71st Annual Academy Awards Nominees announced: February 9th, 1999 Ceremony: March 21st, 1999

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The nominees for the 71st Annual Academy Awards were announced on February 9th, 1999 at 8:38 a.m. EDT by AMPAS President Robert Rehme and actor Kevin Spacey.

The winners, as presenteed March 21st, 1999:

The 71st Annual Academy Awards was presented on March 21st, 1999 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center (seating: approximately 3200, less 500 for camera platforms), and broadcast live on the ABC television network at 5:30 p.m. (PST) / 8:30 p.m. (EST).

It was announced on January 8th, 1999 that producer-director Norman Jewison (Fiddler On The Roof, Moonstruck, In The Heat Of The Night) was to be presented with the prestigious 34th Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. It is given to "creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production," and was voted upon by the Academy's Board of Governors. The last winner was Saul Zaentz in 1997. AMPAS President Robert Rehme announced "Norman Jewison is an eclectic and sensitive producer-director whose films paint evocative pictures of the human experience that have become icons of American life." (Thanks to JMSTREEP for this information.)

It was announced on January 11th, 1999 that director Elia Kazan (On The Waterfront, A Streetcar Named Desire, East Of Eden) was to be presented with an Honourary Award as voted by the AMPAS Board of Governors, "in appreciation of a long, distinguished and unparalleled career during which he has influenced the very nature of filmmaking through his creation of cinematic masterpieces." (Thanks to JMSTREEP for this information.)

Gilbert Cates produced the telecast for a record ninth-time, and Louis J. Horvitz handled direction duties. (Thanks to JMSTREEP for this information.)

Stage design for the ceremony was handled by production designer Roy Christopher.

It was announced on January 12th, 1999 that Whoopi Goldberg would act as host of the ceremony. It was her third occasion to act in this capacity. (Thanks to JMSTREEP for this information.)

The show was produced by AMPAS for the second consecutive year, who hired their own tech crews and camera operators and presented a finished feed to the network.

ABC was given exclusive rights to broadcast celebrity arrivals area footage during the final thirty minutes leading up to the ceremony. Other broadcast media were prohibited from airing any live or taped arrival footage during this time period under decree of AMPAS. Geena Davis was named host of this officially sanctioned pre-Oscar show (thanks to JMSTREEP for this information).

The ceremony was held on a Sunday for the first time in its history. This decision was prompted by an initiative to reduce problems associated with weekday rush-hour L.A. traffic congestion, and to maximize potential home viewing audiences.

ABC agreed to limit the amount of advertising on the telecast so that a rate of approximately 10 minutes of commercials per hour shall be sustained.

1. Queen Whoopi Goldberg introduction
2. Robert Rehme (AMPAS president) introductory speech
3. Montage of the "Academy's Favourite Movie Moments" assembled by Chuck Workman
4. Whoopi Goldberg opening monologue
5. Kim Basinger presents Best Achievement by an Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar
6. Gwyneth Paltrow presents Best Achievement in Art Direction Oscar
7. Patrick Stewart introduces clips for Best Picture nominees Elizabeth and Shakespeare In Love
8. Mike Myers presents Best Achievement in Makeup Oscar
9. Christina Ricci introduces Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston
10. Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston perform "When You Believe"
11. Brendan Fraser presents Best Achievement in Live Action Short Films Oscar
12. Flik and Heimlich present Best Achievement in Animated Short Films Oscar
13. Robin Williams presents Best Achievement by an Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar
14. Chris Rock presents Best Achievement in Sound Effects Editing Oscar
15. Liv Tyler introduces Aerosmith
16. Aerosmith performs "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"
17. Anjelica Huston presents Best Achievement in Sound Oscar
18. Tom Hanks introduces John Glenn
19. John Glenn introduces "Historical Figures In Cinema" movie montage
20. Sophia Loren introduces clip for Best Picture nominee Life Is Beautiful
21. Sophia Loren presents Best Foreign Language Film Oscar
22. Andie MacDowell and Andy Garcia present Best Achievement in Music (Original Musical or Comedy Score) Oscar
23. Geena Davis introduces choreographed dance sequence, salutes Bill Conti, conductor of the orchestra for the ceremony, and presents Best Achievement in Music (Original Dramatic Score) Oscar
24. John Travolta introduces tribute to Frank Sinatra
25. Anne Heche recaps the ceremony for Scientific and Technical Achievements
26. Jim Carrey presents Best Achievement in Editing Oscar
27. Renee Zellweger introduces Alison Moorer
28. Alison Moorer performs "A Soft Place To Fall"
29. Nicolas Cage presents Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award
30. Liam Neeson presents Best Achievement in Visual Effects Oscar
31. Val Kilmer introduces tribute to Roy Rogers and Gene Autry
32. Helen Hunt presents Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Oscar
33. Lisa Kudrow introduces Randy Newman and Peter Gabriel
34. Randy Newman and Peter Gabriel perform "That'll Do"
35. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon present Best Achievement in Documentary Short Subjects and Best Achievement in Documentary Features Oscars
36. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro present honourary Oscar
37. Whoopi Goldberg presents Best Achievement in Costume Design Oscar
38. Catherine Zeta-Jones introduces Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli
39. Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli perform "The Prayer"
40. Jennifer Lopez presents Best Achievement in Music (Original Song) Oscar
41. Annette Bening introduces Tribute to Deceased Celebrities movie montage
42. Whoopi Goldberg salutes Gene Siskel
43. Jack Valenti introduces Colin Powell
44. Colin Powell introduces clips for Best Picture nominees The Thin Red Line and Saving Private Ryan
45. Uma Thurman presents Best Achievement in Cinematography Oscar
46. Jack Nicholson presents Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Oscar
47. Steven Spielberg introduces tribute to Stanley Kubrick
48. Goldie Hawn and Steve Martin present Best Screenplay based on Material Previously Produced or Published and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen Oscars
49. Kevin Costner presents Best Achievement In Direction Oscar
50. Harrison Ford presents Best Picture Of The Year Oscar

Officially announced as presenters for the ceremony, in order of announcement were:

• Robin Williams
• Harrison Ford
• Helen Hunt
• Kim Basinger
• Chris Rock
• Steve Martin
• Jack Nicholson
• Goldie Hawn
• Jennifer Lopez
• Anne Heche
• Annette Bening
• Robert De Niro
• Uma Thurman
• Kevin Costner
• Jim Carrey
• Ben Affleck
• Nicolas Cage
• Liv Tyler
• Gwyneth Paltrow
• Sophia Loren
• John Travolta
• Liam Neeson
• Andy Garcia
• Val Kilmer
• Martin Scorsese
• Matt Damon
• Geena Davis
• Mike Myers
• Andie MacDowell
• Lisa Kudrow
• Brendan Fraser
• Renee Zellweger
• Christina Ricci
• Steven Spielberg
• Patrick Stewart
• Anjelica Huston

• Whoopi Goldberg

Announced but did not appear:

• Denzel Washington

(Thanks to JMSTREEP for this information.)

(AMPAS people -- for your consideration!)

Musical performers for the ceremony were:

• Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, for "When You Believe", from The Prince Of Egypt
• Aerosmith, for "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing", from Armageddon
• Alison Moorer, for "A Soft Place To Fall", from The Horse Whisperer.
• Peter Gabriel and Randy Newman, for "That'll Do", from Babe: Pig In The City
• Celine Dion and Andrea Boccelli, for "The Prayer", from Quest For Camelot

Voting for the Academy Award nominees are handled by the specific branches of AMPAS.

All AMPAS members with voting rights can vote for the Academy Award winners from the designated selection of nominees in all categories, except for the Foreign Language Film, Documentary Film (feature-length and short), and Short Film categories, where the voter is required to sign a decree stating that they have seen all nominated entries in the category.

Actors with achievements in multiple films in the same year cannot compete with him/herself in the same category. (ie. Billy Bob Thornton cannot be nominated for Best Supporting Actor in both Primary Colors and A Simple Plan, or for Armageddon for that matter.) During the tallying of the ballots, if a performer is observed to be garnering support for multiple performances, vote-counters are instructed to only count votes for the performance which appears to be drawing the most support, and votes for the other performance(s) are disregarded. Votes are not combined -- voting is for the achievement, not the performer.

Non-actors can compete against him/herself in the same category. (ie. James Horner was nominated for Best Dramatic Score for Apollo 13 and Braveheart.)

Multiple performers from the same film can compete with each other in the same category. (ie. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon were Best Actress nominees for Thelma & Louise; Dianne Wiest and Jennifer Tilly were Best Supporting Actress nominees for Bullets Over Broadway.)

A performer can be nominated in both the lead and supporting category. (ie. Holly Hunter - Best Actress nominee for The Piano and Best Supporting Actress nominee for The Firm; Al Pacino - Best Actor nominee for Scent Of A Woman and Best Supporting Actor nominee for Glengarry Glen Ross.)

It is at the discretion of the voter whether a performance constitute a leading or supporting one. Votes for the same performance in different categories are not combined. (ie. if Christina Ricci's performance in The Opposite Of Sex received 60 votes for Best Actress and 75 votes for Best Supporting Actress, her total of 135 votes cannot be applied to any single category; it is conceivable that this "splitting" of support can result in performances failing to accumulate a sufficient number of votes in any one category to obtain a nomination.)

Documentaries are graded on a ten-point scale during preliminary screenings by the Documentary Awards Screening Committees. Only films receiving an average score of 8.5 or higher are eligible for nomination.

As of January 8th, there were 5467 voting members in the Academy, and 6209 members in total. By branch, there were:

• actors: 1306
• art directors: 342
• cinematographers: 159
• directors: 351
• executives: 398
• film editors: 209
• music: 245
• producers: 452
• public relations: 349
• shorts: 308
• sound: 388
• visual effects: 183
• writers: 393
• members at large: 384

Thanks to Joshua Kreitzer for clarifying some incorrect information provided to me.

Preliminary thoughts and musings. (Periodic column)

Column #00 - "Oscar Patrol" column from the my 1998 Toronto International Film Festival reports (98/09/20)

Column #01 - Golden Globe nomination predictions (98/12/16)

Column #02 - Overall musings, much graphic commentary (dormant; regretfully incomplete)

Column #03 - Golden Globe winner predictions (99/01/23)

Column #04 - Golden Globe reactions, various guild award nominee reactions (99/02/03)

Column #05 - Oscar nominee predictions (99/02/07) ["Big Six": 26 out of 30; 76% overall]

Column #06 - Oscar nominee reactions (99/02/09)

Column #07 - Oscar winner predictions (99/03/17-20) [overall 15 / 21; "Big Six" 3 / 6]

The following is a listing of how various other film critics and reviewers picked the winners of this year's Oscar race.

Almost all of this information was provided by JMSTREEP, who remains the sole messiah of Oscar information.

Nobody correctly picked all the winners in the "Big Six" categories.

Betting odds, as listed by oddsmakers in Britain and the United States. Note that betting on the Academy Awards may be illegal in your area. Check your local statutes.

Legend:
Ladbrokes, Great Britain, 99/03/12 [99/02/09]
Daily Racing Form, U.S.A., 99/02/10

To be eligible for consideration, a feature-length (40+ minutes) film must be first publicly exhibited in 35mm or 70mm for paid admission in a commercial theatre in the Los Angeles county, opening in the 1998 calendar year before December 31, and must play for a minimum of seven consecutive days. Special consideration is given to films submitted in the foreign language, documentary, and short film awards categories.

286 feature-length films are eligible for consideration in the Best Picture category, the greatest number since 1973. (Thanks to David Perry for this information.)

The following is a list of the record-tying 45 films submitted for consideration for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Of The Year. Each country may submit one film for consideration. 73 countries were mailed "invites" from the Academy to submit a film. Selection of each country's representative picture is made by juries comprising filmmakers from that country. Entry forms were due by November 2nd, with film prints due by November 16th.

To be eligible for submission, a film must have its first public showing for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial cinema in its home country between November 1, 1997 and October 31, 1998. It must also have been produced with a predominantly non-English dialogue track in a language of the submitting country. The print submitted for award consideration must be identical in form with the final version in general release in the country of origin.

Foreign-language films may be eligible for other Academy Awards providing they meet the requirements of those categories. In late June 1998, the Academy tweaked their rules to prevent disqualification of foreign language films which had been shown on cable or video prior to their Los Angeles theatrical run. (I call this the Shall We Dance? rule.)

These films are scheduled to be screened by AMPAS' Foreign Language Film Award committee, chaired by Nina Foch, beginning December 2nd, 1998.

A huge debt of thanks to Ken Rudolph for providing the complete list of films under consideration.

Russia's submisison Barber Of Siberia has reportedly been disqualified for consideration on the grounds that the Academy has yet to receive the actual screening print! More information on this as developments merit. Thanks to Mr. Rudolph for noting this unusual occurence.

The following is a list of the seven films selected as semi-finalists for the Best Visual Effects Oscar by the executive committee of AMPAS' visual effects branch on January 6, 1999. Three of these candidates will make up the final nominees for the Oscar. The Academy's visual effects branch is scheduled to screen 15-minute excerpt reels from each of these films on February 3, 1999 before casting their nomination ballots.

The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is given to up to four individuals (as selected by the film's producer[s]) responsible for supervising the effects work on the designated film.

Thanks to JMSTREEP for providing this listing.

The following is a list of the seven films selected as semi-finalists for the Best Sound Effects Editing Oscar by the executive committee of AMPAS' sound effects editing branch on January 8, 1999. Up to three of these candidates will make up the final nominees for the Oscar. The Academy's Sound Effects Editing Award Nominating Committee is scheduled to screen 10-minute clip reels from each of these films on February 2, 1999 before casting their nomination ballots.

Thanks to David Perry for providing this listing.

The submission deadline for consideration in the Best Achievement In Documentary Features and Best Achievement In Documentary Short Subjects categories are as follows:

• submission of screening schedule before the exhibition run begins
• entry forms due by October 1st
• film print and supporting documents proving qualifying exhibition (including synopsis, credit list, filmographies, and stills) due by November 2nd

To be eligible for submission, a film must be publicly exhibited within two years of the film's completion date for paid admission in a commercial theatre in either Los Angeles county or the Borough of Manhattan between November 1, 1997 and October 31, 1998, and must play for a minimum of seven consecutive days, with all screenings beginning between 10:00 - 24:00. It may not air on television within six months of the first day of its theatrical release, and must also have been produced with predominantly English dialogue or narration track, or with English subtitles. The print submitted for award consideration must be identical in form with the version theatrically released.

The documentary awards executive committee chairman is Walter Shenson.

This is the final year for the Documentary Short Subjects category. As announced January 11th, 1999, the Documentary Feature and Documentary Short Film awards will be combined starting in 1999 into a single "Best Documentary" category. (Thanks to JMSTREEP for this breaking update.)

The submission deadline for consideration in the Best Achievement In Animated Short Films and Best Achievement In Live Action Short Films categories are as follows:

• entry forms due by November 2nd
• film print and supporting qualification documentation due by November 30th

• be publicly exhibited within two years of the film's completion date for paid admission in a commercial theatre in the Los Angeles county between November 1, 1997 and November 30, 1998, and must play for a minimum of three consecutive days, with at least two screenings per day, or
• have won the Best-In-Category Award at a recognized competitive film festival

It may not air on television before it either completes its Los Angeles theatrical release or wins its Best-In-Category film festival award, and must have been produced with predominantly English dialogue or narration track, or with English subtitles. Unaired TV series episodes, unsold TV series pilots, previews, advertisements, credit sequences, etc. are ineligible for consideration.

The submission deadline for consideration in the Best Achievement In Music (Original Musical Or Comedy Score), Best Achievement In Music (Dramatic Score), and Best Achievement In Music (Original Song) categories must be received:

• no later than 60 days following the Los Angeles qualifying release, or
• December 1st

To be eligible for consideration, the work must be created specifically for an eligible feature-length motion picture, and must be recorded for use in the film before used in any other format.

This is the final year for separate dramatic and musical or comedy score categories. As announced January 11th, 1999, the single Musical Score category, which was split in 1994, will be restored. Apparently, the Disney stranglehold on the category in the early 1990s seems to have relaxed. (Thanks to JMSTREEP for this breaking update.)

The submission deadline for consideration of scientific and technical achievements was August 17th. Any device, method, formula, discovery or invention of special and outstanding value may be considered if its merit has been proven through successful use in the film industry. Entries will be evaluated by subcommittees of industry engineers, scientists and craftspeople before being recommended to the Academy's board of governors for consideration.

Alex Fung (aw220@freenet.carleton.ca)

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