86th Academy Awards show opens after hotly contested race

HOLLYWOOD – The 86th Academy Awards show kicked off Sunday, as Hollywood’s finest gathered after one of the fiercest Oscars races in years, with no clear frontrunner for the coveted best picture prize.

Harrowing historical drama “12 Years a Slave,” 3D space thriller “Gravity” and 1970s crime caper “American Hustle” are hotly tipped to take the top prizes at the Oscars, the climax of Tinseltown’s annual awards season.

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