Oscar’s singing show tunes

Two things are fairly certain about this year’s Oscar broadcast: the night will be long – longer than scheduled, at the very least – and in the end, Chicago will walk away with the best picture statuette.

Chicago’s box office splash last December helped cement the revitalization of the moribund musical genre begun by 2001’s Moulin Rouge. Since then it has scooped up several important awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Comedy/Musical of 2002. Though the best picture category is crowded with other worthy films – melancholy dramas such as The Hours and The Pianist and directorial labors of love Gangs of New York and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – Chicago’s momentum makes it as close to a sure thing as Oscar has had in years.

While other key races, like Best Director and Best Actor, remain hard to predict, it is safe to assume that come Sunday more award show gold will head the way of the Windy City.