ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, February 12, 1997 TAG: 9702120123
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EXTRA EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: BEVERLY HILLS, CALIF.
SOURCE: LYNN ELBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
``The English Patient'' led with 12 Academy Award nominations Tuesday as Oscar voters recognized independent films but not one particular material girl.
Madonna failed to receive a best actress bid for her star turn as Argentina's controversial first lady in the musical ``Evita.'' The film based on the stage play also failed to garner a best picture nod.
Independents triumphed over major studio releases, led by the wartime epic ``The English Patient,'' they claimed four of the five best picture nods and many other top nominations.
Best picture contenders also included ``Fargo,'' ``Secrets & Lies,'' ``Shine'' and TriStar's ``Jerry Maguire,'' the only picture in that category coming from a major studio.
``Fargo'' and ``Shine'' had seven nominations apiece, while ``Jerry Maguire'' and ``Secrets & Lies'' each got five.
Best actor nominees included Ralph Fiennes for ``The English Patient,'' Tom Cruise for ``Jerry Maguire,'' Woody Harrelson for ``The People vs. Larry Flynt,'' Geoffrey Rush for ``Shine'' and Billy Bob Thornton for ``Sling Blade.''
His performance as a retarded man with a violent past was a breakthrough for the relatively obscure Thornton, who also received a screenplay nomination as the writer of ``Sling Blade'' and was the film's director as well. He was a regular on the CBS situation comedy ``Hearts Afire.''
Top actress contenders were Kristin Scott Thomas for ``The English Patient,'' Brenda Blethyn for ``Secrets & Lies,'' Diane Keaton for ``Marvin's Room,'' Frances McDormand for ``Fargo'' and Emily Watson for ``Breaking the Waves.''
Also favored but missing from the actress nominees was Debbie Reynolds for her role in ``Mother.''
The nominations were announced during a pre-dawn ceremony at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences headquarters in Beverly Hills. Awards will be given out March 24 in a ceremony broadcast live on ABC. Billy Crystal will host.
The controversial film ``The People vs. Larry Flynt,'' about the life of the Hustler sex magazine publisher, didn't receive a best picture nod, but saw its director Milos Forman nominated as well as its star.
Forman competes with Anthony Minghella for ``The English Patient,'' Joel Coen for ``Fargo,'' Mike Leigh for ``Secrets & Lies'' and Scott Hicks for ``Shine.''
``We're just reeling around in disbelief,'' Hicks said after learning about the nomination.
Support actor contenders were Cuba Gooding Jr. for ``Jerry Maguire,'' William H. Macy for ``Fargo,'' Armin Mueller-Stahl for ``Shine,'' Edward Norton for ``Primal Fear'' and James Woods for ``Ghosts of Mississippi.''
The nomination for Gooding was anticipated. His color turn as football player Rod Tidwell, with his exuberant cry, ``Show me the money!'' to the sports agent played by Cruise was a movie highlight and the phrase has become a popular catch word.
In the supporting actress category were Lauren Bacall for ``The Mirror Has Two Faces,'' Joan Allen for ``The Crucible,'' Juliette Binoche for ``The English Patient,'' Barbara Hershey for ``The Portrait of a Lady'' and Marianne Jean-Baptiste for ``Secrets & Lies.''
Also forgotten by the academy was Courtney Love, the rock singer and sometime actress who played Flynt's outrageous wife in ``The People vs. Larry Flynt.''
Foreign language film nominees were ``A Chef in Love,'' from the former Soviet Union republic of Georgia; ``Kolya,'' the Czech Republic; ``The Other Side of Sunday,'' Norway; ``Prisoner of the Mountains,'' Russia; and ``Ridicule,'' France.
In addition to best picture, director and three acting nominations, ``The English Patient'' also got nominations for adapted screenplay, original dramatic score, cinematography, art direction, costume design, film editing and sound.
Original screenplay nominations went to Ethan Coen and Joel Coen for ``Fargo,'' Cameron Crowe for ``Jerry Maguire,'' John Sayles for ``Lone Star,'' Mike Leigh for ``Secrets & Lies'' and Jan Sardi and Hicks for ``Shine.''
Adapted screenplay nods, for scripts based on other material, went Thornton for ``Sling Blade,'' Arthur Miller for ``The Crucible,'' Anthony Minghella for ``The English Patient,'' Kenneth Branagh for ``Hamlet,'' and John Hodge for ``Trainspotting.''
1. BEST PICTURE: ``The English Patient,'' ``Fargo,'' ``Jerry Maguire,'' ``Secrets & Lies,'' ``Shine.''
2. ACTOR: Tom Cruise, ``Jerry Maguire''; Ralph Fiennes, ``The English Patient''; Woody Harrelson, ``The People vs. Larry Flynt''; Geoffrey Rush, ``Shine''; Billy Bob Thornton, ``Sling Blade.''
3. ACTRESS: Brenda Blethyn, ``Secrets & Lies''; Diane Keaton, ``Marvin's Room''; Frances McDormand, ``Fargo''; Kristin Scott Thomas, ``The English Patient''; Emily Watson, ``Breaking the Waves.''
4. SUPPORTING ACTOR: Cuba Gooding Jr., ``Jerry Maguire''; William H. Macy, ``Fargo''; Armin Mueller-Stahl, ``Shine''; Edward Norton, ``Primal Fear''; James Woods, ``Ghosts of Mississippi.''
5. SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Joan Allen, ``The Crucible''; Lauren Bacall, ``The Mirror Has Two Faces''; Juliette Binoche, ``The English Patient''; Barbara Hershey, ``The Portrait of a Lady''; Marianne Jean-Baptiste, ``Secrets & Lies.''
6. DIRECTOR: Anthony Minghella, ``The English Patient''; Joel Coen, ``Fargo''; Milos Forman, ``The People vs. Larry Flynt''; Mike Leigh, ``Secrets & Lies''; Scott Hicks, ``Shine.''
7. FOREIGN FILM: ``A Chef in Love,'' Georgia; ``Kolya,'' Czech Republic; ``The Other Side of Sunday,'' Norway; ``Prisoner of the Mountains,'' Russia; ``Ridicule,'' France.
8. SCREENPLAY (written directly for the screen): Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, ``Fargo''; Cameron Crowe, ``Jerry Maguire''; John Sayles, ``Lone Star''; Mike Leigh, ``Secrets & Lies''; Jan Sardi and Scott Hicks, ``Shine.''
9. SCREENPLAY (based on material previously produced or published): Arthur Miller, ``The Crucible''; Anthony Minghella, ``The English Patient''; Kenneth Branagh, ``Hamlet''; Billy Bob Thornton, ``Sling Blade''; John Hodge, ``Trainspotting.''
10. ART DIRECTION: ``The Birdcage,'' ``The English Patient,'' ``Evita,'' ``Hamlet,'' ``William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet.''
LENGTH: Long : 115 linesby CNB