February 25, 2007	Sunday	Safar 7, 1428

LOS ANGELES: The race for the movie world’s most coveted accolade looks set to be a photo-finish at the 79th Academy Awards here on Sunday, with four out of five films in the running for the best picture Oscar. Analysts say that although Martin Scorsese’s gangster drama “The Departed” has nosed slightly in front in the latest betting, the field remains wide open as Hollywood crackles with anticipation ahead of Sunday’s ceremony.

Most Oscar watchers believe that “The Departed,” the bloody crime caper based on the Hong Kong movie “Infernal Affairs,” will pick up the prize by default as the five-times-ignored Scorsese finally wins the best director Oscar.

But the recent memory of last year’s upset win for “Crash” over gay cowboy drama “Brokeback Mountain” serves as a reminder that nothing should be taken for granted as the Kodak Theatre ceremony nears.

The multilingual drama “Babel,” independent feel-good movie “Little Miss Sunshine” and Clint Eastwood’s “Letters from Iwo Jima” all have significant support among the Academy’s 5,830 voters, analysts say, with British film “The Queen” regarded as out of the running.

“It’s important to remember that the Oscars rarely go according to script,” said pundit Tom O’Neil of the TheEnvelope.com.

O’Neil said that while Scorsese and British veteran Helen Mirren were untouchable in the best director and best actress stakes, other front-runners could find themselves pipped at the post.

“There are going to be surprises. I still think ‘The Departed’ will win best picture because it’s a very guy-friendly movie, and two-thirds of the Academy’s members are men. But ‘Babel’ is closing in,” he said.

Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Babel,” shot in four languages on three continents, is typical of the cosmopolitan field at this year’s Oscars.

Nine nations — Australia, Benin, Britain, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Spain and the United States — are represented in the acting categories alone.

There will also be a strong theme of diversity at the awards: a record five black actors are up for Oscars and are expected to win in three out of four categories, while this year’s host, comedian Ellen DeGeneres, is gay.

O’Neil said the fact that three films by Mexican directors — “Babel,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “Children of Men” — had amassed 16 nominations among them showed the Academy was trying to be inclusive “in an international way, not just domestically.” While the race for best picture remained open, bookmakers in Britain have stopped taking bets on Mirren prevailing in the best actress category for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in “The Queen.” “If Helen fails to win, it will be the biggest upset in Oscar betting history,” William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams said.

Final preparations for the awards, which start on Sunday were in full swing on Friday, with authorities preparing to drape a steely security blanket across Hollywood.—AFP