There's potential for Canadians to shine at Sunday night's Oscar extravaganza, notably Toronto-born stage and screen legend Christopher Plummer who's nominated as a best-supporting actor for his role in "Beginners."
Plummer, 82, would be the oldest actor to win an Oscar at the Academy Awards.
Other Canadians up for the statuette include Philippe Falardeau, whose francophone movie "Monsieur Lazhar" is in the running for best foreign-language film. Toronto-born composer Howard Shore, who already has three Oscars, is up for best score for "Hugo."
A number of other Canadians are in the running in the animated shorts and sound mixing categories.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on Meryl Streep Sunday night as she prepares for a possible three-peat performance for an Oscar for her role in "The Iron Lady."
Streep - the record holder with a career total 17 nominations - has already won twice.
If she snags a third, she would become the fifth performer to receive three Oscars. Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan all earned three, while Katharine Hepburn won four.
Jean Dujardin could become the first French man to win an Academy Award for best actor, while the "The Artist" could become the first silent movie to win best picture since the first ceremony 83 years ago.
The night promises plenty of returning stars as well, including past Oscar winners and nominees George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Glenn Close, Michelle Williams and Nick Nolte.
Comedian and actor Billy Crystal will be back for his ninth stint as host.
A change in voting rules this year means there will be nine best-picture nominees, instead of 10.
Competing against "The Artist" for best picture are Clooney's family drama "The Descendants"; the Deep South tale "The Help," featuring best-actress nominee Viola Davis and supporting-actress favourite Octavia Spencer; and the Paris adventure "Hugo," from director Martin Scorsese.
Also in the lineup: the romantic fantasy "Midnight in Paris," from writer-director Woody Allen; Pitt's baseball tale "Moneyball" and his family saga "The Tree of Life"; the First World War epic "War Horse," directed by Steven Spielberg; and Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock's Sept. 11 story "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close."
"Hugo" leads with 11 nominations, with "The Artist" right behind with 10.
Spencer's a virtual lock for supporting actress, having dominated earlier film honours for her breakout role in "The Help" as a brash maid in 1960s Mississippi.
The same holds true for Plummer, the front-runner for supporting actor for his role as an elderly widower who comes out as gay in "Beginners."
Best actress shapes up as a two-woman race between Davis as a courageous maid leading an effort to reveal the hardships of black housekeepers' lives in "The Help" and Streep as British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady."
Best actor also looks like a two-person contest between Clooney as the distressed patriarch of a Hawaiian clan in "The Descendants" and Dujardin as a silent-era superstar whose career tanks as talking pictures take over in "The Artist."
"The Artist" has dominated Hollywood honours this season, winning key prizes at the Golden Globes and awards shows held by the Directors, Producers and Screen Actors guilds.
If "The Artist" comes away with the best-picture trophy, it would be the first win for a silent film since the war story "Wings" was named outstanding picture at the inaugural Oscars in 1929.
The awards show airs on CTV and kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Join us at 6 p.m. ET to watch the red carpet while you chat with Bell Media personalities including MTV's Johnny Hockin and FT's Glen Baxter.
More details are available .
With files from The Associated Press
