TAIPEI, Oct 19, 2007 (AFP) - Taiwan on Friday said it was disappointed that director Angola Lee's spy thriller 'Lust, Caution' was disqualified from competing for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

'We regretted that the film was disqualified by the Academy as it would have had a fairly good chance of being nominated and even won an award,' said Yeh Chien-chao, chief of Taiwan's Foreign Language Film Award Selection Committee.

LOS ANGELES, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - Oscars organizers on Wednesday confirmed the 63 entries in the Best Foreign Language Film category for next year's 80th edition of the Academy Awards.

Argentina, 'XXY,' Lucia Puenzo, director

Australia, 'The Home Song Stories,' Tony Ayres, director

Austria, 'The Counterfeiters,' Stefan Ruzowitzky, director

Azerbaijan, 'Caucasia,' Farid Gumbatov, director

Bangladesh, 'On the Wings of Dreams,' Golam Rabbany, Biplob, director

Belgium, 'Ben X,' Nic Balthazar, director

LOS ANGELES, Oct 17, 2007 (AFP) - A record 63 countries have entered the race for Oscars glory in next year's Best Foreign Language Film category, officials said Wednesday.

Academy Awards organizers announced the list of entries for the coveted prize roughly three months ahead of the formal announcement of nominations for other main categories at next year's 80th Oscars.

NEW DELHI, Sept 30, 2007 (AFP) - The director of India's entry for next year's Oscars, a widely panned royal epic set against the sumptuous backdrop of a desert palace, has decried the controversy surrounding its submission.

'Eklavya - The Royal Guard,' starring Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan and film industry scion Saif Ali Khan, tells the story of an aging sentry and the secrets of the royal family he protects.

MADRID, Sept 14, 2007 (AFP) - Spain's Film Acedemy on Friday pre-selected three films as the country's candidate for best foreign-language film at the next Oscars in February.

The academy selected 'Trece Rosas' (thirteen roses), 'El Orfanato' (the orphanage) and 'Luz de Domingo' (Sunday light) to go forward.

Juan Antonio Bayona's 'El Orfanato' has already reached the silver screen in Spain while Jose Luis Garci's 'Luz de Domingo' and Emilio Martinez Lazaro's 'Trece Rosas' will do so shortly.

The trio beat off competition from 67 other films.

LOS ANGELES, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) - Satirist and talk show host Jon Stewart is set to host the Oscars next year, a statement said Wednesday, likely giving Hollywood's biggest night out a political flavor in an election year.

Stewart, the host of US television's 'The Daily Show,' presented the gala ceremony in 2006, most memorably with a montage about gay cowboys themed on 'Brokeback Mountain,' one of the favorites for best picture that year.

NEW YORK, Sept 12, 2007 (AFP) - Satirist and talk show host Jon Stewart is set to host the Oscars next year, likely giving Hollywood's biggest night out a political flavor in an election year, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Stewart, the host of US television's 'The Daily Show,' presented the gala ceremony in 2006, most memorably with a montage about gay cowboys themed on 'Brokeback Mountain,' one of the favorites for best picture that year.