Ford, Kidman, Washington lead presenters at Oscars

Author: People's Journal

AN array of Hollywood stars led by Harrison Ford, Nicole Kidman, John Travolta and Denzel Washington, among others, will grace the glittering rites of the star-studded 80th Annual Academy Awards to be aired live in the Philippines on February 25 through Velvet, the premium channel for women on SkyCable.

The Philippine satellite broadcast through Velvet channel starts 7 at a. m. with the opening coverage called "An Evening at the Academy Awards: The Arrivals" to be followed by "Countdown to The Oscars 2008" at 9 a. m.

The list of Hollywood presenters include Amy Adams ,Jessica Alba, Alan Arkin, Cate Blanchett, Josh Brolin, Steve Carell, George Clooney, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus, Patrick Dempsey, Cameron Diaz, Colin Farrell, Jennifer Garner , Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway, Katherine Heigl, Jonah Hill, Jennifer Hudson , Dwayne Johnson, James McAvoy, Helen Mirren, Queen Latifah, Seth Rogen , Martin Scorsese, Hilary Swank, John Travolta, Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker and Renee Zellweger. The awards night will also see the special production numbers of Amy Adams, Kristin Chenoweth and Marlon Saunders , Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, Jon McLaughlin, Jamia Simone Nash with the IMPACT , and the Repertory Theatre of Harlem.

The awards night will be hosted by Jon Stewart, winner of four consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series since 1999. Aside from the big stars confirmed to present the awards, all the nominees will be at the Kodak Theater to celebrate the Oscars.

Vying for the top award in the Best Actor category are George Clooney ("Michael Clayton"), Daniel Day-Lewis ("There Will be Blood"), Johnny Depp ("Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"), Tommy Lee Jones ("In The Valley of Elah") and Viggo Mortensen ("Eastern Promises").

Contenders in the Best Actress award category include Cate Blanchet ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age"), Julie Cristie ("Away From Her"), Marion Cotilard ("La Vie En Rose"), Laura Linney ("The Savages") and Ellen Page ("Juno").

The Best Supporting Actress nominees include Cate Blanchet ("I'm Not There"), Ruby Dee ("American Ganster"), Saoirse Ronan ("Atonement"), Amy Ryan ("Gone Baby Gone") and Tilda Swinton ("Michael Clayton").

Contenders in the Best Supporting Actor category are Casey Affleck ("The Assassination of Jesse James"), Javier Bardem ("No Country for Old Men"), Hal Brook ("Into The Wild"), Philipp Seymour Hoffman ("Charlie Wilson's War") and Tom Wilkinson ("Michael Clayton").

Nominees for Best Motion Picture of the Year are "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men " and "There Will Be Blood. "

Five countries are vying for best foreign language film of the year, namely, Israel ("Beaufort"), Austria ("The Counterfeiters"), Poland ("Katyn"), Kazakhstan ("Mongol") and Russia ("12").

Velvet entertainment channel has announced that encore telecast of the Oscar Awards will be at 5 p. m. also on February 25.

Source: People's Journal