Likely Oscar winners and losers

Form guide in top four categories at Sunday’s

82nd Academy Awards taking place at Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Best picture

Favourite: The Hurt Locker

Dark horse: Avatar

Expanded to 10 films this year from the usual five, the race for best picture honors increasingly appears to be a shoot-out between Iraq war drama The Hurt Locker and science-fiction blockbuster Avatar. If successful, The Hurt Locker will be the lowest-grossing best picture winner in Oscars history with earnings of around 15 million dollars. By contrast James Cameron’s Avatar is the highest grossing film of all-time with more than two billion dollars in earnings.

Best director

Favourite: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

Dark horse: James Cameron (Avatar)

After virtually ignoring woman directors at 81 previous editions of the Oscars - only four women have ever been nominated for best director - the Academy is finally set to honor a female film-maker, Kathryn Bigelow.

The 58-year-old behind The Hurt Locker has already made history by becoming the first woman to win best director prizes at the Directors Guild of America Awards and BAFTAS. Adding spice to the contest is the presence of Bigelow’s ex-husband James Cameron on the list of five nominees, leading somem to dub the category as the ‘Battle of the Exes.’

Best actor

Favourite: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)

Dark horse: George Clooney

(Up In the Air)

Best actress

Favourite:

Sandra Bullock

(The Blind Side)

Dark horse: Meryl

Streep (Julie & Julia)

AFP