AFP - Anti-war, anti-imperialist, anti-semitic, anti-social, racist: this year's Oscars best picture contenders have faced a barrage of criticism from groups and commentators eager to exploit the media frenzy surrounding the Academy Awards to draw attention to their causes.

AP - The math is against "Up in the Air" co-stars Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick at the Academy Awards, where they're likely to be left on standby in the supporting-actress category.

AP - An Army bomb disposal expert who served in the Iraq war is suing the makers of "The Hurt Locker," claiming the Oscar-nominated film's lead character is based on him and that they cheated him out of "financial participation" in the film.

AP - Jeremy Renner seems surprisingly calm, considering he's going through a breakup with his girlfriend, moving into a new house he renovated and preparing to attend the Oscars as a best-actor nominee.

AP - If the Academy Awards are like the Super Bowl of entertainment, then it's game week in Tinseltown.

Reuters - A U.S. Army sergeant who is suing the makers of Oscar-nominated film "The Hurt Locker" said on Wednesday he felt betrayed because they stole his story.

AP - Associated Press Movie Writers David Germain and Christy Lemire agree with each other — and just about every other Academy Awards forecaster — that Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Mo'Nique and Christoph Waltz will walk away with the acting trophies.

AP - Academy Awards front-runners Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges and at least four other nominees are hitting the Oscar stage as presenters.

AP - A California appeals court has overturned a $5 million judgment against author Clive Cussler in a long-running lawsuit over the film "Sahara."

AFP - Sandra Bullock is on the brink of a rare double this weekend which could see her become the first actress to win an Oscar and a slightly less-coveted Razzie award in the space of 24 hours.

AP - Neil Patrick Harris is the narrator of a PBS documentary exploring the bond between service dogs and those they help.

AFP - Anti-war, anti-imperialist, anti-semitic, anti-social, racist: this year's Oscars best picture contenders have faced a barrage of criticism from groups and commentators eager to exploit the media frenzy surrounding the Academy Awards to draw attention to their causes.

AFP - Win or lose at the Oscars this weekend, "Avatar" is already assured of its place in Hollywood history, a 3-D milestone to rank alongside the arrival of sound in the 1920s or color in the 1930s.