By coincidence or cynicism, The King's Speech fits nearly all requirements for a Best Picture winner. Set

in the historical past, it features loads of British acting talent and a real-life figure battling severe disability.

The gambit paid off: The King's Speech got 12 Oscar nominations to The Social Network's eight and a

new perch as the film to beat. Colin Firth, as Bertie, is a shoo-in for Best Actor, and David Seidler could

winfororiginalscreenplay.Theface-offwithTheSocialNetworkrecallstheOscarsof1942,whena

complex study of a media mogul was up against a traditional family drama set in the United Kingdom and

How Green Was My Valley won Best Picture over ... Citizen Kane.