LOS
ANGELES
(REUTERS):
Hollywood
is
turning
all
eyes
on
its
own
brand
of
gold
medal
Oscar
gold
with
more
questions
than
answers
about
likely
winners
in
the
week
leading
up
to
the
world's
top
film
awards.
Can
the
cowboys
of
gay
romance
''Brokeback
Mountain''
this
year's
most-nominated
movie
with
candidates
in
eight
categories
lasso
best
film
away
from
its
main
rival,
race
relations
drama
''Crash?''
Or,
will
those
two
movies
split
the
vote
among
some
6,000
members
of
the
Academy
of
Motion
Picture
Arts
and
Sciences,
and
allow
George
Clooney's
politically
charged
''Good
Night,
and
Good
Luck,''
Steven
Spielberg's
''Munich''
or
morality
tale
''Capote''
to
sneak
in
and
steal
their
glory?
''For
those
of
us
who
follow
this
stuff,
it's
a
lot
of
fun
because
for
many
years,
it
seemed
winners
were
pre-ordained,''
said
Richard
Roeper,
film
critic
for
the
popular
''Ebert&Roeper''
movie
review
television
show.
''This
year,
there
really
is
going
to
be
that
moment
when
they
open
the
envelope
and
you're
going
to
think,
'I
don't
know
what
they
are
going
to
say.'''
The
only
shoo-in
for
victory
in
a
major
category
at
the
March
5
Oscar
ceremony
seems
to
be
Philip
Seymour
Hoffman
as
best
actor
for
his
portrayal
of
Truman
Capote
in
''Capote.''
But
not
so
fast,
the
experts
said.
Even
Hoffman,
who
has
won
several
critics'
honors
and
the
Screen
Actors
Guild
trophy
this
year,
is
meeting
a
last-minute
charge
by
''Hustle&Flow''
star
Terrence
Howard.
They
face
Heath
Ledger
playing
one
of
the
gay
cowboys
in
''Brokeback,''
Joaquin
Phoenix
as
singer
Johnny
Cash
in
''Walk
the
Line''
and
David
Strathairn
as
newsman
Edward
R.
Murrow
in
''Good
Night.''
TOO
CLOSE
FOR
COMFORT
The
best
actress
race
is
far
too
close
to
call
between
favorites
Reese
Witherspoon
playing
singer
June
Carter
in
''Walk
the
Line''
and
Felicity
Huffman
in
the
role
of
a
man
who
is
nearing
a
sex
change
operation
in
''Transamerica.''
Hollywood
sweetheart
Witherspoon
has
walked
away
with
many
major
actress
honors
this
year
but
is
facing
an
equally
popular
rival
in
Huffman,
who
is
campaigning
strong.
''There's
going
to
be
an
upset
on
Oscar
night
someplace
so
where
is
it
going
to
come
from?
I'm
going
to
go
out
on
that
limb
and
say,
'Felicity
will
win,'''
said
Tom
O'Neil,
a
veteran
Oscar
watcher
for
TheEnvelope.com.
Other
nominees
are
previous
winners
Judi
Dench
for
''Mrs.Henderson
Presents''
and
Charlize
Theron
in
''North
Country,''
as
well
as
Britain's
Keira
Knightley
with
''Pride&Prejudice.''
Final
Oscar
ballots
are
due
tomorrow.
The
most
wide-open
races
in
the
top
categories
are
the
supporting
actor
and
actress
categories.
Twenty-four
Oscars
will
be
awarded
during
the
broadcast,
which
will
take
more
than
three
hours.
Among
supporting
actors,
Clooney
playing
a
weary
CIA
agent
in
''Syriana''
appears
to
be
the
favorite.
The
thinking
is
that
if
he
doesn't
win
anything
for
''Good
Night,''
the
supporting
actor
honor
would
be
his
consolation
prize.
But
Paul
Giamatti
won
the
SAG
award
for
playing
a
boxing
manager
in
''Cinderella
Man''
and
many
Academy
members
think
he
was
robbed
last
year
when
he
was
not
nominated
for
''Sideways.''
Michelle
Williams
as
a
spurned
wife
in
''Brokeback''
could
challenge
conventional
thinking
in
the
best
supporting
actress
race
and
beat
the
odds-on
favorite,
Britian's
Rachel
Weisz,
who
plays
a
social
activist
in
''The
Constant
Gardener.''
Newcomer
Amy
Adams
of
''Junebug''
also
has
a
lot
of
support.
Beyond
the
races,
the
big
questions
are
whether
first-time
host
Jon
Stewart
can
wow
audiences
and
who
will,
or
won't,
make
the
list
of
fashion
do's,
and
don'ts,
on
the
red
carpet.
Stewart
is
known
for
his
political
satire
on
TV's
fake
news
program
''The
Daily
Show,''
and
in
a
year
when
message
movies
dominate
the
races,
he
may
be
a
perfect
host.
The
fashion
parade
up
the
carpet
outside
the
Kodak
Theatre
where
the
event
is
held
is
expected
to
show
the
sophisticated
glamour
of
old
Hollywood,
of
Cary
Grant
and
Lauren
Bacall.
''We're
going
to
see
more
variety
than
we've
seen
in
the
past,''
said
Patty
Foxx,
fashion
coordinator
for
the
show.
Floor-length
gowns
with
warm
shares
of
copper
and
olive
will
mix
with
vivid
fuchsias
and
lilacs.
The
women
will,
of
course,
drip
in
diamonds,
and
the
men
will
don
their
tuxedos.