Page 27 - FOYER_Cannes 2001

DIARY BERLIN • LOSANGELES • MILAN • FOYER • CANNES • TOKYO • LONDON PAGE25
WASOSCAR’SSHINDIG
and Traffic to snare a well desrved four apiece. It was that sort of evening. Considered by some to be an unremarkable year, 2000 went on to yield an unsatisfactory display of endowments. No single film swept the board and no personality dominated the proceedings. As usual, the best acting was reserved for the losers
who, bizarrely, looked ecstat- ic whenever their name was- n’t called out.
Traditionally, the win-
ner of the previous year’s
Best Supporting Actor award announces the current year’s
Best Supporting Actress win-
ner. Last year Michael Caine
collected his Oscar for The
Cider House Rules, but
because he is in Vietnam
filming The Quiet American, Nicolas Cage performed the honours. And with the announcement of Marcia Gay Harden’s name the ceremony never felt the same again. Anything could happen now.
While the camera continued to profess its crush on Julia Roberts, Russell Crowe was revealed to be sit- ting next to fellow Oscar nominee and Gladiator co-star Joaquin Phoenix and then, later, an attractive, mysterious blonde. For the occasion, Russell had hacked off his long locks and appeared extremely dour at every opportunity. Either he didn’t under- stand Steve Martin’s jokes or he has no sense of humour. Probably both.
“And now I’m pleased to intro- duce the star of the film Gladiator, and a man I like to call a close per- sonal friend, but he asked me not to,” Martin joshed. And so the pugnacious New Zealander walked on stage to announce the winner of the editing Oscar. Facing the packed auditorium and 800,000,000 viewers worldwide, Russell seemed amazingly off-hand, opening his patter with a dismissive, “Good day folks. How ya doing?”
Angelina Jolie wafted on stage to announce the Best Supporting Actor and looking classy in a white trouser
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