What have the islanders found since 'LOST'?
SANTA MONICA, Calif., May 4, 2000 -- Remember when going to an awards show was exciting, when winning one of them fancy paperweights was kinda cheesy cool? No? Then you must be Shania Twain. The country-pop diva sat out her third consecutive envelope-opening show Wednesday night, skipping the 35th Annual Academy of County Music Awards, even as she won the top prize -- named Entertainer of the Year. The Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill and Lonestar were the night's multiple winners, taking home two trophies each. In a twist, all managed to show up and accept their ACM hats in person. As for Twain? She was said to be living the life of good country people, albeit from her home in, um, Switzerland. (Little known fact: "Shania" is a name of Native American origins, meaning: "Let them eat cake.") This year, Twain previously was a no-show at the Grammys and the American Music Awards.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Mar. 24, 2000 -- Does an Oscar win equal prestige? Yes. How about a career jump-start? Gwyneth Paltrow Well, er ... Most of the time. For every, say, Kevin Spacey who escapes indie fringedom to Hollywood stardom after bagging an Oscar (for 1995's "The Usual Suspects"), there's a Marisa Tomei whose film career seems jinxed following a win (for 1992's "My Cousin Vinny"). That said, let's take a look at what the Oscar has done for last year's winners. Or they Marisa Tomeis or Kevin Spaceys? ROBERTO BENIGNI: After accomplishing the seemingly impossible task of sugarcoating the Holocaust with humor in "Life is Beautiful" and taking two Oscars (including the Best Actor trophy) for his feat, the larger-than-life Italian comic seems to be taking a smaller-than-life approach to things these days. After staking a supporting role in the comic-boo