Could Mr Popular steal Best Actor Oscar from Daniel Day-Lewis?

Is Daniel Day-Lewis still a dead cert for the best actor Oscar next Sunday? Or is George Clooney now the man to watch? Having bagged just about every acting prize going this award season for his performance in There Will Be Blood, Day-Lewis (above right) has looked like a shoo-in for the Academy Award. But Hollywood pundits say that Clooney's odds are surging due to his popularity among Academy voters. Clooney (above left), who has never been nominated before for best actor, is up for his performance in the corporate thriller, Michael Clayton.

Oscar 'prognosticators' are reminding us that Day-Lewis has looked like the inevitable winner before and failed on the day. In 2002, his critically-lauded performance as Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York made him the favourite for best actor, but Adrien Brody grabbed the prize for The Pianist.

The Los Angeles Times drew parallels with the race of 1986, when Mona Lisa star Bob Hoskins swept every early award, just as Day-Lewis has this year, and ended up losing to another dashing American star, Paul Newman for Color of Money.

In the race for the best actress Oscar, another Briton, Julie Christie, has been the darling of the awards season as an Alzheimer's sufferer in Away From Her. But Marion Cotillard, who won the Bafta for La Vie en Rose, and Ellen Page, the young Canadian star of Juno, should not be counted out just yet.

Spain's Javier Bardem still looks hard to beat for best supporting actor in No Country for Old Men. Among best supporting actress contenders, support for Clooney's Michael Clayton co-star Tilda Swinton is surging against favourites Cate Blanchett and Amy Ryan. Some say her odds are also buoyed by Clooney's popularity among Hollywood elite. ·