A decade of paying her dues followed, along with higher billing in major roles.
The delay was implemented after the Super Bowl halftime incident, in which Justin Timberlake tore off part of Janet Jackson's bustier and exposed her breast.Halle Berry was an ascendant star who first made a splash in the 1991 Spike Lee movie Jungle Fever. The move was intended to boost sagging television ratings for the Oscar broadcast, with academy executives figuring the earlier ceremony would make the show a fresher draw for audiences worn out by Hollywood's prolonged awards season.ĪBC's broadcast of the ceremony incorporated a five-second tape delay so censors could edit out anything objectionable. The Oscars were broadcast three weeks earlier this year after academy officials decided to move them up from the traditional late-March date. In other awards, the $340 million blockbuster "Finding Nemo," the story of a clownfish on a mission to rescue his wayward son from a dentist's aquarium, earned the Oscar for animated feature. Jim Carrey presented an honorary Academy Award to Blake Edwards, the director of such films as "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "Days of Wine and Roses," "10," "Victor/Victoria" starring his wife Julie Andrews and the "Pink Panther" films. Film clips showed Hope poking fun at himself for his failure to win an acting Oscar. Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks later appeared to pay tribute to the late Bob Hope, who served as Oscar emcee a record 18 times from 1939 to 1977. Particularly funny was his parody of Diane Keaton's screaming nude scene in "Something's Gotta Give." In his musical roast, he lampooned "Mystic River" to the tune of "Moon River" and "Lord of the Rings" to the tune of "My Favorite Things." He also threw barbs at a wide range of targets, including Pete Rose, Mel Gibson, Strom Thurmond and George Bush. 11 and the Iraq war.Ĭomedian Billy Crystal, back for his eighth time as ceremony emcee after a four-year absence, opened the broadcast with his trademark montage spoof of Oscar contenders in which he inserts himself into the action. While shocks were lacking, plenty of humor was on display at a ceremony which had taken on a more subdued tone the last two years due to Sept. Zellweger also had previously picked up a Golden Globe. The other nominees were Shohreh Aghdashloo in "House of Sand and Fog," Patricia Clarkson in "Pieces of April," Marcia Gay Harden in "Mystic River" and Holly Hunter in "Thirteen." She thanked Tom Cruise, her co-star in "Jerry Maguire," "for showing me early on that kindness and success aren't mutually exclusive." She also thanked "my glorious family.for never saying, 'Don't try.'" "I am overwhelmed," she said in an emotional acceptance speech.
Zellweger triumphed for her portrayal of a plucky Civil War survivor in "Cold Mountain." The nomination was her third straight, following defeats in the Best Actress category for "Bridget Jones's Diary" and "Chicago." It is sometimes the strongest thing that you can do to stop the cycle of violence."įor the award, Robbins beat out Alec Baldwin in "The Cooler," Benicio Del Toro in "21 Grams," Djimon Hounsou in "In America" and Ken Watanabe in "The Last Samurai." "In this movie, I play a victim of abuse and violence, and if you are out there and a person who has that tragedy befall you, there is no shame and no weakness in seeking help and counseling. A liberal activist, Robbins didn't take any political potshots, but he did leave with a message.
Robbins, who had also won the Golden Globe, thanked his fellow nominees, the film's writers, its cast, its director, Clint Eastwood - "You're so great" - and his family. He had been previously nominated for directing "Dead Man Walking." That film won his longtime partner Susan Sarandon the Best Actress Oscar. Robbins won his Oscar for his performance as an emotionally crippled murder suspect in "Mystic River." His triumph came on his first acting nomination.
It was the heavy favorite to win the Best Picture and Best Director for Peter Jackson.
Meanwhile, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," expected to receive its official coronation as the ruler of the awards, went five-for-five in its first categories of the night, winning Oscars for makeup, visual effects, costume, sound mixing and art direction. In a ceremony where surprises were as rare as Gollum beauty aid endorsements, heavy favorites Tim Robbins and Renee Zellweger last night took home Best Supporting Oscars at the 76th Academy Awards.