King's Speech crowned at Oscars

Geoffrey Rush, left, and Colin Firth are hoping for Oscars glory The Academy Awards ceremony has begun in the US, where The King's Speech and The Social Network are going head to head for the best picture prize. The former, which has taken more than $230m (£142m) around the world, has the most nominations - 12 - including a best actor nod for Colin Firth. True Grit, Inception and Black Swan are also among the best picture contenders. James Franco and Anne Hathaway are hosting the 83rd Academy Awards, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. Voting by the Academy's 5,755 members ended earlier this week. The King's Speech has been tipped by The Hollywood Reporter to win the top honour. According to the industry paper, Academy voters - who have an average age of 57 - are more likely to identify with its middle-aged heroes than The Social Network's youthful, fast-talking cast. Oscars in numbers5,755 - number of Oscar voters50 - number of Oscar statuettes created for this year's winners248 - number of films eligible for best picture this year700 - number of bleacher seats for fans on red carpet10 - number of shows held at the Kodak theatre3,300 - number of seats inside500 - length (in feet) of red carpet The latter film - about the creation of Facebook - has eight nominations in all, as does Christopher Nolan's sci-fi spectacular Inception. The Coen brothers' western True Grit has 10 nods. The best picture category nowadays contains 10 nominees, and this year's other contenders are The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, Toy Story 3 and Winter's Bone. The King's Speech is riding high on a wave of success, having won seven awards at the Baftas and a slew of other prizes.In the best actor category Firth is up against Jeff Bridges for True Grit, Javier Bardem for Biutiful and Franco for 127 Hours. Jesse Eisenberg is also nominated for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Twenty-eight-year-old Anne Hathaway is the youngest host in Oscars history Golden Globe and Bafta winner Natalie Portman is the hot tip to receive the best actress prize for Black Swan. Yet she faces competition from Annette Bening, for The Kids Are All Right, and Nicole Kidman, for Rabbit Hole. Jennifer Lawrence is also nominated for Winter's Bone, while Michelle Williams is up for romantic drama Blue Valentine. Yet it is the battle for the supporting actress Oscar that looks set to be one of the closest races. The Fighter's Melissa Leo is considered to be favourite, though some have wondered if her decision to self-finance an advertising campaign promoting herself to voters might damage her chances. She will also face a strong challenge from her Fighter co-star Amy Adams and from Helena Bonham Carter, who plays the future Queen Mother in The King's Speech. Nor should one should rule out a surprise win for 14-year-old newcomer Hailee Steinfeld for her assured performance in True Grit. There is a lot of admiration too for Jacki Weaver, whose role in crime drama Animal Kingdom has made her the first Australian actress to be Oscar-nominated for an Australian film.This article is from the BBC News website. � British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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