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March 8, 2006
Real Life Stories Win Big at Oscars
Explosive race
drama ‘Crash’
best picture
(AP) — For the second year in a
row, movies about real people en
meshed in wrenching drama, were the
winners at the Academy Awards.
“Crash" won the surprise Oscar for
best picture at the Oscar ceremonies
in Los A ngeles Sunday. Reese
Witherspoon’s portrayal of June Carter
Cash in "Walk the Line" won her the
best actress award and Philip Seymour
Hoffman as the glory-hungry writer in
“Capote” took home best actor hon
ors. Real life drama also worked last
year with Jamie Foxx in "Ray,” the
story of Ray Charles.
This time around, the Oscars were
anything but predictable, however, as
the explosive race drama “Crash”
denied "Brokeback Mountain” the
best-picture Oscar - despite the gay
Western love story’s front-runner sta
tus and its best-director award for
Ang Lee.
With six different films dividing up
the top six Qscars, the ceremony
hosted by first-timer Jon Stewart de
nied anyone unmitigated bragging
rights.
Witherspoon, who joined co-star
Joaquin Phoenix as country legend
Johnny Cash in singing in the film,
gave credit for her performance to her
mother and grandmother.
‘They taught me a lot and a lot of
characteristics that a woman should
have in life, and how tough women are
and how strong we are,” she said back-
stage. “And I feel like it really helped my
performance with June, because I sort
of came in with an innate knowledge of
who she was as a woman.”
'J
‘Crash ’ producers Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman. (AP photo)
Hoffman's performance captured
Capote’s charm and the author’s self-
serving style as he gathered material
for his groundbreaking book, “In Cold
Blood.”
“Crash,” featuring an ensemble cast
in intersecting story lines over a vio
lent, disturbing 36-hour period in Los
Angeles, was lifted by a late surge of
praise that carried it over “Brokeback
Mountain,” which had won most other
key Hollywood honors.
“We are humbled by the other nomi
nees in this category. You have made
this year one of the most breathtaking
and stunning maverick years in Ameri
can cinema,” said “Crash” producer
Cathy Schulman.
The film was also honored for origi
nal screenplay by the film’s director,
Paul Haggis, and Bobby Moresco,
Rap Group Performs,
Wins Best Song
Best Of
2006 Awards
and film editing. "Brokeback Moun
tain" captured best adapted screen
play for Larry McMurtry ("Lonesome
Dove” ) and Diana Ossana. and musi
cal score for Gustavo Santaolalla.
Supporting-performer Oscars on
Sunday went to George Clooney in
“Syriana” and Rachel Weisz in “The
Constant Gardener."
Clooney’s win capped an excep
tional year in which he made Oscar
history by becoming the first person
nominated for acting in one movie and
directing another. (The Edward R.
Murrow tale “Good Night, and C kxx J
Luck" earned him directing and writ
ing nominations.)
“Crash,” an Oscar rarity that was
shot outside the studio system on a
meager $6.5 million budget, became a
solid box-office hit, grossing $55 mil
lion domestically.
The cast of “Crash" includes sup
porting-actor nominee Matt Dillon, Don
Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Brendan
Fraser, Terrence Howard, Thandie
Newton, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges,
Jennifer Esposito and Ryan Phillippe.
BEST PICTURE: "Crash”
ACTOR:
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote”
A*
ACTRESS:
Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line'
SUPPORTING ACTOR:
George Clooney, "Syriana”
SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Rachel Weisz,
"The Constant Gardener”
DIRECTOR:
Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain”
Philip Seymour Hoffman accepts an Oscar best actor.
A gambling problem leaves its m ark
on everyone it touches.
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The rap group Three 6 Mafia accept the Oscar for best original
song “It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from the motion picture
"Hustle & Flow" at the 78th Academy Awards. (AP photo)
X
‘Three 6 Mafia’ shines in TV telecast
(AP)— Forget the suspense over
best movie or actor or actress - the
real question on Oscar night was
whether Three 6 Mafia could actu
ally perforin a cuss-free, non
graphic version of "It’s Hard Out
Here fora Pimp.”
In one of the most exciting per
formances fo ra best song, usually
characterized by bland perfor
mances of even blander songs, the
Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia
gave a rousing rendition of their
song from “Hustle & Flow," then
took the Oscar home to boot.
They are probably the only Os
car winners to pick up their trophy
wearing throwback jerseys, sneak
ers and diamond-studded teeth.
Though they thanked all the same
people Phillip Seymour Hoffman
would - their mothers, family, etc. -
theireuphoric, giddy delivery made
the moment even more surreal.
It w asn't exactly som ething
you'd see on the Source Awards,
with the “Fame"-like dancers and
chftreography. But the performance
from the group best known fortheir
raw street-life rhymes stayed true
to the gritty essence of the song.
“ H u stle ” a c tre ss T araji P.
Henson, who sang the irresistible
hook in the movie, also belted it out
on Oscar night (wearing a cocktail
dress): “It’s hard out here for a
pimp, when yoB^ryin’ to get the
money for the rent, with theC’adillac
and gas money spent, you got a
whole lot of witches jum pin' ship."
O f course, “witches" was not the
word used in the movie version.
W e’ll let you guess which word
that was.
Still, despite toning down the
lyrics. Three 6 Mafia was bleeped
once during their performance be
cause ABC censors thought they
heard an obscenity (a network
spokeswoman said they couldn't
be sure what was said). And they
gotanotherbleepduringtheirgiddy
acceptance speech, for the same
reason.
ask
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If someone you care about has a gambling problem, call:
877-2-STO P-N O W
Treatment is free, confidential
and it works.
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