Oscars: Christian Bale wins for supporting actor

Christian Bale won the Oscar for supporting actor for his performance in “The Fighter” at the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday night. It’s the first Oscar win for the 37-year-old British actor, who plays a former pro boxer fighting drug addiction. Bale was considered to be in a heated race with “The King’s Speech’s” Geoffrey Rush as the favorite in this category. Bale previously received honors from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, Critics’ Choice, the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild.

In addition to Rush, Bale was competing against John Hawkes for “Winter’s Bone,” Jeremy Renner for “The Town” and Mark Ruffalo for “The Kids Are All Right.”

The Academy Awards are taking place at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and are being televised live on ABC. We'll carry all the breaking news and reaction here on Awards Tracker.

-- Susan King

Photo: Christian Bale accepts his Oscar. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

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Oscar nominations: Jeremy Renner gets nod for second year in a row

Jeremy Renner, nominated for an Oscar last year for his lead performance in “The Hurt Locker,” racked up his second Academy Award nod on Tuesday, this time for his supporting role in the heist movie “The Town.”

Renner got the news in Vancouver, Canada, where he’s shooting “Mission: Impossible -– Ghost Protocol.”

“It’s just as electrifying a feeling,” he said. “It’s different only because it’s a different movie. It was such a small film last year with ‘The Hurt Locker.’ It’s a little bit harder to swallow that it’s happening again.”

Renner says he’s planning to invite his mother to the ceremony again. His advice for red carpet newbies? Wear comfortable shoes.

 “I personally do a deep lunge,” he said. “It makes me feel silly like a 14-year-old boy, and it loosens me up and gets rid of my anxiety.”

-- Nicole Sperling

Photo: Actor Jeremy Renner and his mother arriving at the Academy Awards last year at the Kodak Theatre. Credit: Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

Golden Globes: Jon Hamm and Jeremy Renner talk of 'The Town'

Two stars of "The Town," Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm, were leaning against a wall on the second-floor breezeway that every year becomes  the gala's retreat for smokers.

"I killed him in the movie," Hamm said as Renner nodded with faux glumness. "But I like him. I liked killing him too — but it wasn't personal."

— Geoff Boucher