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Comedian Conan O'Brien hosts first Oscars

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Demi Moore favored for best actress Oscar

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Musical performances and tributes planned

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By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES, March 2 (Reuters) - Ariana Grande, Zoe

Saldana and Selena Gomez graced the red carpet on Hollywood's

biggest night on Sunday with no clear frontrunner among "Anora,"

"The Brutalist," "Conclave" and other films contending for the

prestigious best picture Oscar.

Timothee Chalamet and Demi Moore were vying for their first

Academy Awards, a show airing live on Walt Disney's ( DIS ) ABC

network starting at 4 p.m. Pacific time (0000 GMT on Monday).

"I am just so filled with joy. I feel like I am bursting,"

Moore said on the red carpet before the ceremony.

Supporting actress nominee Grande wore a light pink

sculptured gown with a wide, glittery skirt - a nod to her

character Galinda in the movie musical "Wicked."

"Emilia Perez" star Saldana, the favorite to win the

supporting actress trophy, chose a tiered burgundy strapless

gown. Chalamet appeared in a canary yellow tuxedo.

Cynthia Erivo, Grande's co-star in "Wicked" and a best

actress nominee, said she was thrilled to attend the highest

honors in the film industry.

"You get to celebrate the work that you and others care

about," she said on the red carpet.

Comedian and host Conan O'Brien said he planned to mix

jokes, celebrations of filmmakers and serious moments including

tributes to Los Angeles as it recovers from January's wildfires.

He likely will address U.S. politics but not dwell on it, he

said.

"Good jokes are really important, but there's also more than

that," O'Brien told reporters last week as he prepared for his

first Oscars hosting gig. "We're trying to go for different

tones, different textures."

This year's Oscars race has featured twists and turns, and

no movie has dominated the precursor film awards.

That will keep the drama going until the end of Sunday's

show. Any of three films could score best picture, according to

Oscars pundits. One is "Anora," the story of a sex worker with a

shot at a Cinderella story. The other two are "The Brutalist,"

about a Jewish immigrant and architect chasing the American

dream, and "Conclave," which imagines the secret proceedings for

choosing a pope.

Others in the best picture field include blockbuster musical

"Wicked," a prequel to "The Wizard of Oz," and "A Complete

Unknown," the Bob Dylan biopic starring Chalamet.

Netflix ( NFLX ) musical "Emilia Perez" heads into the

ceremony with the most nominations. But its chances of victory

dwindled when offensive social media posts surfaced from star

Karla Sofia Gascon. The actress, the first openly transgender

person nominated for an acting Oscar, disappeared from the

awards circuit but is expected to attend Sunday's ceremony.

Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes are chosen by the

roughly 11,000 actors, producers, directors and film

craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and

Sciences.

Behind the glitz, Hollywood is fighting a battle to keep its

place at the center of the global film business. None of the 10

best picture contenders were filmed in Los Angeles, home to most

major film companies for more than a century.

MUSIC AND SURPRISES

Supporting actor nominee Kieran Culkin is the favorite for

his role as a man who travels with his cousin to Poland to study

family history in "A Real Pain."

Best actor could go to either Chalamet or "The Brutalist"

star Adrien Brody, according to awards experts.

Brody became the youngest best actor winner when he landed

the prize at age 29 for "The Pianist" in 2002. Chalamet is nine

months younger than Brody was at the time.

Best actress is widely expected to go to Moore for "The

Substance," though one pundit said the category could produce an

upset win for Brazil's Fernanda Torres of "I'm Still Here." The

academy has increased its international membership, which could

favor Torres, said Ian Sandwell, movies editor at Digital Spy.

"She could well be a surprise and the only one to take it

away from Demi on the night," Sandwell said.