Oscar nominations: What to watch out for

Los Angeles: In a few hours, actor-producer John Cho and actor-writer-producer Issa Rae will host a two-part live presentation to declare nominations of Oscars 2020.

While Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood", which won Best Film awards at Monday's Critics' Choice Awards and at the Golden Globes earlier this month, is expected to be one of the frontrunners at Oscars, there's more to look forward to.

While "Gully Boy", India's official entry for the Best Foreign Film, is out of the race, there could still be a remote chance for an Indian film to get an Oscar nomination. Chef-turned-filmmaker Vikas Khanna has submitted his debut directorial effort "The Last Color" as an entry for Best Feature Film category.

On the other awards, Joaquin Phoenix is expected to be the frontrunner among nominees in the Best Actor category for "Joker", while Renee Zellweger looks like a sure shot entry for "Judy".

According to bbc.com, only five women have been nominated for best director over the decades, and only one since 2010. That was Greta Gerwig for "Lady Bird" in 2018. Could she be one of the contenders this year for her acclaimed adaptation of "Little Women"? If Gerwig does get the nod, she will become the first woman to be nominated twice for best director.

Popular picks for the Best Director should be Sam Mendes ("1917"), Quentin Tarantino ("Once Upon A Time In Hollywood"), Martin Scorsese ("The Irishman"), and Bong Joon-ho ("Parasite").

In fact, Joon-Ho's Korean film "Parasite" is also heavily favoured to get an easy entry in the Best Foreign Film category. The film has been winning in this category at most International awards ceremonies so far.

While Cho and Rae are non-white celebrities to read out the names of nominees this year, will Oscars once again be #SoWhite, or will we see a fair representation of talent?

Last year, three of the four acting statuettes were won by non-white stars (Rami Malek, Regina King and Mahershala Ali). This time, the Oscars are likely to be less diverse, reports bbc.com. At the Golden Globes, Asian-American star Awkwafina was the only non-white winner in the six movie acting categories, for "The Farewell".

It is the best actress category that is likely to be the most diverse when the Oscar nominations come out. British star Cynthia Erivo missed out on a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Film Awards nod but was shortlisted for a Golden Globe for playing slave-turned-abolitionist Harriet Tubman in "Harriet".

Eddie Murphy could be in the running for best actor for "Dolemite Is My Name", 13 years after his last and only nomination (for "Dreamgirls").

Zhao Shuzhen could be in the list of best-supporting actress for "The Farewell", while Song Kang-Ho has a shot at best supporting actor for his performance in "Parasite".

Past Oscar favourites could be back in the list. Tom Hanks has won twice but has not been nominated since 2001 (for "Cast Away"). He's in with a chance for "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood". Al Pacino has eight career nominations - the last coming when he was up twice in 1993 (winning for "Scent of a Woman"). This time, he could return for "The Irishman".

Renee Zellweger had three nominations in a row from 2002-04, but has not been listed since winning for the 2003 film "Cold Mountain". This year, she might make it to the best actress list for playing Judy Garland in "Judy".

The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony will be aired live on Star Movies on February 10 morning in India.