Issue Date: March 24, 2002
Why, after so many years of progress, are black actors still ignored at Oscar time?
Eugene Williams II, Detroit
That's a hot topic. Many say the nomination of three black actors for lead roles -- Denzel Washington ("Training Day"), Halle Berry ("Monster's Ball") and Will Smith ("Ali") -- coupled with Whoopi Goldberg hosting and Sidney Poitier receiving an Honorary Award is a positive sign. It's the first triple nom for blacks in 30 years, the first time two black men ever have been up for Best Actor, and the first time in nearly a decade a black woman has been nominated for Best Actress. Smith claims it's a historic victory; Berry says African Americans still need better access to good roles. Says Tom O'Neil, host of awards site GoldDerby.com: "Blacks are ghettoized in knee-slapping comedies and butt-kicking action films. Producers are to blame." Others note that membership in the guilds that vote on awards is 80% to 90% white. Washington, a five-time Oscar nominee and Best Supporting Actor winner ("Glory", 1990) warns not to read too much into three nominations -- it could just be a lucky year.
Jennifer Connelly, who won the Golden Globe for her role in "A Beautiful Mind", combines girl-next-door charm with the glamour of cinema's golden age. I was shocked to see she had lost a lot of weight. Was she sick?
Richard Hansen, Ukiah, Calif.
Connelly is busy but in fine health, a spokeswoman assures us. The actress, 31, keeps in shape by working out with a trainer. No word at press time as to who would dress her for Oscar night (Narciso Rodriguez did her Globes gown), but plenty of designers were angling to dress the former child model, who had her first movie role at 12 (with Robert DeNiro in "Once Upon a Time in America"). Connelly -- once linked romantically to "Once and Again"'s Billy Campbell, her co-star in "The Rocketeer" -- is single and lives in New York with son Kai, 4. But she's likely to show up Sunday night with a frequent companion, "Sports Night" actor Josh Charles. Connelly stars next in 2003's "The Hulk".
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Black actors & the Oscars
Historically, less than 3% of Oscar nominations have gone to blacks. (12.3% of the U.S. population is black.)
Sidney Poitier is the only African American ever to be named Best Actor (for 1963's Lilies of the Field).
No African American has ever won Best Actress.
Only five blacks have won in supporting roles, including host Whoopi Goldberg.
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With Sunday's ceremony (ABC, 8 p.m. ET), Bruce Vilanch, 54, marks his 14th year writing for the Oscars. After watching hundreds of movies and following celebrity gossip ("it's my nature"), the Emmy winner and his nine-member team worked closely with show host Whoopi Goldberg to create a memorable event. "People thought it was a weak year movie-wise," Vilanch says, "but there are moments we know will get a good audience reaction."
Do you work during the show?
We'll be in the wings with Whoopi. We change the script as we go along. In the end, it's the spontaneous acceptance speeches that are just rife with good material for the hosts.
How does working with Whoopi differ from working with Steve Martin, Billy Crystal or David Letterman?
There are more makeup and hair people around. And Whoopi is a black Jewish woman. She has a different worldview.
Will she continue her costume-changing tradition as host?
Of course. You can't not have that, not when you have Vera Wang arm-wrestling Dolce & Gabbana at this event.
How do presenters bug you?
When they screw up and say, "Who wrote this?" -- especially when it's something they insisted on putting in!
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Oscar's new home
It's about time the Academy Awards had their own home. After 73 years of hopping from place to place (such as the Shrine Auditorium), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences spent $94 million for the 180,000-square-foot Kodak Theatre, the centerpiece of the plush Hollywood & Highland complex (named after the intersection where it sits in L.A.). The 3,330-seat theater, reminiscent of Michelangelo's Campidoglio in Rome and highlighted by a huge oval chandelier coated in silver leaf, promises to be a stunning backdrop. As the red carpet is laid along Hollywood Boulevard, don't expect to see folks camping out for the best views: This year, applications and background checks were required for the 400 bleacher seats. Jennifer Green of TrizecHahn, developer of the complex, says watching the stars arrive in person is worth the effort: "People are really close to the red carpet."
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BIRTHDAYS
March 24: Lara Flynn Boyle, 32
March 25: Sarah Jessica Parker, 37; Elton John, 55; Aretha Franklin, 60
March 26: Martin Short, 52; Diana Ross, 58; James Caan, 62
March 27: Mariah Carey, 32; Quentin Tarantino, 39
March 28: Julia Stiles, 21; Vince Vaughn, 32; Reba McEntire, 47
March 29: Jennifer Capriati, 26; Lucy Lawless, 34
March 30: Celine Dion, 34; Eric Clapton, 57; Warren Beatty, 65
Contributing: Tameka Hicks, Evelyn Poitevent, Patty Rhule, Frappa Stout
Also see:
 Last week's Who's News, interviews with Wesley Snipes, Peter Krause
Ask Lorrie Lynch a question about a celeb!
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