PREVIEW: The Social Network leads pack of dark Oscar horses

By Andy Goldberg Jan 22, 2011, 17:09 GMT

Los Angeles - Hollywood is holding its beautiful breath for the announcement of the nominations for the most coveted prize in the film world.

Oscar-winning actress and comedienne Mo'Nique will at the unearthly hour of 5:30 am (1330 GMT) Tuesday team up with Tom Sherak, the head of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, to unveil this year's Oscar nominees.

Facebook movie The Social Network is seen as the odds-on favourite to lead the nominations list after it was named best drama last Sunday at the Golden Globes and also won the prestigious Critics Choice Award. The film garnered two other noteworthy prizes at the Golden Globes, a screenwriting prize for Aaron Sorkin and a best director trophy for David Fincher.

Academy voters are also tipped to favour the British royal drama The Kings Speech and Black Swan, both of which yielded acting Golden Globes for their respective stars Colin Firth and Natalie Portman.

Oscar voters are the world's biggest fans of Joel and Ethan Coen, having lauded the quirky brothers' film No Country for Old Men. So expect to see their latest offering, True Grit, feature highly in the Oscar nominations as it is one of the few films this year besides The Social Network that is both a critical and commercial success.

Another movie that falls into that category is Inception, the psychedelic thriller by Chris Nolan starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

The Kids Are All Right, which was named Best Comedy at the Golden Globes, will also get some love from Oscar voters thanks to it being the most successful indie film of the year and an enjoyable, intelligent romp in its own right. Another indie pic likely to garner honours is Winter's Bone. With 10 films eligible for inclusion in the best picture category this year, there will also probably be room for the tender yet gritty romantic drama Blue Valentine.

The Academy will likely continue its heartfelt tradition of honouring good boxing dramas (The Wrestler, Million Dollar Baby) by recognizing The Fighter in numerous categories. Also expect to see some respect for Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, a virtuoso demonstration of the film-making arts from the director of Slumdog Millionaire and his leading man James Franco.

Nine films have progressed to the shortlist for selection as the Oscar nominees in the foreign language film category. These are Hors la Loi (Outside the Law) from Algeria, Canada's Incendies, Denmark's In a Better World and Greece's Dogtooth. From Japan, Confessions is on the short list, joined by Mexico's Biutiful, South Africa's Life, Spain's Tambien la Lluvia (Even the Rain) and Simple Simon from Sweden.

The 83rd Academy Awards will take place on February 27. Hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco, the Oscar presentation will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide, according to the Academy.