Beyonce Rehearses For Tonight's Oscars Telecast

The countdown to the most suspenseful best-picture race we've seen in 11 years has begun. "Letters From Iwo Jima," "The Queen," "Babel," "The Departed" and "Little Miss Sunshine" will battle it out for the most coveted prize in the entertainment industry tonight at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on the ABC television network.

Ratings for the glossy Hollywood extravaganza have been on the decline in recent years after 55 million people tuned in to see the mega-blockbuster "Titanic" being crowned the best picture in 1998. The telecast has averaged about 40 million viewers in the past 5 years.

The telecast lost its luster due to generally lower viewing levels, as well as smaller movies dominating key Oscar categories. Fewer visitors at the box office normally translates into fewer Nielsen families zapping over to the live broadcast on ABC.

This year, however, the show is expected to generate stronger ratings as there are two $100 million movies in the mix, and the other 3 movies have received a lot of heat in recent award shows.

Singer Beyonce Knowles, who will be performing a number from her highly successful film "Dreamgirls" which surprisingly failed to receive best picture nomination, is seen in the image above rehearsing for the ceremony at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood on Friday.


Last night the singer took part in a Gorgio Armani pre-Oscars event.

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