Timberlake 'to launch oscar campaign'

Justin Timberlake is set to mount a huge advertising campaign to convince Academy Awards bosses he is worthy of an Oscar nomination next year (11) for his role in The Social Network, according to U.S. reports.

The singer has recently put music to one side to concentrate on forging a career on the big screen, and received rave reviews for his portrayal of internet entrepreneur Sean Parker, who helped launch hugely successful social networking site Facebook.com.

And the star has won the backing of executives at the movie's studio Sony, who will pay for a huge campaign in the Hollywood press to help land Timberlake a prestigious Best Supporting Actor nod at next year's (11) Academy Awards, according to New York gossip column PageSix.

A source tells the publication, "He's hell-bent on getting a nomination this year even though he has tough competition from his co-star Andrew Garfield.

"Sony is footing the bill for advertising the awards campaign, but Justin is also doing things his own way, including attending Academy screenings on his own and privately reaching out to award winners and Academy darlings Tom Hanks and Kevin Spacey for campaigning advice."