Going, going, gong ... Who will take home the major prizes this weekend?
So much for an early night on Sunday February 24. Just a few weeks ago it looked as though the 80th annual Academy Awards might well be scuppered by the US writers' strike and that the ceremony would be mothballed in favour of a utilitarian press conference. This would have allowed the Guardian's film team to roll in early on the Monday morning, cobble together a quick news story and then zip off to catch a press screening of the new Hannah Montana movie. Just another day at the coalface.
Sadly it is not to be. The Oscars are happening which means that we shall be shadowing it, live through the night, with all the latest pictures, news and a minute-by-minute commentary from the brilliant Anna Pickard. Expect more blanket coverage when the event rounds up, including a video package, stiletto-sharp fashion critiques and a bespoke Oscar podcast hosted by the redoubtable Jason Solomons. And yes: there will be blogs.
This year's event might even tempt a few of the purists who typically regard the whole thing with a weary scorn. Pound for pound, the line-up of nominees is the best we've had in years, with a brace of genuinely terrific pictures (There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men) installed as joint favourites for the best film award and a gaggle of compelling performances (from the likes of Daniel Day-Lewis, Julie Christie, Ellen Page and Tommy Lee Jones) battling it out in the acting categories. And while Day-Lewis appears to be a shoo-in to win the best actor award, many of the other major prizes are still tantalisingly up for grabs - prey to the sudden surge, the last-minute twist or (fingers crossed) the legal challenge.
The Academy Awards kick off on Sunday at 5pm Pacific time (that's 1am Monday morning, London time). We shall be here, running on a cocktail of beer and caffeine, enthusiasm and bile. Whether you be an Oscar buff or a wild-eyed insomniac, we hope that you can join us. Hannah Montana will have to wait.
