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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) - "A Real Pain" star

Kieran Culkin won best supporting actor at the Academy Awards on

Sunday where "Anora," "The Brutalist" and "Conclave" were

competing for the coveted best picture trophy.

Culkin, who started acting as a child, was honored for

playing one of two cousins who travel to Poland to study their

family's history.

"I have no idea how I got here," Culkin said on stage at the

Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. "I've been acting all my life. I

never felt like this was my trajectory."

Nominees Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opened the show

with a "Wizard of Oz"-themed medley including the showstopping

hit "Defying Gravity" from their film "Wicked."

Grande, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez and other stars wore shiny

and sculptural gowns. Timothee Chalamet chose a canary yellow

tuxedo, prompting a jab from host Conan O'Brien.

"You will not get hit on your bike tonight," O'Brien said.

O'Brien also threatened any winners who spoke too long that

he would show their old headshots or cut to a shot of actor John

Lithgow "looking slightly disappointed."

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

no movie has dominated the precursor film awards.

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 attended 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

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.