Exes to come face to face again at the Oscars

Turning inevitably to this week’s Oscar nominations  announcement, I can’t comment on many of the choices as the panel always seems to pick films that haven’t been released in the UK yet but much of the shortlist is filled with familiar and predictable names.

I’m not the first to make this connection but this year’s Academy Awards night will see James Cameron and ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow locking horns once again.

Following the Golden Globes, where the pair were both in the running for gongs, Bigelow and Cameron’s respective big guns, The Hurt Locker and Avatar, are both up for nine Oscars, with the former Mrs Cameron taking on her ex-love in the best director category.

Also scoring highly for nominations are Up in the Air, Precious and Inglourious Basterds, which is surely Quentin Tarantino’s best-ever chance of winning over the Academy.

Until recently, the sight of Sandra Bullock and Woody Harrelson on the shortlist would have prompted guffaws of disbelief but they’re both on there, for best actress and best supporting actor respectively.

Expect Avatar to win big, QT to bag a few and Bullock to surprise her critics.

And for an outside Brit chance, how about Colin Firth for best actor?