'Roma' leads charge as Hollywood hits Oscars red carpet

Rock legends Queen opened the Oscars on Sunday with two of their biggest hits.

HOLLYWOOD (AFP) - Rock legends Queen opened the Oscars on Sunday with two of their biggest hits to get Hollywood in the mood for its annual outing of glitz, tears, shocks and thrills.

With pop star Adam Lambert standing in as usual for the band s beloved departed frontman Freddie Mercury, the band had the crowd crooning along with a mini-medley of "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions."

The British rockers have skin in the game this year, with biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody" among the nominees in five categories, including best picture and actor.

Alfonso Cuaron s black-and-white cinematic ode to his childhood, "Roma," leads with 10 nominations, however, and is a firm favorite for the coveted best picture Academy Award.

If it does win, it will be the first foreign-language film, and the first from streaming giant Netflix, to earn the honor.

Box office analyst Exhibitor Relations noted it would also be the first win for the movie without a reported box office -- "Roma" had a limited theatrical release -- signaling "a massive sea change" in the industry.

But civil rights dramedy "Green Book" has overcome controversy to remain on the radar, and could benefit from the Academy s complex preferential voting system to snatch the top prize.

Hot on their heels are a variety of films, from offbeat royal romp "The Favourite" (also with 10 nominations), to Spike Lee s race drama "BlacKkKlansman," to crowd pleasers like superhero flick "Black Panther" and musical romance "A Star Is Born."

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is among two biopics rounding out the best picture race -- alongside "Vice," about former US vice president Dick Cheney.

The 7,900-odd voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had bold choices in front of them -- traditional arthouse Oscar bait, and big, rousing blockbusters.

"With eight best picture nominees, every film has passionate supporters, but no film has a consensus," Tim Gray, awards editor for showbiz trade publication Variety, told AFP.

All will be revealed at the Dolby Theatre, in a ceremony beamed around the world to millions of showbiz fans, with a twist -- there is no host for the first time in three decades.

The Academy opted to take the risk after comedian Kevin Hart withdrew from the gig in the face of a firestorm over past controversial tweets that were slammed as homophobic.

"Saturday Night Live" veterans Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph offered a few jokes, but the show moved quickly into the actual awarding of prizes.

The first Oscar of the night -- best supporting actress -- went to first-time nominee Regina King, 48, for her emotional performance as a mother defending her daughter s boyfriend, wrongfully accused of rape, in "If Beale Street Could Talk."

"Mom, I love you so much," she gushed, to cheers and applause. "Thank you for teaching me that God is always leaning, always has been leaning, in my direction."

Mahershala Ali ("Green Book") is the odds-on favorite to follow King to glory in the supporting actor categories.

For the lead acting honors, Christian Bale s transformation into Cheney for "Vice" gave him the early lead in the Oscars race, and several statuettes.

But Rami Malek won respect from his peers -- and a Golden Globe, Bafta and a Screen Actors Guild award -- for his spellbinding turn as Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody."

"In Christian Bale s, I see an incredible actorly thing, but with Rami Malek, you see a role that just really connected with audiences," said Variety s chief film critic Peter Debruge.

"I wouldn t be surprised if the newcomer disrupts in this case."

The best actress race has a clear favorite: Glenn Close, who has swept the prizes for her gripping work in "The Wife" as a woman on the edge when her author husband wins the Nobel Prize in Literature.

"It s very hard for me to accept the win-lose situation. I don t think there s any losers," Close told reporters at Saturday s Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, California, where she picked up the award for best actress.

Lady Gaga wowed fans and critics with her turn in "A Star is Born," and Yalitza Aparicio s nomination for her first acting role in "Roma" earned praise. But it looks to be Close s night.

"It is not her strongest role, but it is an opportunity for her to really own a small film, to carry it on her shoulders, and to remind the industry that here is one of our real treasures as an actress," Debruge said.

The Academy -- desperate to boost television ratings that have plummeted in recent years -- is trying to stick to a three-hour telecast, but it hit a few bumps along the way.

Controversies over its efforts to save time included plans to present a handful of awards during commercial breaks, and to feature only a few of the nominated songs. Both ideas have since been scrapped.

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper will sing their power ballad "Shallow" from "A Star Is Born." Songstresses Jennifer Hudson, Bette Midler and Gillian Welch will also perform.