Dateline:3/25/01

The hype has been building for weeks, and we're all glad it's finished. Sunday night saw the presentation of the 2001 Academy Awards.

Hosted by Steve Martin for the first time, the opening sequence was anticlimactic compared to past Billy Crystal skits. At times, Martin's dry humor seemed to chafe the Hollywood audience. After a joke about Russell Crowe hitting on fellow nominee Ellen Burstyn, the Australian actor seemed.... vexed. Rival nominee Tom Hanks played along with the joke when Martin named him responsible for the kidnapping threat against Crowe.

Goldie Hawn charmed the audience with her mistake while announcing the nominees for Original Score. After tossing back her hair and joking about her age, the presentation went along smoothly. Not as relaxed was Jennifer Lopez, whose see-through top seemed to push even her exhibitionist nature too far.

In all, it was a fairly smooth ceremony with few hangups, no major upsets, and (sadly) no Soy Bomb during Bob Dylan's acceptance speech. But, you can't have it all. So let's get to the point of the show, the awards!

The speculation is over. Here's who won:

Best Picture - Gladiator
Winning five Oscars total, Gladiator beat Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by just one statuette, but it was the one that counted.

Best Director - Steven Soderbergh, Traffic
Steven Soderbergh won his first directing Oscar for Traffic. It must have eased his hurt over losing the same award for Erin Brockovich. In his speech, Soderbergh took pains to thank all creative people.

Best Actress - Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich
Everyone said she would win, but she was ecstatic anyway. Her vintage Valentino dress made it hard for her to walk, so boyfriend Benjamin Bratt helped her up the steps. She opened her (ad-libbed) speech with a warning to the speech timers to back off, and proceeded to emotionally thank everyone involved with Erin Brockovich. It was the longest speech of the night, but hey, Julia's so charming, no one seemed to mind!

Best Actor - Russell Crowe, Gladiator
He rewarded Steve Martin with sour looks when jokes were made at his expense. But winning the award probably cheered him up. His acceptance speech was partly a pep talk to young, struggling actors. Nothing was said about being a Hollywood bad boy.

Best Supporting Actress - Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock
Many people thought Kate Hudson would win, but Marcia Gay Harden walked away with the Oscar. In her speech, she thanked the Academy Voters for even watching her nominated film, Pollack, which was not widely released.

Best Supporting Actor - Benecio Del Toro, Traffic
Hardly a surprise, Del Toro won for his excellent performance in Traffic. He dedicated his award to the people of Nogales, Mexico and Nogales, Arizona, his shooting locations for the film.

Best Original Screenplay - Cameron Crowe, Almost Famous
A favorite player in Hollywood, Cameron Crowe was hardly a longshot for this award. Many insiders feel that Almost Famous was cheated of Best Picture and Best Director nominations.

Best Adapted Screenplay - Stephen Gaghan, Traffic
A recovered crack and herion addict, Gaghan commented that the idea of someone with his past winning an Oscar was an unlikely story, and indeed it is. Gaghan used his firsthand experience when writing the script for Traffic.

Best Foreign Language Film - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Well, duh. It's probably the most successful foreign film to ever hit screens in America.

Some Oscar viewers are not as interested in these categories, but the people who win can be the deciding factor as to whether or not a film is even nominated.

Best Film Editing - Traffic
Best Cinematography - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Best Art Direction - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Best Costume Design - Gladiator
Best Makeup - Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Best Original Score - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Best Original Song - Wonderboys
Best Short Film: Live Action - Quiero Ser (I Want to Be...)
Best Short Film: Animated - Father and Daughter
Best Documentary: Short Subject - Big Mama
Best Documentary: Feature - Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport
Best Sound - Gladiator
Best Sound Effects Editing - U-571
Best Visual Effects - Gladiator