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Open Oscar field lends excitement The Associated Press
The reason: Few of the major-category nominees appeared to be a slam-dunk. For two of the past three years, winners for best picture— "Titanic" and "American Beauty"— emerged as strong favorites before the ceremony. In 1999, "Shakespeare in Love" edged out early favorite "Saving Private Ryan." This year, "Gladiator," with its 12 nominations and huge theater grosses, might have been considered a cinch for multiple Oscars. But there was considerable support among Academy voters for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Traffic," two films that seemed more innovative than the traditional sword-and-toga "Gladiator." "Erin Brockovich" and "Chocolat" were well-liked but were not considered likely winners. Likewise, no overwhelming favorite emerged for lead actor, where the competitors were Javier Bardem, "Before Night Falls," Russell Crowe, "Gladiator," Tom Hanks, "Cast Away," Ed Harris, "Pollock," and Geoffrey Rush, "Quills." Julia Roberts, nominated for "Erin Brockovich," was generally considered the favorite for best actress, but surprises often happen. She had been nominated twice before, in 1989 for best supporting actress in "Steel Magnolias" and in 1990 for best actress in "Pretty Woman." The other best actress nominees were Joan Allen, "The Contender," Juliette Binoche, "Chocolat," Ellen Burstyn, "Requiem for a Dream" and Laura Linney, "You Can Count on Me." The category included two previous winners: Binoche won best supporting actress in 1996 for "The English Patient" and Burstyn won best actress in 1974 for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore." Oscar ballots were mailed to the roughly 5,700 Academy members, who nominate in their own categories — such as actors voting for actors. All can nominate for best picture. Most of the final awards are voted on by all members. The exceptions: members can vote for the short, documentary and foreign language films only if they can certify that they have seen all the nominees. Sunday night marked a farewell to the venerable Shrine Auditorium. Next year, the Academy Awards will move to the 3,300-seat Kodak Theater in the heart of Hollywood. The theater, part of a $650 million development to give tourists something grand to gawk at, is a stone's throw from the stars' footprints at the Chinese Theater and a block from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where the Oscars began in 1929. Oscar will be returning to Hollywood for the first time in 40 years. After the Roosevelt, the banquet rotated between the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles and the nearby Ambassador Hotel. In 1944, because festive banquets were not patriotic, the awards moved to the Chinese Theater. Other venues have included the Pantages Theater in Hollywood and Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, where Bob Hope cracked: "The losers could walk into the Pacific." Starting in 1969, the ceremonies were held at the Los Angeles Music Center, which has alternated with the Shrine since 1988. More headlines
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