Oscar buzz surrounds Rourke, Langella

Next year's best actor Oscar could go to either Frank Langella or Mickey Rourke, according to early buzz.

GoldDerby.com and a panel of top US film critics singled out the two in their first Academy Awards prediction list.

Rourke stars as an ageing professional wrestler in The Wrestler, while Langella plays disgraced President Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon.

The team also picked out Slumdog Millionaire as a potential best picture winner, while Cate Blanchett and Michelle Williams were also mooted as possible award recipients.

Last month, Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler won the prestigious Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival.