Chatterbox: Go on, Oscar, make my day

It might feel like the Oscar race is already in its final laps but officially the starting gun doesn't go off until 2.30 on Wednesday morning (New Zealand time) when the nominations are announced in Los Angeles. Expect some phones ringing in Wellywood before dawn.

Yes, it's a certainty that Return of the King will be up for best picture, best director, and sundry other Oscars. But who's going to be up against it in the top categories?

Here's how we think the big race is shaping up ...

Mystic River: Highly likely, given it's a small, prestige, gritty American drama directed by a Hollywood hero, Clint Eastwood.

Lost in Translation: Possibly, but Bill Murray's likely best actor nomination could be its reward. Then again director Sofia Coppola does have family connections ...

Master and Commander - The Far Side of the World: Epic, heroic, period, naval-war film with Russell Crowe at the prow and Peter Weir at the tiller. Possible but some folks aren't as excited about sailing as we are down this way.

The Last Samurai: Epic heroic period land war film with Tom Cruise all over it. Unlikely, especially as it doesn't seem to be picking up much in the run-up to the awards.

Cold Mountain: With its Miramax backing, its Civil War story and its literary legacy, this might have seemed a shoe-in. Except director Anthony Minghella has missed out on a Directors' Guild Awards nomination and the Screen Actors' Guild only nominated supporting player Renee Zellweger. (See review E4)

Seabiscuit: The old-fashioned, crowd-pleasing, horse-racing flick is a slim possibility but wouldn't bet on it.

Big Fish: Hitting screens in America just as Oscar voters are filling out their nomination ballots, its feelgood whimsy might just push it through the pack.

Rank outsiders: In America, The Station Agent, American Splendor, City of God, House of Sand and Fog, and Whale Rider (but we would say that wouldn't we?).

IDOL CHATTER: Some of the NZ Idol hopefuls in Auckland this week weren't just auditioning cover songs, they were doing covers of cover songs. We were intrigued to hear of Kat Hollis' plans to sing Charles Fox's Killing Me Softly "by the Fugees", Rachel Hohneck's choice of Guns'n'Roses' Sweet Child O' Mine "by Sheryl Crow", and her sister Amanda's selection of Cat Stevens' The First Cut is the Deepest "by Sheryl Crow". A minority opted for Kiwi repertoire, choosing songs by Ardijah, Crowded House and Che Fu. But sure to impress the judges was the Avondale woman who had "not really had time to practise" and had no idea what she was going to sing. Kashmir by Puff Daddy, perhaps?

COMBIEN DUDES SAVEZ VOUS QUI ROULENT COMME CI? Kiwi music is in the spotlight again at the Midem trade fair in Cannes this week as representatives for bands including Goldenhorse, OpShop, 8 Foot Sativa and Moana and the Tribe network with more than 9000 others in the industry. Midem is the largest event of its kind, and this is the third time Trade New Zealand and the New Zealand Music Industry Commission have supported the venture to get Kiwi music heard around the globe. Among those attending will be commission reps, record labels, music publishers, agents, producers, promoters and import/exporters.

ALIEN PART TWO:The last time we saw LA band Alien Ant Farm was at the Big Day Out two years ago, a few months before they were involved in a horrendous bus crash in Spain that killed the driver and broke frontman Dryden Mitchell's neck. In July last year they swallowed their fears and went back on the road, and will embark on a nationwide tour here next month. AAF will play March 5 at the St James to coincide with university orientation, then the Auckland Supertop on March 12 as part of the Edge Fest. And they should be pretty hot gigs - Mitchell claims to spice up his vocals by sprinkling cayenne pepper on his most sensitive parts.