Best actor, actress races tighten ahead of Oscars
For weeks, Britons Daniel Day-Lewis and Julie Christie have looked like sure bets to win the coveted best actor and actress Academy Awards, but in the days ahead of Sunday's gala ceremony, momentum has shifted.
Hollywood enjoys surprises on the movie industry's most prestigious night, and pundits think popular actor George Clooney and little-known French actress Marion Cotillard would be wise to start practicing their acceptance speeches.
"There is no such thing as a shoo-in at the Oscars. Hollywood is a town of bull-headed, contrary-minded people," said Tom O'Neil, columnist for www.TheEnvelope.com..
Day-Lewis, 50, an actor known for lengthy preparation, is well-liked by Academy voters. He won an Oscar playing a man who overcomes cerebral palsy in 1989's "My Left Foot," and has been nominated two other times for "In the Name of the Father" and "Gangs of New York."
This awards season, he has earned numerous honors playing a sadistic, early 20th century oil prospector in dark drama "There Will Be Blood" -- only his fourth film in a decade. Yet, Oscar watchers say, his work is as sharp as ever.
"Day-Lewis hasn't really lost anything. Even if you don't like the movie, it's a big performance and he dominates the film," said Pete Hammond, movie critic for Maxim magazine.
But opinions are split over the film's overall appeal, and Oscar voters prefer inspiring characters over villains.
"Clooney's never been nominated for lead actor and in 'Michael Clayton' he's a hero who sheds his evil ways, so the question is, how Clooney-crazy is Hollywood?" said O'Neil.
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Oscar countdown begins in Hollywood
It is Oscar week in Hollywood, and after three months in the dark winter of a bitter labor strike, the movie industry finally has something to celebrate -- itself.
This Sunday, the world's top film awards get under way with a full array of stars such as George Clooney and Cate Blanchett parading up the red carpet outside the Kodak Theatre where Academy Award nominees hope to be named best actor or actress.
Some 5,800 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will anoint one film as their favorite among nominees that include crime drama "No Country for Old Men" and teen pregnancy comedy "Juno."
With a fresh crew of writers, Oscar host Jon Stewart hopes to keep audiences laughing through the three-hour live telecast.
"Here we are. After a long winter, comes the spring and now the summer," said Oscar producer Gil Cates. "It's been a terrible three months."
Some 10,500 members of the Writers Guild of America walked off the job on Nov. 5, throwing into disarray the awards season that runs from December through the Feb. 24 Oscars.
Gala dinners and ceremonies honoring films and their makers were canceled or changed drastically. January's glitzy Golden Globe Awards turned into a news conference watched by about a quarter of the typical audience of 20 million viewers.
But the strike ended one week ago, and Oscar organizers are promising a traditional ceremony for a global TV audience with big stars, dazzling fashion and, hopefully, memorable winners.
Oscar watchers expect some drama in key races, despite the fact many categories have clear front-runners. Academy Award voters, the experts said, enjoy defying the oddsmakers.
"Sometimes the Hollywood honchos vote with their heart just to remind us they have one," said Tom O'Neil, veteran Oscar watcher with awards Web site, TheEnvelope.com.
"No Country" heads into Sunday leading the race for best film because it earned top honors from the guilds of producers, directors, actors and writers -- four key indicators of Academy Award success.
But the pundits sense taut legal thriller "Michael Clayton" is surging due to the popularity of its star Clooney, and note the emergence of "Juno," which is the only nominated film to surpass the pivotal $100 million mark at U.S. box offices.
The other two nominees are oil drama "There Will Be Blood," a meditation on the corrupting power of money, and romance "Atonement," another drama with a dark ending.
Briton Daniel Day-Lewis playing a hard-charging oil man in "Blood" has earned front-runner status in the best actor race by virtue of several critics' and other awards this season, but the experts said Clooney is giving him a run for his money.
Among best actress nominees another Briton, Julie Christie, has been the darling of award season as an Alzheimer's sufferer in "Away From Her." But don't count out French actress Marion Cotillard as singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose" or Ellen Page as the defiantly pregnant teen in "Juno
In other races, Spain's Javier Bardem is tipped to win supporting actor playing a killer in "No Country." Tilda Swinton leads supporting actresses in her role as a manipulative corporate lawyer in "Clayton."
Finally, brothers Joel and Ethan Coen look to be the team to beat in the race for best director with "No Country." And regardless of who wins or loses, Academy Award organizers are happy about one thing: this year, the Oscar goes on.
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