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Stars gather for Oscar countdown Stars gather for Oscar countdown
(about 7 hours later)
Stars and the elite of the film world are gathering for the biggest night of the movie-going year: The Oscars. Stars have begun arriving on the red carpet for the 81st Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.
Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Meryl Streep are among those who will grace the red carpet at Hollywood's Kodak Theater. British film Slumdog Millionaire, from director Danny Boyle, is tipped to win the evening's top award, best picture.
Britain's Slumdog Millionaire is widely expected to repeat its success at the Baftas, where it was named best film. Fellow Briton Kate Winslet is also expected to triumph, winning the best actress Oscar, while Mickey Rourke remains favourite to win best actor.
Other titles in the running for the main prize include The Reader, Milk, Frost / Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Australian star Hugh Jackman will host the event - with organisers promising lots of surprises.
The latter film, which stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages backwards, has had the most box office success - taking $242m (£169m) worldwide - but Academy voters will not necessarily see this as a reason to win. Hollywood A-listers including Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Meryl Streep are among this year's nominees who will be gracing the red carpet.
Slumdog Millionaire, a rags-to-riches story set in the slums of Mumbai, has been named best film by the producers', writers', actors' and directors' guilds in the US. Box office success
Members of each of those awards bodies also vote for the Oscars. Freida Pinto, the lead actress in Slumdog Millionaire, was among the first of the evening's celebrities to appear.
The best actor race appears to be a two-way battle between Sean Penn, who plays real-life politician and gay rights activist Harvey Milk, and Mickey Rourke, for his turn as a faded athlete in The Wrestler. BEST PICTURE NOMINEES - GLOBAL BOX OFFICE RECEIPTS The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - $242.4m (£169m)Slumdog Millionaire (pictured) - $153.3m (£107m) Milk - $35.2m (£24.5m)The Reader - $30.8m (£21.5m)Frost/Nixon - $23.1m (£16m) Source: Box Office Mojo class="" href="/1/hi/entertainment/oscars/7834044.stm">Best picture nominees in profile The film, a rags-to-riches tale set in the slums of Mumbai, has been named best film by the producers', writers', actors' and directors' guilds in the US.
Britain's Kate Winslet has been tipped to pick up another best actress award for her portrayal of a Nazi prison guard in The Reader. Director Boyle is also nominated in the best director category - and expected to fight it out with David Fincher.
Her strongest competition comes from Meryl Streep, for her role as a nun who suspects sex abuse in Doubt. BEST PICTURE NOMINEES - GLOBAL BOX OFFICE RECEIPTS The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - $242.4m (£169m)Slumdog Millionaire (pictured) - $153.3m (£107m) Milk - $35.2m (£24.5m)The Reader - $30.8m (£21.5m)Frost/Nixon - $23.1m (£16m) Source: Box Office Mojo class="" href="/1/hi/entertainment/oscars/7834044.stm">Best picture nominees in profile
Fincher, best known for Se7en and Fight Club, is nominated for his work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which leads the field with 13 nominations including best picture.
The film, which stars Pitt as a man who ages backwards, has had the most box office success - taking $242m (£169m) worldwide - but Academy voters will not necessarily see this as a reason to win.
Other titles in the running for the main prize include The Reader, Milk and Frost/Nixon.
Winslet's strongest competition comes from Meryl Streep, for her role as a nun who suspects sex abuse in Doubt, while Penn remains Rourke's closest rival for his role as gay rights activist Harvey Milk in the eponymous Milk.
The least predictable field is said to be best supporting actress, where Penelope Cruz's wild, impulsive character in Vicky Cristina Barcelona is up against Marisa Tomei's pole-dancing love interest from The Wrestler.The least predictable field is said to be best supporting actress, where Penelope Cruz's wild, impulsive character in Vicky Cristina Barcelona is up against Marisa Tomei's pole-dancing love interest from The Wrestler.
Taraji P Henson is also nominated for Benjamin Button, while both Viola Davis and Amy Adams have received nods for Doubt.
Heath Ledger, who died in 2008 of an accidental prescription drug overdose, is favoured for best supporting actor after his scene-stealing performance as the Joker in Batman movie The Dark Knight.Heath Ledger, who died in 2008 of an accidental prescription drug overdose, is favoured for best supporting actor after his scene-stealing performance as the Joker in Batman movie The Dark Knight.
Show secretsShow secrets
Actor Hugh Jackman will host this year's show, details of which are being kept firmly under wraps as organisers try to claw back some of the ceremony's TV audience. Drunk and nude - that's our new fresh approach Oscar host Hugh Jackman on what's in store Surprises expected at Oscar gala Details of this year's ceremony have been kept firmly under wraps as organisers try to claw back the ceremony's TV audience. Drunk and nude - that's our new fresh approach Oscar host Hugh Jackman on what's in store Surprises expected at Oscar gala
Last year's event watched by just 32m viewers in the US, down from 40m in 2007 and the lowest figure since 1974, when the current ratings system began.Last year's event watched by just 32m viewers in the US, down from 40m in 2007 and the lowest figure since 1974, when the current ratings system began.
Producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, who worked on Oscar-winning musical Dreamgirls, have promised sweeping format changes, and generally kept journalists and cameras away from the rehearsals.Producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, who worked on Oscar-winning musical Dreamgirls, have promised sweeping format changes, and generally kept journalists and cameras away from the rehearsals.
Longtime Oscars writer Bruce Vilanch said: "When they told me what they were going to do, I said, 'look, if it works, you're geniuses, and if it doesn't, you're the putzes who sank the show.'" The show's grandiose set has been drastically revamped. "It's more like the nightclub of your dreams," Jackman said.
There are rumours of a big song-and-dance number at the start of the show. Names mentioned in connection with this set piece have included Anne Hathaway, Beyonce, High School Musical star Zac Efron and even Dominic Cooper from Mamma Mia!An artists' impression of the Oscars stage, by architect David Rockwell "It's very intimate. It's got to be a lot closer."
Elsewhere, big name presenters have not been announced, and Vilanch says some people have backed out because of the anonymity - although he would not name names.
And the show's grandiose set has been drastically revamped. "It's more like the nightclub of your dreams," Jackman said. "It's very intimate. It's got to be a lot closer."
However, some showbiz glamour has been reinstated in the form of after-show parties.
Last year, the glittering balls thrown by the likes of Vanity Fair magazine were cancelled in the wake of the Hollywood writers' strike.
Those parties are back this year, while pop star Prince is said to be streaming live video from his own Oscar party on his website.