And the winner is .. Those most likely to shine or make a splash

There are always the star standouts and the also-rans when the Oscars roll around. In recent years, who's wearing what has become almost as newsworthy as who gets to take home the little bald man.

Here are some of the probable show-stoppers for Sunday's awards.

Halle Berry: She is beautiful and bankable, and Berry may well take home an Oscar for her performance in Monster's Ball. She has the looks and style that are sure to make her shine on the night.

Gwyneth Paltrow: Paltrow is the Grace Kelly of her generation, with those cool patrician looks and her own sartorial flair. Some critics panned the pale pink evening gown she wore to receive her Oscar in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love, but others applauded it as harking back to dignified 1950s glamour.

Cate Blanchett: From the stunning backless number she wore to the Oscars in 1999, the immensely talented Australian actress showed she can hold her own in the fashion stakes. Look for something elegant but with an edge.

Cher: Need we say more? Whether it is that notorious feathery, midriff-baring number with the cockatoo headdress cooked up by Bock Mackie in the late 1980s or her more "conservative" numbers, such as the gown and Mackie hat she wore to the 1998 awards accompanied by son Elijah Blue (photo left) for the big night, what Cher wears always makes for good copy. And, sometimes, a laugh.

-- Kurt Vickers