OSCAR WATCH: NIGHT OF THE HUNTER?

In Oscar terms, there's no business like showy business, which means that the more elaborate the sets and costumes, the better the chances for recognition. Exhibit A: James Ivory's sumptuous Howards End-nine 1992 nominations. Keep an eye out for recent Oscar winners Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson in Ivory's latest, The Remains of the Day. Oscar also loves a showy handicap (Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot), so this year's Best Actress front-runner might be Holly Hunter, who plays a mute woman in Jane Campion's The Piano. And don't be surprised if Campion becomes only the second woman (following Lina Wertmuller) to be nominated for Best Director. Others to watch: Pacino as a career criminal in Carlito's Way, Danny Glover as a homeless vet in The Saint of Fort Washington, and Robin Williams (who's owed for Aladdin) as a Tootsie of a nanny in Mrs. Doubtfire.