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6 THE GAMECOCK ♦ Friday, February 27, 2004 “The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less n_. . , . you let things upset you ” uontactus bob (bill Murray) Story ideas? Questions? Comments? L0STIN TRANSLATI0N' E-mail us at gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu H . . BY LESLIE DENNIS THE GAMECOCK Roll out the red carpet, dust off the sparkling diamonds, put on the de signer duds: it’s Oscar time. Hollywood’s brightest stars spare no expense to look extra-glamorous for this inter nationally televised event, and Billy Crystal, back to host the 76th annual Academy Awards, is sure to bring big laughs with his unique brand of com edy. From 13-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes (“Whale Rider”), the youngest Best Actress nom inee ever, to Best Supporting Actress nominee Renee Zellweger (“Cold Mountain ), nominated for the third time in three years, the Academy’s picks encompass a wide range of blockbuster smashes and independent splashes. The most interesting race for Oscar gold is in the Best Actor category. Jude Law, who was nominated in 20t)0 for his supporting role in “The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Ben Kingsley, who picks up his fourth nomination and who won the Best Actor Oscar in 1983 for “Gandhi,” are presumed long shots because of the Academy’s cold reception of their films. The real competition, however, lies between Sean Penn, Bill Murray and Johnny Depp. Both Penn and Murray walked away with Golden Globe awards in January (Best Dramatic Actor and Best Comedic Actor, respectively), and will be riding that wave of success going into Sunday’s awards ceremony. However, with a surprise win for Best Actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Depp is a late dark horse in the race. Penn, as the father of a murdered girl in “Mystic River,” looks to be the critics’ favorite because the Academy seldom awards actors for comedic roles like Murray’s, a washed-up movie star in “Lost in Translation,” and Depp, an idiosyncratic pirate captain in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” South African beauty and former model Charlize Theron is predicted to win the Best Actress award for her role in “Monster,” the true story of a serial killer. By undergoing hours of make-up and gaining 30 pounds, Theron trans formed herself into Aileen Wuomos. But Theron faces tough competition from Castle-Hughes; Naomi Watts as a recovering drug addict whose husband and two daughters are killed in “21 Grams;” Samantha Morton as the matriarch of an immigrant family in “In America;” and veteran actress Diane Keaton as an aging writer with a second chance at love in “Something’s Gotta Give.” The third time might be the charm for the “Lord of the Rings” saga. Losing to “A Beautiful Mind” in 2002 and “Chicago” in 2003, the first two installments in the epic tril ogy won their share, but neither re ceived the Best Picture prize. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” is poised to capture the cov eted award, although “Mystic River,” “Lost in Translation,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” and “Seabiscuit” are all solid contenders. ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ didn’t win Best Picture because the story line was slow, said first-year biology student Leslie Burke said. “And last year, ‘Chicago’ was re-es tablishing an old movie genre in a new way. But this year, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ has the best chance at winning Best Picture because it was amazing in all aspects.” When it comes down to awards night, you can’t always trust the critics; the Academy Awards al ways has a surprising twist in store for viewers. So whether you are itching to watch the expres sions on the losers’ faces or simply lusting after Johnny Depp, the Academy-Awards deserves a place in your Sunday evening television lineup. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu “But this year, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ has the best chance at winning Best Picture because it was amazing in all aspects LESLIE BURKE FIRST-YEAR BIOLOGY STUDENT [GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY SHAWN ROURK/THE GAMECOCK Speeches always make for exceptional spectacle BY MEG MOORE THE GAMECOCK Try as they might, the net works, the presenters, the epic music that chimes in after so many seconds — none can stop an actor in the middle of an Oscar worthy acceptance speech. Put them on stage and give them free reign of a microphone and, natu rally, any performer is going to do what he or she does best—put on a show. Seemingly, many come pre pared to be succinct. They all pro fess to have prepared a list of peo ple they need to thank. Inevitably, though, said list gets left at one’s seat in the get-to-the-stage shuffle and after apologizing for being un prepared, the extended monologue begins. The precedent for long-wind ed acceptance speeches was set in 1943 by Greer Garson, who won the Best Actress award for her role in “Mrs. Miniver.” Rambling on for five and a half minutes, Garson prompted the Academy to set a time limit for future shows. A decade later, in 1953, Gloria Grahame (“The Bad and the Beautiful”) delivered the first tele vised — and also the shortest — acceptance speech, uttering a quick “Thank you” as she re ceived her trophy for Best Supporting Actress. While few keep their comments as short as Grahame’s, many leave out necessary names in their quest to keep things quick. After winning the Best Actress Oscar in 1982 for “Moonstruck,” Cher neglected to thank a host of apparently impor tant people during her acceptance speech. To make up for it, she took out a three-page ad in “Variety” magazine that listed all she meant to thank during the ceremony. Some speeches, however, are not remembered for how short — or how gratuitously long — they were, but for the quali ty of their content. During her emotional acceptance of the 2002 Best Actress award, Halle Berry tearfully expressed: “This moment is so much bigger than me... It’s for the women that stand beside me — Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett and it’s for every nameless, faceless woman of col or that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.” While you may not be able to achieve the emotional heights of Berry’s delivery, you, too, can get in on the acceptance speech de vising action. Head to www.chick enhead.com/stuff/oscar/index.as p, where you can compose your own on-stage masterpiece via the site’s Mad Lib-like Oscar speech generator. Your audience awaits. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockfeatures(aigwm.sc.edu