SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 24, 2000 -- Well, they did it. The newspaper folks who threatened to scoop the Oscars have scooped the Oscars. Or have they? "American Beauty" Today's Wall Street Journal published the results of an "informal" survey of Academy voters -- a survey that purports to show that most Hollywood insiders are leaning toward "American Beauty" as Best Picture. Did we really need the Journal to tell us that? Maybe not. But some of the other results of the article were surprising. Like the item about how many voters think Annette Bening is going to win Best Actress for "American Beauty," but they say they're going to vote for Hilary Swank from "Boys Don't Cry." The poll has the Best Actor race as a tossup between Kevin Spacey ("American Beauty") and Denzel Washington ("The Hurricane"). The supporting acting categories are said to be no
SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 6, 2000 -- We respect that the Writers Guild of America awards are really important and prestigious and stuff, but what we really respect is that they make winning the office Oscar pool a heck of a lot easier. "American Beauty" To whit: If you've got a chance to pick "American Beauty" for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar or "Election" for Best Adapted Screenplay, do it. Both films took top honors in their respective categories Sunday night at the 52nd Annual WGA awards, handed out at twin ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles.The "Beauty" trophy went to scribe Alan Ball, the "Election" one to co-screenwriters Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor. All three men have the chance to repeat at the 72nd Annual Academy Awards on March 26 at the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium. "Election" In taking the best original screenplay prize, Ball d
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 1, 2000 -- "American Beauty," the dark existential comedy set in Anywhere, Suburbia, led the pack as nominations were announced today for the 6th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, honoring performances in both film and TV acting. The film picked up four nominations, including a best actor nod for Kevin Spacey, a best actress one for Annette Bening and a best supporting actor one for Chris Cooper. The "Beauty" cast also was singled out for an ensemble acting nomination. Trailing "American Beauty" in the movie division with a total of three nods is Spike Jonze's head-scratching absurdist offering "Being John Malkovich". That flick also earned a best ensemble acting nomination, as well as best supporting actress nods for Cameron Diaz and Catherine Keener. Along with "American Beauty" and "Being John Malkovich," Paul Thomas Anderson's spra
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 3, 2000 -- Director Sam Mendes' "American Beauty" took top honors today as the Online Film Critics Society handed down its third annual awards. The quirky tale of modern-day life in a suburban nightmare was named best picture by the 112-member group of Web-based writers and critics. "American Beauty" also took nods for Mendes (best director) and star Kevin Spacey (best actor). The film leads all comers going into the Jan. 20 Golden Globes, with six nominations. Fellow Golden Globe nominee Reese Witherspoon won best actress accolades from the cyber scribes for her role in the high school comedy "Election." In the supporting categories, Haley Joel Osment ("The Sixth Sense") and Catherine Keener ("Being John Malkovich") were top vote getters for actor and actress, respectively. The stylish German export "Run Lola Run" ran away with
The awards season has officially kicked off, and "American Beauty" has its first trophy on the mantle. The dark satire was named Best Film of the year Dec. 8 by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. Directed by first-timer Sam Mendes and starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, "Beauty" was released in September to widespread acclaim and solid box office. Anthony Minghella, the Oscar-winning director of "The English Patient," was named Best Director for "The Talented Mr. Ripley," starring Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow, which was reportedly shown to the board in an unfinished print. Best Actor honors went to Russell Crowe for his portrayal of tobacco industry whistle-blower Dr. Jeffrey Wigand in "The Insider," co-starring Al Pacino, and British actress Janet McTeer was named Best Actress for the mother-daughter film "Tumbleweeds." After "Americ