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What began almost a month ago with the Golden Globes is now culminating in traditional glamorous Hollywood fashion with the prestigious Academy Awards ceremony that will bring the annual awards season to its close.
Airing live from the Kodak Theatre this Sunday (which is three weeks early this year) the Oscars promise, as always, to provide several hours of ritzy entertainment as the stars come out in droves to attend the ceremony. At the end of the night, a select few hopefuls will bring home the most coveted trophy in Hollywood. That is, of course, after attending one of the many VIP after-parties scattered about town in such famed locales as Spago and Mortons.
The Oscars have been presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 1929 in various venues throughout Los Angeles and New York. The winners are determined by the votes of the entire group of more than 5,700 members representing 14 branches of the film industry. Voting is conducted by secret ballot and then tallied by PricewaterhouseCoopers, an international auditing firm.
Billy Crystal will host this year’s 76th Annual Academy Awards, and scheduled presenters include Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Robin Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Renee Zellweger, Jude Law, John Travolta, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Julianne Moore, Colin Farrell, Jack Black and Will Ferrell.
This year’s ceremony will be a familiar return to the glitz and extravagance of Oscars’ past after last year’s more somber festivities were held to show respect for the delicate state of international affairs. The red carpet entrance was markedly less of a spectacle with no bleacher seating for fans, no frenzied press snapping pictures and conducting interviews carpet-side and no Joan Rivers critiquing every gown and dress to enter the Kodak.
But with everything back to normal this year, Hollywood’s most anticipated night has celebrity stylists and designers rushing at the last minute around town for their clients as the ceremony looms just around the corner.
Nominees for best picture are “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” “Lost In Translation,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Mystic River” and “Seabiscuit.” With the first two installments of the “Rings” trilogy overlooked for best picture in previous years, there stands a good chance the Academy will not let this kind of epic filmmaking go unnoticed and will hand “Return of the King” the golden statuette. It is speculated by many that the Academy was merely holding out until the last minute to honor the films. But of course, with the Oscars’ reputation for surprises, there is a chance that one of the other nominees will step up and steal the win.
“Master and Commander” is the tale of the British frigate, the HMS Surprise, that comes under attack from the French and then sails to the far side of the world in pursuit of its enemy. “Mystic River” tells the story of three childhood friends who reunite after one of the trio’s daughter is murdered. One of the friends, played by Kevin Bacon, is a cop bent on solving the mystery. The father (Sean Penn, who is nominated for Best Actor) becomes consumed by thoughts of revenge while the third man (Tim Robbins, nominated for Best Supporting Actor) is busy fighting his own demons and his wife’s suspicions of foul play.
“Seabiscuit” follows the life of Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), a former bicycle repairman and the owner of a small, frail horse after which the movie is named. Howard joins with Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire), a half-blind ex-boxer, who becomes the horse’s jockey. And finally, “Lost In Translation” brings together a young photographer’s wife (Scarlett Johansson) and a former TV star (Bill Murray, nominated for Best Actor) in the unlikely setting of Tokyo. Johansson has tagged along on her husband’s business trip, and Murray is in town to film a series of whiskey commercials. The two end up staying in the same hotel and meeting by chance. They are drawn together as two Americans overseas, and they spend the movie sharing, soul-searching and getting away from it all by exploring the wonders of Japan.
Two of the Best Actor hopefuls, Penn and Murray, are from Best Picture nominees while other contenders include my personal favorite, Jude Law (“Cold Mountain”) as well as Ben Kingsley (“House of Sand and Fog”) and the surprise nominee, Johnny Depp for “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Penn and Murray are hinted to be neck and neck in the race for the trophy, but Penn seems to have a slight advantage with the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a dramatic motion picture under his belt and the fact that he’s a celebrated dramatic actor who has yet to take home an Oscar.
As far as the female categories go, the buzz around town is that Renee Zellweger (“Cold Mountain”) is a shoe-in for Best Supporting Actress while Charlize Theron is tipped to take home Best Actress following mass critical acclaim for her gritty, raw performance in “Monster” and a Golden Globe victory of her own. Other contenders include Diane Keaton for “Something’s Gotta Give,” Samantha Morton for the acclaimed “In America,” Naomi Watts for “21 Grams” and 13-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes for “Whale Rider.” Should Hughes win, it will make her the youngest Best Actress winner in Oscar history.
No matter who brings home the gold in the end, Oscar night is sure to light up “Tinsletown” as it always does and provide audiences both inside the Kodak and at home in their living rooms with hours of entertainment … rich, famous and beautiful-people style.
Submitted February 26, 2004
MALIBU, CA
