LOS ANGELES - The red carpet has been rolled out, the champagne is on ice, and Hollywood is ready to crown the year's best movie, with joint favorites "Anora" and "Conclave" seemingly poised for a tense showdown at Sunday's Oscars.
A twisty awards season rocked by Los Angeles wildfires and a racist tweet scandal reaches its climax with the 97th Academy Awards gala, hosted by Conan O'Brien.
As stars make the final adjustments to their gowns and tuxedos, the race for Hollywood's grandest prize is too close to call, with two wildly different films seen as frontrunners for best picture.
"There will be real tension," said Rotten Tomatoes awards editor Jacqueline Coley. "I would say if 'Conclave' doesn't win, it's definitely going to be 'Anora.'"
"Both sides are feeling more nervous than confident... that should be an indicator that this is really a nail-biter," The Hollywood Reporter's awards expert Scott Feinberg told AFP.
One Oscars voter told AFP they had voted for "Conclave" because "it's just more of a traditional, classic 'best picture' film."
The voter, anonymous because Academy members cannot reveal their picks, also expressed admiration for "The Brutalist," a potential dark horse about a Hungarian Jewish architect making a new life in the United States after World War II.
The ceremony itself is expected to be an emotional affair.
It will honour firefighters who battled blazes that killed at least 29 people and devastated Los Angeles in January.
Hoping to capitalise on a recent ratings uptick -- last year's gala featured a memorable "Barbie"-themed musical showstopper -- producers have enlisted "Wicked" stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo to perform.
For the first time, the gala will stream live on Hulu, as well as on US network ABC, and in more than 200 territories worldwide.