Wide Open Oscar Race Highlights Range Of Favourites

Hollywood award watchers on Monday picked comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" and thriller "The Departed" as clear Oscar front-runners, but cautioned several races remained wide open two weeks ahead of the world's top film awards.

"I think you'll see a very split-up year. I see no film with more than three awards, and the winners are going to be all over the place," said David Poland, who runs Movie City News Web site.

In the past month, several professional guilds representing producers, actors, directors and writers presented their awards, and a number of themes emerged in the Oscar derby.

Oscar ballots are due at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on February 20. With several open races, including the coveted best film prize, award watchers said the February 25 Oscar telecast could be one of the most exciting in years.

Independently made "Little Miss Sunshine" has momentum in the best film race after being named the top movie by the Producers Guild of America, best ensemble cast by the Screen Actors Guild, and best original screenplay by the Writers Guild of America.

Martin Scorsese's crime thriller "The Departed" also boasts a strong chance since Scorsese claimed the best director award from the Directors Guild of America and William Monahan earned best adapted screenplay from the Writers Guild.

Oscar watchers cautioned, however, to not discount "Babel," a globe-spanning drama with strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.