Big Night Approaches For Anna Kendrick

PORTLAND, Maine — When the curtain goes up on the 82nd Academy Awards in Hollywood on Sunday, Best Supporting Actress nominee and Deering High grad Anna Kendrick will have her own rooting section inside the Kodak Theatre.

Jan Kendrick, the actress’ mother, tells News 8 that she and Anna’s older brother, Michael, will attend the ceremony. The 24-year-old actress, who is nominated for her role opposite George Clooney in “Up in the Air,” is also scheduled to present the Oscar for sound editing and mixing, according to Jan Kendrick.

And, Jan Kendrick says, her daughter’s date is not last year’s American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert. Jan Kendrick says rumors circulated after her daughter told Ryan Seacrest that she and Lambert were friends and that Lambert was “a fun guy.”

In “Up in the Air,” Anna Kendrick plays an assistant to Clooney’s character, a corporate downsizer who is starting to have second thoughts about the kind of life he’s leading.

Jan Kendrick says the months since “Up in the Air” was released have been a whirlwind for her daughter, who also earned a Golden Globe nomination for her work in the film. Mo’Nique won the Golden Globe for her role in the film, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” Mo’Nique also is nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar.

Other best supporting actress nominees include Penelope Cruz for “Nine,” Vera Farmga for “Up in the Air,” and Maggie Gyllenhaal for “Crazy Heart.”

Jan Kendrick says the last awards ceremony she attended was the 1998 Tony Awards when then 12-year-old Anna was nominated in the category of best featured actress in a musical for “High Society.”

Jan Kendrick says she’s not sure how much her daughter’s life will change should she win an Academy Award.

“What really changed was when ‘Up in the Air’ came out” and there was talk that she would be nominated for an Oscar, Jan Kendrick says.

Anna Kendrick did “interview after interview” after the Oscar nominations were announced, Jan Kendrick says. She also traveled back and forth from the East Coast to the West Coast.

Jan Kendrick says she does not expect her daughter to get much of a break - win or lose - after Sunday’s awards. Anna Kendrick is currently filming a movie in Vancouver, British Columbia with Seth Rogan and James McAvoy. She also has two films coming out this year, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”