Hollywood stars gather ahead of the Oscars

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood are gathering ahead of the Oscars.

Stars including Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway and Eddie Redmayne are among the stars that have been seen out and about on the party circuit in Los Angeles ahead of the awards.

British hopes largely lie with Daniel Day-Lewis who is hot favourite to complete an historic hat-trick.

The actor is nominated for best actor for his performance in US historical drama Lincoln - his fifth nomination in the category which he has already won twice - in 1989 for My Left Foot and in 2007 for There Will be Blood.

Another win will make him the first man to win three best actor Oscars - and the bookmakers expect him to take the award with William Hill offering odds of 1-50 on him triumphing.

That will take him past the achievements of two-time winning Hollywood legends including Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman - who are both scheduled to present awards on the night.

Other presenters on the night include Jane Fonda, Kristen Stewart, Liam Neeson, Reese Witherspoon and Samuel L Jackson.

Other British hopes on the night rest with Adele who is nominated for her Bond theme Skyfall and UK-born Naomi Watts who is recognised for her role in The Impossible with a nod in the best actress category.

Day-Lewis is shortlisted alongside Les Miserables star Hugh Jackman, Denzel Washington, Joaquin Phoenix and Bradley Cooper.

Adele's nomination was one of five for Skyfall, which was also shortlisted for cinematography, music (original score), sound editing and sound mixing.

Silver Linings Playbook got eight nominations, with 11 for Life Of Pi and 12 for Lincoln.

Watts said she was "truly honoured" her portrayal of tsunami survivor Maria Belon had been recognised.

She said: "I am so thrilled and humbled with this morning's wonderful news.

"The journey of telling Maria Belon's miraculous story of survival has been an incredible experience and I am so grateful for this acknowledgement of our film."

She faces competition from US stars including Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence who were recognised for their roles in Zero Dark Thirty and Silver Linings Playbook respectively.

Also nominated are Quvenzhane Wallis and Emmanuelle Riva.

Les Miserables, directed by The King's Speech filmmaker Tom Hooper, is in the running for best picture but Hooper failed to get a nomination in the directing category which he won in 2010.

Also nominated for best picture are Ben Affleck's Argo, set during the Iran hostage crisis, Beasts Of The Southern Wild and Quentin Tarantino's western Django Unchained.

Life Of Pi, Amour, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook and Zero Dark Thirty complete the shortlist.

Adele's nomination for best original song puts her up against Oscars host Seth MacFarlane, who is nominated for Everybody Needs A Best Friend from his film Ted.

The other nominees include Suddenly from Les Miserables, which was co-written by London journalist Herbert Kretzmer.

Hollywood veterans Alan Arkin, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert De Niro were all named in the supporting actor category, with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christoph Waltz.

Anne Hathaway's performance in Les Miserables saw her nominated for supporting actress along with Amy Adams, Lincoln star Sally Field, Helen Hunt and Jacki Weaver.

Eric Fellner, from Working Title, the company behind Les Miserables, said he was "so pleased" for Jackman and Hathaway.

He said: "They did unbelievable work.

"They both gave the performances of their lives."

He added it was "a shame" Hooper had not been recognised in the directing category, but said he was pleased with the film's overall success and that another of the firm's films, Anna Karenina, had four nominations.

Hathaway is odds on to win best supporting actress at this year's ceremony in Los Angeles tonight.

PA