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Tuesday, March 25, 2003

By Barbara Vancheri, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

HOLLYWOOD -- The war didn't pre-empt Hollywood's biggest night on Sunday, but it did cut in a couple of times. And by the time Nicole Kidman was the closing act in the Academy Awards pressroom, ABC anchor Peter Jennings was back on the TV monitors, as were graphics with numbers of wounded and captured Americans.

	Best Actress Oscar winner Nicole Kidman brought her mother, Janelle Kidman, along to the Academy Awards ceremony. (Associated Press)

Kidman couldn't see the TVs from where she was standing, in front of the golden Oscar replica flanked by baskets of blooms. Besides, she's "blind as a bat" without her glasses and, she confessed, was feeling a bit giddy.

Blame it on Oscar. Their relationship was still fresh and a tad overwhelming.

After all, as a child in Australia sitting in her living room in her dressing gown -- "Do you call it a dressing gown in America?" she asked, translating the phrase to pajamas -- she watched TV and thought, "Wow, it would be amazing to be involved in that, to be sort of a part of that, but you never think that's a reality. But you know, as a kid, that you have a passion, and you feel it inside you, and I think to have the chance to artistically express yourself is such a great opportunity."

The Best Actress of 2002 said she had no recollection of what she had just told a billion viewers. Elegant in a black Jean-Paul Gautier gown, she did realize that she had omitted her dad, Anthony, in the acceptance speech that acknowledged her mother and 10-year-old daughter, Isabella.

"So I'm adding him now. It's a collective thing. Mother, father, you know," she said with a giggle.

Kidman's mother, Janelle, was just then emerging from the hourlong shock of her daughter's capturing the top prize for "The Hours," but Isabella had been confident. "I knew. I knew you'd win," the elder of Kidman's two children had predicted.

Like other stars, Kidman had grappled with the question of whether she should attend the 75th Academy Awards in light of the war being waged in Iraq.

"Is it frivolity, or is there something more important here? Sure, there's an essence of frivolity when there are far more serious things in the world that are happening. But at the same time, it's an important part of our lives, and I feel very proud to have dedicated my life to being an actor."

Sinking into Virginia Woolf had provided Kidman a lifeline at a time when her marriage was falling apart, although she never mentioned ex-husband Tom Cruise by name. "Acting for me at this particular time in my life saved my life. It came along, and I was so fortunate to get the chance to play Virginia at that time of my life, because I needed it."

Now, about the prosthetic nose she wore in the film (she took one as a souvenir at the end of the shoot): "I love anything that says 'let's change who I am.' You use your body, your voice, your psyche."

Glowing reviews

People often tell pregnant women that they're positively glowing, and Catherine Zeta-Jones was just that in her Donatella Versace gown, which she slipped on after performing on stage in an outfit by Oscar-winning costumer Colleen Atwood.

No, she's not naming her child Oscar, and yes, she knows where she's placing the golden boy. "It's going to be in the middle of my husband's two, but a little further forward than his," the wife of Michael Douglas said with a laugh.

But as with most winners, the experience had yet to sink in. "I haven't really gone there. Really, I just know a dream came true for me tonight, whatever that means. I'm dumbstruck," she said, calling the making of "Chicago" the most amazing experience of her life.

Add the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress to that, and it's "just overwhelming, and I need to write it all down tomorrow to remember this night. I can't even remember my own name right now."

Making history

Adrien Brody, at 29 the youngest Best Actor winner, was silly and serious backstage, a combination that has served him well in his career. As a pressroom handler read off the identifying numbers of reporters who could ask questions, he turned fast-talking auctioneer spouting figures, ending with, "Sold. Oscar. One dollar."

He had no qualms about coming to the Oscars but said, "It's difficult to celebrate when there is sadness and conflict in the world. Our achievements as artists and filmmakers and actors are valid, and we deserve to celebrate that. It's just the timing, for me, is a little odd."

Brody, who had starred in Roman Polanski's Holocaust drama "The Pianist," had started his celebrating by grabbing presenter Halle Berry and kissing her. "Well, if you ever have an excuse to do something like that, that's it, so I took my shot," he said. And yes, he claimed, she kissed back.

He had not yet spoken with fellow Oscar winner Polanski, whom he called an "incredibly gifted and disciplined director who provided me with a tremendous amount of insight into this character because he, himself, is a [Holocaust] survivor. And I'm honored that he chose me, and I'm very happy for him. He deserves the recognition."

Time sharing

Former Pittsburgher Rob Marshall didn't pick up the Best Director Oscar as many predicted, but "Chicago" producer Martin Richards is happy to share the one he earned as Best Picture producer.

"I can't accept this without Rob Marshall, so we're going to share it. I'm going to give it to him for six months. He's going to give it back for six months. And, if not, he's moving in," Richards quipped.

He said he had a peace pin but declined to wear it, for fear of sending the wrong message to the troops. "I don't want any soldier to see me wearing a pin that is against him. ... I want our boys to come back. I want our ladies to come back. And I want everyone to come back safe. And I want this war to be over."

What a memory

When Massachusetts resident Chris Cooper, fresh from being named Best Supporting Actor for "Adaptation," came into the pressroom, the first question was from a reporter from the Boston Herald, which had predicted another winner in his category. "The Boston Herald -- hmm. You folks had another opinion," Cooper said. The next question came from Variety, whose reporter assured him, "We really did think you were a front-runner."

Another voice

John Myhre and Gordon Sim, winners for art direction for "Chicago," found themselves in the middle of the runaway production debate that has taken many movies to Canada. "Chicago" was shot in Toronto, prompting the men to describe the crews there as "very good." To which Chicago critic Roger Ebert fired back, "That's true in Chicago, too. Great crews."

Reluctant honoree

When the Academy announced it was honoring Peter O'Toole with an honorary award, the veteran actor wasn't sure he wanted it -- just yet. Sunday, however, he said he was happy he had come and called his experience "exhilarating, charming, delightful."

When his appearance in the pressroom coincided with the on-stage announcement of Polanski as Best Director -- news that drew gasps of surprise -- O'Toole was asked about him. "Oh, he's a very interesting man. I met him a long time ago. Strange little bugger. I liked him, yeah. Very good films, I think."