Hollywood prepares for its Oscars close-up

On Sunday, the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles will be home to the 85th Academy Awards. This year, the races among the six major categories are all over the board. Some are clear-cut, and some are toss-ups.

The stage is set for the 85th Academy Awards on Sunday, with Ben Affleck's Iran hostage drama "Argo" bidding to edge out Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" at the climax of Hollywood's awards season.

The red carpet is rolled out and ready for Tinseltown's finest to strut and preen before the Oscars show, widely seen as one of the least predictable in recent memory following a bumper movie year.

British songstress Adele shone at rehearsals on the eve of the heavily musical night, when she will sing 007 theme "Skyfall" and legendary diva Barbra Streisand will give her first Oscars performance for 36 years.

For best actress, the early favorite was Jessica Chastain, playing a CIA agent hunting Osama bin Laden in "Zero Dark Thirty," but the clever money is now on Jennifer Lawrence for her turn in "Silver Linings Playbook."

The best supporting actress race is more open, although Anne Hathaway is probably still the frontrunner for her heart-wrenching turn in "Les Miserables," which is also nominated for best picture.

The most unpredictable race of all is perhaps for supporting actor, with Hollywood legend Robert De Niro tipped by some for playing Cooper's father in "Silver Linings Playbook."

But strong rivals in the category include Austrian Christoph Waltz as a white bounty hunter who frees Jamie Foxx's black slave in Quentin Tarantino's blood-spattered "Django Unchained," as well as Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln."

The fast and fun movie pays subtle homage to generations of computer games, in a feel-good story appealing to both mainstream cinema-goers and hard-core animation filmmakers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.