OSCAR WATCH: A STATUE FOR SCORSESE

Oscar normally doesn't stir until after Labor Day. But 1993 has seen a surprisingly strong slate of award contenders: Emma Thompson and Kenneth Branagh in Much Ado About Nothing, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne in What's Love Got to Do With It, Gene Hackman and Holly Hunter in The Firm, and John Malkovich in In the Line of Fire. Now, the real games begin: Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence kicks off the Best Picture race, with Michelle Pfeiffer a strong Best Actress candidate and comic scene-stealer Miriam Margolyes contending for a Supporting Actress slot. Men playing gay characters have often been smiled upon at nomination time (William Hurt even won for 1985's Kiss of the Spider Woman), so the odds look good for M. Butterfly's John Lone and Jeremy Irons, who have the advantage of showy roles in a sexual- obsession melodrama. Gary Oldman, whose nomination is overdue, is a long- shot Best Supporting Actor nominee as the dreadlocked pimp in True Romance. And in a not-great year for women's roles, don't count out the strong ensemble of The Joy Luck Club.