Tuesday, March 28, 2000

Oscars get weird as the midnight hour approaches

Poor Annette Bening. Slogging into the fifth hour of the Academy Awards Sunday night, I couldn't help but worry about her. The "American Beauty" star had seen the Best Actress Oscar handed to Hilary Swank. She'd heard 117 jokes about the impending birth of the fourth little Beatty. And she'd had to look all glowy and wuvvy-duvvy during reaction shots as her sexagenarian husband unreeled his strange, rambling acceptance of the Irving Thalberg award.
   Warren was so weird I thought any minute his wife would have to waddle to the stage shouting "I am Mrs. Norman Maine!"
   It was all too long and too gooey by half. Even with Billy Crystal back as host, the show was a bigger drag than RuPaul. Hours ticked by without any major awards going out. Film montages honoring movie moppets and dead celebs threatened to push the telecast to miniseries length. (Did you notice they left director Stanley Kubrick off the "In Memoriam" list? And his eyes have been dead shut since last summer.)
   Bening could have given birth, raised the kid and welcomed him home from rehab in the time it took to get to the Best Picture category.
   Highlights of the night were Michael Caine's classy acceptance of the Best Supporting Actor award (traditionally given to the oldest geezer in the group) and the closeup of Hilary Swank's husband Chad Lowe weeping buckets as she accepted for her role in "Boys Don't Cry."
   Best Supporting Actress winner Angelina Jolie, looking like "Goth, Interrupted," announced she was "in love" with her brother. Kevin Spacey, Best Actor winner for "American Beauty," declared he didn't care what anyone said, he was always going to bring his mom to awards shows.
   And who says Hollywood doesn't have family values?
   Independent streak
   The Oscars were watched by more than a billion viewers worldwide. The Independent Spirit Awards, shown live on Saturday on cable's tiny Independent Film channel, probably were seen only by a few thousand avid indie fans. But what a fine little show it was.
   Uninterrupted by commercials, musical medleys or Joan Rivers' barbs about who wore what, the Spirit awards looked like what the Oscars were about 60 years ago. Over lunch in Santa Monica, the stars and filmmakers of low-budget fare like "The Blair Witch Project," "Being John Malkovich" and "Election" gathered informally in jeans and unsparkly dresses to congratulate each other for surviving artistically in a box office-driven industry.
   Supporting actor awards went to "Happy, Texas" star Steve Zahn and "Boys Don't Cry" co-star Chloe Sevigny.
   Best actor awards were won by Hilary Swank and "Straight Story" star Richard Farnsworth.
   With no time limit on acceptance speeches, recipients were delightfully relaxed and candid.
   "I thought the Oscar nomination would get me better job offers," said Farnsworth. "All I've been offered so far is dialogue coach for a Bartles & Jaymes commercial. And I'm gonna take it."
   Farnsworth, who hobbled to the stage on a cane, said he hoped his award would "set a trend for some older guys gettin' to work in films a little." And he promised he'd be in better shape after getting a hip replacement next month.
   "Run Lola Run" was named best foreign independent film. "Election" was best film with a budget over a million. "Blair Witch" was best film made for under a half-million.
   Presenters were the essence of indie cool: Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel, Quentin Tarantino, Jeff Bridges, Bill Pullman and Gina Gershon.
   Host Jennifer Tilly got off a few lines even Billy Crystal would've approved. "Look what I found on eBay," she said, holding one of the "stolen" Oscars. "Do you think it would look suspicious if I had it engraved 'Bride of Chucky'?"
   Star search
   Future Oscar nominees can get their first shot at stardom in the American Movie Classics "Behind the Screen Test" contest. Along with cable companies across the United States, including AT&T Cable here, AMC will be awarding $500 scholarships to high schoolers with acting talent.
   The contest is open to any high school student who submits a 3-5 minute video of his or her dramatic or comedic performance. School plays, scene studies and monologues are fine. Deadline for entry is midnight, April 14. Send VHS tapes, labeled with student's name, address, phone number and cable company (AT&T) to: AMC's Behind the Screen Test, Bin #629, 4920 Santa Anita Ave., El Monte, CA 91731.
  
  
  

 
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