A really big show

All eyes on Hollywood as Oscars ceremony nears

"American Beauty," top left, and "The Hurricane," bottom left, are two films garnering Oscar buzz

March 24, 2000
Web posted at: 10:18 a.m. EST (1518 GMT)

(CNN) -- What can one expect of the movies, actors and crew who will carry Oscar statuettes off the stage of Shrine Auditorium on March 26?

History tells us little, unlike the films the awards have honored.

Some, like "Ben-Hur," have told epic tales. Others -- "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Platoon," for example -- have exposed the horrors of war. "My Fair Lady" and "The Sound of Music" have captured music in all its enduring beauty.

There have been satires, comedies, dramas and romances, each with a place in the annals of cinematic history.

"American Beauty" is widely expected to become the next film to join this distinguished group. It's poised to sweep the awards this weekend, ushering its director, lead actor and actress and screenwriter into the Academy's lists of superlatives.

· Get the bios on nominated stars · Review those nominated plotlines and movie trailers · Cast your unofficial Oscar ballot · Visit the Oscar message board · ...and more!

Evidence points to the film's triumph. Sam Mendes, a Steven Spielberg protege, has been given the Directors Guild Award for directing "American Beauty," a tale of suburban angst. Leads Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening are the front runners in their categories, and have the support of the Screen Actors Guild, whose voters form a major contingent in the Academy. And Alan Ball, an unknown in the filmmaking world a year ago, has won the Writers Guild Award for his "Beauty" screenplay.

But the film does not have a lock on the awards, and some bettors are still ready to wager on a few dark-horse darlings.

Many critics would like to see Hilary Swank, who played out the true-story role of a woman who lived as a man in "Boys Don't Cry," pick up the best actress trophy. Two others are strong contenders for best actor: Denzel Washington, who played a boxer in the reality-based "Hurricane," and Sean Penn, a fictitious jazz musician in Woody Allen's "Sweet and Lowdown."

	ALSO
ABC will broadcast the Oscars telecast on Sunday, March 26, starting at 8 p.m. ET. The awards ceremony begins at 8:30. Its broadcast is expected to reach over 1 billion people in 100 countries.

Campaigning may make the difference

If "American Beauty" doesn't win best film, "The Cider House Rules" might -- and not just because critics generally liked it. Distributor Miramax has invested big bucks into its Oscar campaign, competing for voters' attention against DreamWorks' massive "American Beauty" drive.

These days, "campaigning" is practically required to take home one of those statuettes. Ask Gwyneth Paltrow.

Last year, the lead actress in "Shakespeare in Love" was competing closely against Cate Blanchett of "Elizabeth." The hard-campaigning Paltrow won.

By contrast, Blanchett, Flynn's candidate, was overseas shooting a picture -- out of sight, and, apparently, out of voters' minds. "Her unavailability definitely hampered my opportunities to keep her visible" for Academy consideration, he said.

This year, studios have wooed some 5,600 Academy members who were eligible to vote in 23 competitive categories. The romancing has not been cheap.

Studios often spend as much as $2 million to promote a film. They no longer bestow costly gifts on the voters, a practice the Academy banned in the mid-1990s, but they still manage to curry favor.

Studios buy Oscar ads in trade publications like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. They set up screenings. And they provide video copies of films to Academy voters.

Show will go on

Lili and Richard Zanuck say producing the Academy Awards is "invigorating"

Of course, by the time the awards ceremony rolls around, the ads, screenings and spent dollars are ancient history. Fans will be at the ready, whether in position in bleachers outside the awards, logged on to their favorite Oscars Web sites, or bringing out the hors d'oeuvres for fancy Oscars parties at home.

The ballots -- running a tad late this year because of post office snafus -- will have been tallied at Price-Waterhouse-Coopers. The statuettes -- lost, briefly, after a trucker allegedly stole them -- will be lined up, buffed and polished. And Billy Crystal will be backstage at the Shrine, preparing to host one of the highest-profile awards shows in the world.

Also on hand will be the husband-and-wife team Richard and Lili Zanuck, who took the helm of the telecast's production this year.

"We didn't realize how much fun we were going to have, and it's been a lot of fun, it's been invigorating," Richard Zanuck told CNN "Showbiz Today" anchor Jim Moret. "The hours are long, it's hard work, but it's going to have been worth it."

Among the changes they've implemented: gone are the interpretive dance numbers that have accompanied past performances of best-score nominees. Scripted banter will be reduced, too.

Nor will Crystal be the only professional funnyman on the set. Veteran joke writer Bruce Vilanch is in charge of overseeing those jokes that do air.

"One of the first things we did was make Bruce Vilanch the head writer so we could never be backstage and hear a bad line and wonder, 'Gosh, who wrote that?'" Lili Zanuck said.

Knowing Crystal will host "takes a load off our backs," Richard Zanuck added. "That's 50, 55 percent of the work right there."

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The Official Academy Awards Site
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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