The race for Oscars glory is entering its final week in Hollywood and suspense is building, as one of the most crowded fields in decades battles for Academy Awards gold. Three films — historical drama “12 Years a Slave,” space thriller “Gravity” and crime caper “American Hustle”, are all frontrunners for the coveted best picture prize to be handed out on March 2.
In the acting categories, Cate Blanchett leads the pack for her turn in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine” while Matthew McConaughey is widely tipped for his portrayal of homophobic AIDS activist Ron Woodroof in “Dallas Buyers Club.”
But all bets are off for the big prize of the night, the winner of which will be announced at the end of the 86th Academy Awards ceremony hosted by US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.
“One thing is confirmed for certain: There will be genuine suspense until the last envelope is opened,” wrote Variety’s Tim Gray after Britain’s Baftas, the last major awards show before the season-climaxing Oscars. Voting for the famous golden statuettes began on Valentine’s Day, and the nearly 6,000 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have until Tuesday afternoon to cast their ballots.
