Hollywood -- from stars to behind-the-scenes personnel -- buzzed with
tension as Oscar voters cast their ballots for the winners of cinema's top
prizes just hours ahead of the vote deadline.
The 5,798 members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
have until 5:00 pm to hand in their completed ballots Tuesday before
auditors begin tallying them to determine who will take home the big
awards on Sunday.
"Any ballots received after 5:00 pm will not be counted or taken into
account for the Oscars," said Academy communications chief John Pavlik.
But with the fate of this
year's crop of golden statuettes almost sealed, Hollywood awards experts
and movie fans wagering on the
Oscars contest were betting that Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain," moving
tale of a star-crossed
homosexual love story between two cowboys will rope in the major prizes,
including best picture.
"Brokeback" gallops into the show armed with a leading eight Academy
Awards, including best picture, best director, best actor for Australian
Heath Ledger, best supporting actor for co-star Jake Gyllenhaal and best
supporting actress for Michelle Williams.
But only two people will
know whether the daring and controversial romance has indeed lassoed the top Oscars ahead of the ceremony
to be held at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on Sunday night: the auditors.
Two partners of accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers will oversee the
tabulation of the votes of Academy members and slip the winners' names
into the famous foil-lined
envelopes that will be opened onstage.
(Agencies)