Jessica Alba was his "Dark Angel" for two television seasons, so it's little surprise James Cameron is the Oscar nominee she's rooting loudest for.

"'Avatar' is incredible, just incredible," Alba tells Zap2it of filmmaker Cameron's box-office-shattering achievement, which has nine nominations including best picture in Sunday's (Mar. 7)  82nd Annual Academy Awards.

"I love what Jim is doing for the environment, just in what his movie says about taking care of and trying to save our planet. It's such a beautiful message."

Alba will do some good herself as a celebrity volunteer on the Sunday, Apr. 4 episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" on ABC.

She admires Cameron's use of his artistry to try to influence others, citing his "ability to create the most incredible world. That he can articulate that and put it on the screen is just amazing.

"There's nobody like him, and we're all blessed to have him be one of the best directors in our lifetime. He's creating a platform for others to tie social messages into entertainment."

"Fantastic Four" and "Sin City" alum Alba won't attend Sunday's Oscars ("I'm going to be traveling; I don't even know if I'll be able to see it on the plane"), but she admits she wouldn't be upset if Cameron's ex-wife took the best-director honors instead.

"I loved 'The Hurt Locker.' I thought Kathryn Bigelow did something really incredible, so she and Jim are my faves."

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