The Academy Award nominations are due to be announced at 1.30pm (GMT) today by Oscar winner Adrien Brody and Academy President Frank Pierson.

The nominations, at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, mark the start of Oscar fever, with Hollywood coming to a standstill to see who and what has been honoured with a nod.

The Academy now has a set of campaign rules and a statement of ethics to create a more level playing field, after claims and counter-claims of dirty tricks between studios over the years.

Final ballots will be mailed on 2 February and members will have 20 days to return them. Balloting is restricted to members of the specialised branch concerned - only directors can vote for Best Director, cinematographers for Cinematography etc.

After they're processed, only two people will know the outcome before the big night - auditors from PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

The Academy used to give out results in advance to the newspapers but it's been a cloak and dagger, sealed-envelope system since the LA Times naughtily broke the 11pm embargo in 1940.

The 77th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, 27 February at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles.

Actor and comic Chris Rock is the host for this year's event - his first stint in the Oscar hot seat.

Previous hosts include Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin and Billy Crystal. So far the only presenter who has been confirmed is last year's best actress winner, Charlize Theron.

Attendance is by invitation only - no tickets are sold for the film world's biggest night.

Source: Press Release