Oscar guide: Ledger an outsider

Heath Ledger

Capote's Philip Seymour Hoffman is the outright favourite with bookmakers in Las Vegas, London and Alice Springs to claim the Best Actor Oscar at today's ceremony, with Brokeback Mountain's Heath Ledger a distant second.

Alice Springs betting agency Centrebet has received a US$15,000 ($22,655) bet from one punter for a Hoffman win.

Punters have shown more interest in another best actor nominee, Walk the Line's Joaquin Phoenix, than Ledger.

Hoffman's odds are around 1/8. Ledger is around 7/1.

Nicholson joins lineup

Hollywood veteran Jack Nicholson, award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, John Travolta and China's Zhang Ziyi cap the list of celebrity presenters at the ceremony.

The big-name actors will join Australian actor Eric Bana, who stars in the Oscar-nominated Munich, and Samuel Jackson and Ben Stiller in uttering one of Hollywood's famous lines: "And the Oscar goes to ... "

Clooney's first time George Clooney has never been to the Academy Awards. "I don't really feel like I'm going to win. I just like the idea of showing up," said Clooney who has three nominations this year.

Best swear words

Crash has taken first prize for the most curses in a movie nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, according to the movie watchdog group FamilyMediaGuide.com.

The film wins the most profane award with 182 expletives, including 99 utterances of the F word. Brokeback Mountain ranked second among Best Picture nominees with 92 curse words, followed by Munich with 22.

More cussin'

There will be no F-word but the word "bitches" will be heard during the first rap performance at the ceremony.

The authors of Best Song nominee It's Hard Out There for a Pimp from the film Hustle & Flow have substituted less-offensive words for the song's profanity-laced lyrics. Just in case, broadcaster ABC is also expected to use a five-second delay to aid network censors.

- AGENCIES