The Academy Awards are tomorrow night - are you "grippped by award fever" as this BBC story suggests? I didn't think so.

However, after taking many years off in my young adulthood, I do find myself interested in the results, to a certain extent, but moreso of the awards shows themselves: they function as an official roundup of who and what is considered important and "happening" in the field they are awarding, without having to pay all that much attention the rest of the year.

This is especially true for film, because with four kids - two of them very young - and a 60-70-hour work week, I just don't see many movies in theatrical release.

So anyway, here's the BBC's report:

The final instalment of Peter Jackson's film trilogy has been favourite to win best picture for the last five weeks.

There is now speculation over whether the film, based on the book by JRR Tolkien, may sweep the awards.

The last time this happened was with Titanic, which won all 11 awards at the 1998 ceremony.

The Return of the King battles the historical adventure Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - starring Russell Crowe - in many categories.

Crowe's film, directed by Australian Peter Weir, has 10 nominations, the second-highest this year next to The Lord of the Ring's 11.

Oscar historian Robert Osborne, the author of 75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards said a clean sweep of awards was a modern phenomenon.

....South African actress Charlize Theron leads the race for best actress for her role in the serial killer drama Monster, while Sean Penn, Johnny Depp and Bill Murray are in the race for best actor.

Depp and Murray have been surprise choices for the category because of nominations for comedy roles - Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Murray for Lost in Translation.

Best supporting actor is expected to be won by Tim Robbins for his part in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River.

Cold Mountain star Renee Zellweger, up for best supporting actress, was thought to be a clear winner, but now has stiff competition from Iranian-born actress Shohreh Aghdashloo from House of Sand and Fog.

....The pre-Oscars events on Saturday will include the Razzies - an anti-Oscars given out to the year's worst films and performances - which is expected to be dominated by the Jennifer Lopez flop Gigli.

The more informal Independent Spirit Awards, which honour indie films, will be hosted by cult film director John Waters on Saturday.

WHO exactly is making these predictions and what are they based upon? Chicken entrails, some kind of polling procedure, odds makers? These prognosticators are never identified.