The Academy Awards ceremony has begun in the US, where The King's Speech and The Social Network are going head to head for the best picture prize.
British film The King's Speech has the most nominations - 12 - including a best actor nod for Colin Firth.Receiving the best supporting actress Oscar for The Fighter, Melissa Leo said she was "shaking in her boots here".
The first Oscars of the evening went to Alice in Wonderland for art direction and Inception for cinematography.
The best animated feature award went to Toy Story 3, while The Lost Thing was named best animated short film.
James Franco and Anne Hathaway are hosting the 83rd Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.
Joking about the more youthful feel intended by organisers this year, Hathaway joked to her co-host: "You look very appealing to a younger demographic."
Voting by the Academy's 5,755 members ended earlier this week, and The King's Speech has been tipped by The Hollywood Reporter to win the top honour
According to the industry paper, Academy voters - who have an average age of 57 - are more likely to identify with its middle-aged heroes than The Social Network's youthful, fast-talking cast.
The latter film - about the creation of Facebook - has eight nominations in all, as does Christopher Nolan's sci-fi spectacular Inception. The Coen brothers' western True Grit has 10 nods.
The best picture category nowadays contains 10 nominees, and this year's other contenders are Black Swan, The Fighter, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, Toy Story 3 and Winter's Bone.The King's Speech is riding high on a wave of success, having won seven awards at the Baftas and a slew of other prizes.
Close fight In the best actor category Firth is up against Jeff Bridges for True Grit, Javier Bardem for Biutiful and Franco for 127 Hours.
Jesse Eisenberg is also nominated for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network.
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