MUMBAI: While Star Movies will telecast The Oscar Awards live from 6 am on Monday, Zee Studio has also something special to offer for viewers interested in the event.
Zee Studio has tied up with US broadcaster E! to bring their show Live from the Red Carpet: The 2007 Academy Awards to Indian viewers. The coverage starts at 4:30 am. The Oscars themselves will conclude at around 10:30 am. This means that combined coverage on the two channels will last for six hours.
E! News anchor, Ryan Seacrest, and E! News co-host, Giuliana DePandi, will spearhead the star-studded presence on the red carpet from the site of the annual ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The pre show will look to capture the buzz.
There will be more interest this year than last year in India since Water directed by Deepa Mehta is competing in the foreign film category. The suspense is most in the best picture race. For the first time all five nominees Babel, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen all have a chance to win which is as it should be. Little Miss Sunshine which is the only feel good movie in the bunch seems to be a little ahead at the moment having won the directors guild, writers guild and actors guild awards.
Martin Scorcese should win best director for The Departed. However one cannot completely rule out two time winner Clint Eastwood. Eastwood has been nominated for Letters From Iwo Jima which tells the story of the second World War from the viewpoint of the Japanese soldiers. Around 21 per cent of Oscar voters are actors and would no doubt appreciate Eastwood making two great war movies in one year.
Helen Mirren should win best actress in The Queen which deals with the two week period following the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Best actor is a three way race betwen Forrest Whitaker who plays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland, old time favourite Peter O Toole who falls for a young woman in Venus and Leonardo DiCaprio who plays a diamond mercenary in Blood Diamond.
