Academy Award organisers have said they are "running out of time" in the search for a deal to avoid the Oscars being hit by the Hollywood writers' strike.
The awards could be boycotted by stars and scaled down if writers do not agree to suspend picket lines for the ceremony in Los Angeles on 24 February.
Oscars boss Sid Ganis said writers had not responded to requests for a waiver.
Meanwhile, union leaders said they hoped to present a "tentative" deal to end the strike to members this weekend.
'Final moments'
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has already agreed not to picket Sunday's Grammy awards in Los Angeles as well as allowing writers to work on the show.
But it has yet to say whether or not it will picket the Oscars.
Last month's Golden Globe awards were scaled down to a one-hour press conference because of the strike, meaning none of the stars were present.
While uncertainty remains, Oscars organisers are also preparing for a back-up show including a history of the awards and film clips.
Mr Ganis said organisers needed to know the intentions of the WGA as soon as possible "as a matter of logistics".
"We have nominees and potential presenters who live all over the globe. I'm nervous," Mr Ganis told Variety.
"We're getting down to the final moments - we need to make plans."
Vote hope
But Mr Ganis said he was "feeling great" about apparent progress between the WGA and production companies.
"I'm a filmmaker and I want everybody back working," he
In a letter written to WGA members on Wednesday, leaders said they were "continuing to negotiate the terms of a tentative agreement" with production companies.
They hoped to present terms of the agreement to members "in the next few days" ahead of meetings in New York and Los Angeles on Saturday.
Writers would be asked for their views at the meetings and "recommendations or decisions" may then be made, the letter added.
At the weekend, the two sides made progress on negotiations over internet and DVD payments for writers' work, the Associated Press said.
If a deal can be reached, WGA members could vote to call off the strike, which began in November.
Earlier this week, the Vanity Fair party - one of Oscar night's most exclusive gatherings - was cancelled in solidarity with the writers.
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Vanity Fair calls off Oscars party
popular Oscar night party has been called off in support of the Hollywood writers' strike.
Vanity Fair has cancelled its annual Academy Awards party, the magazine has announced.
"After much consideration, and in support of the writers and everyone else affected by this strike, we have decided that this is not the appropriate year to hold our annual Oscar party," said a statement posted on VanityFair.com. "We want to congratulate all of this year's nominees and we look forward to hosting our 15th Oscar party next year."
The annual post-Oscar soiree often lures more luminaries than the ceremony itself. The night's big winners and nominees typically turn out, along with A-listers including Oprah Winfrey, Madonna, Cher, Sean Penn, Joni Mitchell and Al Gore.
The February 24 party was scrapped even though the writers' guild is said to be on track for a possible deal with studios, possibly as soon as this week.
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter decided to cancel the party after talking with West Coast friends and colleagues, said magazine spokeswoman Beth Kseniak.
He decided that even if the three-month writers' strike was resolved before the Academy Awards, its impact on Tinseltown was likely to linger.
"As much as Vanity Fair is a collection of writers, photographers and artists, we do feel ourselves in aligned solidarity with the writers, directors and actors in the film business," Mr Carter said in a statement.
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