SHOTLIST

1. Medium shot of Best Supporting Actress nominee Laura Linney

2. Medium shot of Best Supporting Actress nominee Natalie Portman

3. Wide shot of red carpet

4. Close up of Orlando Bloom

5. Medium shot of Best Actress nominee Imelda Staunton

6. Wide shot of Best Actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio

7. Medium shot of Best Actress nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno

8. Wide shot of red carpet, .zoom in of Scarlett Johannsen

9. Medium shot of Best Actress Nominee Hillary Swank

10. Medium shot of Best Actor nominee Johnny Depp

11. Medium shot of Best Actor nominee Jamie Foxx, zoom out wide of him walking on carpet with his daughter

12. Close-up of Best supporting actor nominee Morgan Freeman

13. Medium shot of Best Director nominee Martin Scorsese and Best supporting actress nominee Cate Blanchett

14. Wide shot of red carpet

STORYLINE

Uncertainty was in the air for Hollywood''s big night on Sunday, with an Academy Awards show potentially packed with drama yet lacking the box-office muscle to ensure a decent television viewing audience.

Movie stars packed the red carpet, posing for cameras and talking to the media before entering the Kodak Theatre for the 77th Oscars ceremony.

Unlike last year, when "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" dominated the awards and flat-out front-runners took all four acting prizes, the 77th Oscars shaped up as a mixed bag, with only "Ray" star Jamie Foxx an outright favourite to win.

Clint Eastwood''s emotionally piercing prizefight drama "Million Dollar Baby" and Martin Scorsese''s gloriously rendered Howard Hughes saga "The Aviator" presented the evening''s key films for best picture.

The other contenders were "Finding Neverland," a fanciful look at playwright J.M. Barrie''s inspirations in writing "Peter Pan"; "Ray," a hearty portrait of the loves, lusts, failings and musical triumphs of singer Ray Charles; and "Sideways," the critics'' favourite about a dour wretch whose road trip with a buddy leads him to new hope for romance.

Scorsese and Eastwood''s duel for best director carried almost as much drama as the best picture race.

One of American cinema''s most esteemed filmmakers, Scorsese was in danger of joining such luminaries as Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Altman as record holders for Oscar futility. Five directing nominations, five losses.

Eastwood, a past directing and best picture Oscar recipient for the 1992 western "Unforgiven," beat Scorsese for both the Directors Guild of America prize and the Golden Globe directing honour for "Million Dollar Baby."

Those prizes are solid indicators on who ultimately wins the best director Oscar.

Scorsese also has never delivered a best picture winner, though many in Hollywood believe his 1980 masterpiece "Raging Bull" should have won that honour and the best director prize.

Eastwood also scored a best actor nomination for "Million Dollar Baby," though Foxx was considered one of the strongest favourites in Oscar history for his exceptional emulation of Ray Charles, a portrayal so eerily believable it jolted even the late singer''s friends and family.

Hilary Swank, an Oscar winner for "Boys Don''t Cry," had the edge for best actress for her role as a bull-headed boxer in "Million Dollar Baby," but Annette Bening was a serious rival for the theatre farce "Being Julia."

Morgan Freeman of "Million Dollar Baby" confirmed his favouritism by winning the Oscar for best supporting actor in the movie "Million Dollar Baby".

Cate Blanchett of "The Aviator" was also favourite for supporting actress, though Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen of "Sideways" and Clive Owen and Natalie Portman of the sex drama "Closer" offered strong competition.

SHOTLIST

1. Wide Kodak Theater

2. Mid shot Wolfgang Puck

3. Wide shot carpet

4. Mid shot Beyonce

5. Medium Leonardo DiCaprio

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Leonardo DiCaprio:

"Because it''s been around for such a long time, and it''s like a world event. It''s not just something that people in the US pat attention to, everybody in the world celebrates this time and this moment and it has to do with art and people getting awarded for their artistic achievements and it''s the pinnacle of all that. It''s the award show."

7. Close-up Jamie Foxx

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jamie Foxx:

"it''s absolutely incredible, I''ve got my little one, it''s absolutely beautiful."

9. Close-up Swank

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Hilary Swank:

"I would have to say that it doesn''t feel much different. I''m still as in awe and as speechless as the first time. I would say though that I feel a little bit more appreciative because of the roes, the really great ones are few and far between, and I don''t think I really realised that before. "

11. Close-up Andre Llyod Webber and Natalie Portman

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Natalie Portman:

"It''s really exciting, I''ve never been to the Oscars before so this is a very very exciting time."

13. Close-up Catalina Sandino Moreno

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Catalina Sandino Moreno:

" I was , oh my God, this morning I woke up at like 9 10, and I had my breakfast and I thought I was not going to eat anything because I thought I was going to be very nervous, but I was not, so I ate and I took a shower. And then the hair and make-up came, and I was reading and I read a lot, and it was fantastic. I was not at all nervous today."

15. Close-up Moreno''s purse

16. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Catalina Sandino Moreno

(transcript to follow)

17. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) Natalie Portman

(transcript to follow)

18. Medium fashion

19. SOUNDBITE (German) Oliver Hirschbiegel, Director, ''Downfall''

(transcript to follow)

20. Wide carpet

24. Close-up Penelope Cruz

25. SOUNDBITE (English) Penelope Cruz:

"I really love his work and we met on a holiday once, we celebrated the end of 2000 together, his family and my family, and he is a very nice man. "

26. Mid shot Cate Blanchett

27. Mid shot Sophie Okonedo

28. SOUNDBITE (English) John Walker, Director, ''The Incredibles'':

" She would say I am terribly unrepresented here tonight, I hate it all, because I did not design it."

29. Close-up Laura Linney''s necklace

30. SOUNDBITE (English) Laura Linney:

" There is, of course there is, Monday. I think everyone in some way is looking forward to the day after tomorrow, it''s a long season, it builds, it is a roller coaster of a motion throughout time. But it is thrilling, you wouldn''t trade it for anything."

31. Fans taking photos

MOVIE STARS PACK THE RED CARPET

Uncertainty was in the air for Hollywood''s big night on Sunday, with an Academy Awards show potentially packed with drama yet lacking the box-office muscle to ensure a decent television viewing audience.

Movie stars packed the red carpet, posing for cameras and talking to the media before entering the Kodak Theatre for the 77th Oscars ceremony.

Unlike last year, when "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" dominated the awards and flat-out front-runners took all four acting prizes, the 77th Oscars shaped up as a mixed bag, with only "Ray" star Jamie Foxx an outright favourite to win.