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Iraq war drama “The Hurt Locker” will battle science-fiction epic “Avatar” in a duel for Oscars supremacy at the 82nd Academy Awards today.
The movie industry's most exclusive annual awards show will see a galaxy of A-list stars descend on the red carpet rolled out at the Kodak Theater for the ceremony, which gets under way at midday today.
Transparent plastic tents have been erected to shield Oscars guests from wet weather after days of rain in Los Angeles, but the gloomy forecast is unlikely to dampen the mood as awards season reaches its climax.
All eyes are on the David v Goliath battle between the low-budget The Hurt Locker - made for around $US11 million - ($12.13 million) and Avatar, which cost around $US500 million ($551 million) and is the highest-grossing movie in history with earnings of over $US2.5 billion ($2.75 billion) to date.
Both films have nine nominations each, including best picture and best director, an intriguing contest that sees Kathryn Bigelow up against ex-husband James Cameron, the creative genius behind Avatar.
Bigelow's film about a US Army bomb disposal squad has emerged as favorite after winning a series of awards seen as indicators of likely Oscars success.
The movie's momentum has been shaken by a string of embarrassing controversies, including a scandal over negative campaigning that led to one of its producers being banned from Sunday's ceremony.
But most analysts say the controversies unfolded too late in the voting process to affect the outcome of the best picture race.
Bigelow, 58, is also favorite to pip her former spouse for the best director Oscar, which would make her the first woman in history to win the award.
"No matter what happens in the best picture race, I don't think Kathryn Bigelow is going to be denied,'' said Maxim Film critic Pete Hammond. "It's too irresistible a story.''
Other nominees for best director include Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds, Lee Daniels for harrowing drama Precious and Jason Reitman for the recession-era dramedy Up In the Air.
Front-runners have emerged in most of the acting categories, but Sandra Bullock could face a stronger-than-expected challenge in the best actress race.
Bullock, who won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award for her part in the drama The Blind Side, faces competition from Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia), Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Gabby Sidibe (Precious).
She delighted attendees at the Golden Raspberry Awards or Razzies yesterday by breaking with tradition and showing up in person to collect her award at the annual eve-of-Oscars parody.
"I didn't realise that in Hollywood all you have to do is say that you'll show up and then you'll win an award,'' Bullock joked. "If I had known that I would have said I was appearing at the Oscars a long time ago.''
In the Academy Awards best actor category, popular veteran Jeff Bridges is expected to claim his first Oscar at the fifth attempt.
The 60-year-old has already snatched prizes at the Golden Globes and SAG awards for his heart-wrenching portrayal of a washed up country singer in Crazy Heart.
Other nominees include George Clooney for Up in the Air, Morgan Freeman for Invictus, Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker and Britain's Colin Firth for A Single Man.
The junior acting awards are considered a formality, with Austria's Christoph Waltz set to win best supporting actor for his turn as a sadistic Nazi in Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.
Mo'Nique is regarded as a shoo-in for best supporting actress for her role as an abusive parent in Precious.
Meanwhile in the best foreign film category, Austrian director Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon is the joint favorite alongside France's Un Prophet. However Argentina's El Secreto de Sus Ojos could pull off an upset.
The other foreign language nominees are Ajami from Israel and Peru's The Milk of Sorrow.
Today's telecast will be beamed live to more than 100 countries, with hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin running the show.
