LOS ANGELES: The final countdown to the 81st Academy Awards were underway here Saturday, with feel-good movie "Slumdog Millionaire" poised to romp home with the coveted best picture Oscar.
Less than 48 hours before the entertainment industry's most glamorous night of the year, workers were putting the finishing touches to their preparations at the Kodak Theater in the heart of Hollywood.
The build-up to this year's ceremony has been dominated by India-set rags-to-riches fable "Slumdog", which has dominated other awards shows and is considered the overwhelming favorite for the best picture statuette.
Although period drama "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" will start the night with the most nominations, 13, compared to 10 for "Slumdog," experts say that British director Danny Boyle's film looks unstoppable.
Pundits say "Slumdog" has delighted audiences with its rags-to-riches plot about a Mumbai tea boy who rises out of poverty and enters a television quiz show to win millions and be reunited with the love of his life.
The against-the-odds triumph of the film's central character is mirrored by the movie's improbable march towards Oscars glory. Made for only 15 million dollars, the film features a cast of unknown actors and is partially subtitled.
Other rivals in the best picture category are "Benjamin Button," political drama "Frost/Nixon," biopic "Milk" and Holocaust drama "The Reader."
Sean Penn, who plays a trailblazing gay politician in "Milk", and Kate Winslet, who plays a Nazi death camp guard in "The Reader" are the front-runners in the best actor and actress categories.
However Penn faces stiff competition from Mickey Rourke, who won last month's Golden Globes for playing a washed up prizefighter in "The Wrestler."
Winslet's hopes of a first Academy Award after missing out on five previous occasions are threatened by two-time Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, with Melissa Leo ("Frozen River") tipped as a dark horse.
In the supporting categories, late Australian actor Heath Ledger is poised to become only the second performer in history to win a posthumous Oscar, a year after his death from a drug overdose in New York.
In the supporting actress category, Penelope Cruz is favorite the first Spanish actress to win an Oscar for her performance in Woody Allen comedy "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
The other element of surprise around Sunday's show is the new-look format being promised by organizers as they seek to bounce back from 2008 television viewing figures that were the worst in Oscars history.
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