath their disagreements rest a deep and abiding trust and respect.

Sandra Bullock is poised to take home an astronomical paycheck for her work on the space epic "Gravity," one that could top $70 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Bullock's deal with Warner Bros. calls for her to make $20 million upfront, says THR , along with 15% of the studio's share of theatrical revenue and a cut from home video, TV and ancillary sources. So far "Gravity" has earned more than $700 million at the worldwide box office, and it's expected to surpass the $750-million mark.

There has been so much talk of the heights director Alfonso Cuarón achieves with "Gravity's" groundbreaking 3-D effects, I fear the merits of its heart-pounding story and Sandra Bullock's and George Clooney's moving performances are being overlooked. It's worth a mention as "Gravity" fights to the Oscar finish line in the running for best picture, actress, director and seven other categories. So I decided to put the ethereal cosmic odyssey written by Cuarón and son Jonás to the ultimate test: 2-D, 35-inch screen, dogs on the couch.

Alfonso Cuaron's stranded-in-space thriller "Gravity" was the big winner Wednesday evening at the 12th Visual Effects Society Awards in Beverly Hills. "Gravity," which stars Sandra Bullock and is nominated for 10 Academy Awards including the picture, director and actress prizes, won six VES Awards. Among the categories it led were visual effects in a visual effects-driven feature motion picture, virtual cinematography in a live action feature motion picture and models in a feature motion picture.

Sandra Bullock, nominated for an Oscar for her lead performance in "Gravity," said Thursday morning that she had every intention of taking a break from acting when director Alfonso Cauron approached her about the role. Bullock spoke with The Times about her first nomination since her Oscar win for “The Blind Side”: The Times: It's always nice to wake up to good news instead of what's on the news. Bullock: I'm in my kitchen trying to pull together lunch for a 4-year-old [laughs]

Inside a stark white West Hollywood studio, Sandra Bullock was between personas. She'd spent the last four hours posing for a magazine cover, an experience that left her feeling a little too vulnerable. She'd traded the ball gowns for a pair of worn blue jeans and a loose-fitting sweater and sneakers, and she couldn't wait to get home to wash her face and walk her dogs. It was a demure presentation for an actress having the best year of her career. Her summer blockbuster, "The Proposal," made more money domestically than any film in her repertoire, and that's really saying something.

Sandra Bullock has been teasing Alfonso Cuarón for the last four months about his penchant for enjoying a cup of warm green tea while she was crammed uncomfortably for hours in a 9-by-9-foot black box during the making of "Gravity. " Now, two hours before the recent Directors Guild of America Awards - an honor Cuarón would win - the Oscar-nominated actress offers a variation of the routine when he good-naturedly complains about having to change into a tuxedo for the event. "Yeah, you guys have it so hard," she tells him. "For women, you're cattle.

As is usually the case, the mood was a convivial one at this year's Academy Award nominees luncheon, which throws together big-name stars and directors as well as animators, musicians, editors and other fellow contenders for Oscar gold. But the lighthearted mood didn't prevent some nominees from getting a bit serious while talking to the assembled reporters backstage. In particular, "12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen, "Gravity" star Sandra Bullock, and "American Hustle" director and co-writer David O. Russell made the case for what one might call grown-up movies - films that aren't afraid of examining weighty subjects or doing things differently than moviegoers might be accustomed to. McQueen, for example, was asked about overcoming his film's reputation for being difficult to watch, even though it has been critically acclaimed.