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"Halle-lujah!"
It was a long time coming, but it sure took a long time to get there! After 4 hours and 23 minutes, the 74th Annual Academy Awards finally drew to a close with the type of history-making Hollywood ending that seemed somehow appropriate for Oscar's return to the town where it all started. After portraying the first African-American to be nominated for Best Actress in HBO's "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge," a radiant Halle Berry became the first African-American to actually win the award for her gut-wrenching performance in "Monster's Ball." When Russell Crowe read her name from the envelope, a flabbergasted Berry could hardly contain herself when she took to the podium, although she did regain her composure in time to give her thanks and acknowledge the significance of the award. After winning the Supporting Actor Oscar 12 years ago for "Glory"--and subsequently being passed over for lead performances in "Malcolm X" and "The Hurricane"--a classy Denzel Washington finally collected his first lead Oscar for "Training Day," making him the first African-American to win the Best Actor award since Sydney Poitier in 1963. Poitier, who was already in attendance after receiving his own honorary Oscar, rose to his feet with pride when Washington acknowledged him in his speech. When both actors held their trophies aloft to salute each other, it was a glorious, spectacular Oscar moment that brought humanity to the usually stuffy, over-rehearsed awards presentation.
The moment was magical enough to almost make you forget how nasty and downright bitter the awards battle became in the weeks prior to the big event. Back in February, internet gossip mavens and rival studios drew attention to "A Beautiful Mind" for alleged factual inaccuracies and for looking at John Nash's tumultuous life through rose-colored movie cameras. The spin doctors at Universal and DreamWorks kicked into overdrive to defend the film--and its director Ron Howard--by spending an insane amount of money on a lavish advertising campaign that pushed the human drama of the story. Then there was Russell Crowe, whose less-than-beautiful temper may have done him in. A few weeks ago, he went ballistic on a TV producer who he assumed was responsible for cutting part of his acceptance speech from the British telecast of the BAFTA's (the British version of the Oscars). Talk about bad timing, the incident made Hollywood headlines just as Academy voters received their Oscar ballots in the mail. It's quite possible that they were so turned off by the incident, that they decided to vote for someone else. It's also possible that since Crowe already won an Oscar last year for "Gladiator," maybe voters felt that he wasn't worthy enough to be mentioned in the same breath as cinematic saints like Spencer Tracy and Tom Hanks--the only actors to win back-to-back Best Actor awards. Finally, adding insult to injury, there was the race card. African-Americans have long felt--and rightly so--that they were shut out of the Oscars, but for the first time in almost 30 years, three African-Americans (including "Ali's" Will Smith) were nominated for major awards. The importance of the history-making Berry-Washington wins cannot be overstated, but it's possible that maybe--just maybe--some Academy voters felt obligated to vote for them based on the pressure of that historical significance. Well, believe whatever you want to believe. The fact is, Oscar history was made because the true winners and best actors won fair and square! As for the rest of the show, which was held for the first time from Hollywood's brand-spanking new Kodak Theatre, it can best be described as "new venue, same old Oscar." As usual, the show ran way too long, and as usual, the middle section dragged at a snail's pace. At least the tributes were moving, especially Tom Cruise's opening speech about the significance of movies after 9/11 and Woody Allen's surprise introduction to a special short about New York City. For the first time in 10 years, the film with the most nominations--"The Lord of the Rings," which had 13--did not win the coveted Best Picture award. That went to "A Beautiful Mind," which also won Ron Howard his first Best Director Oscar. After growing up in the biz, Howard was finally acknowledged by his peers as a master filmmaker, and he clearly seemed to be humbled by his moment in the spotlight. It's just too bad that Jennifer Connelly, who won for Best Supporting Actress, didn't show some of that same enthusiasm when she read her monotone acceptance speech from a crumpled piece of paper. Whoopi Goldberg, who returned to host the awards gala for the fourth time, seemed to be more reserved than she was in the past, although she did manage to throw in a few trademark zingers to shock the audience. If anything, the evening's bright spot--a least, as far as the presenters were concerned--came when Nathan Lane emerged to present the first ever Best Animated Feature award to "Shrek." If his own animated presentation was any indication, then here's an entertainer who's more than ready, willing, and able to host next year's show. And hey, since he just wrapped up his extremely successful run with Broadway's "The Producers," he's obviously available. It may have been a long night, but that's when happens when you have 24 categories, 3 special honorary awards (to Poitier, Robert Redford, and Arthur Hiller), 5 musical performances, and a thrilling stage show by the Cirque du Soleil performers to get through. Actually, that was just the beginning for the attendees, who had an even longer night ahead of them full of wild and crazy Oscar parties. As for the rest of us, the night was over, and while the landmark 75th Annual Academy Awards may be a long time coming, I wouldn't worry. It'll be here soon enough. The 74th Academy Awards: The Winners Best
Picture: "A Beautiful Mind" What were Scott's original picks? Click here to find out! |
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