THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, March 27, 1995 TAG: 9503250043
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
THE OSCAR SHOW, airing tonight at 9 on ABC, has traditionally been the most maligned show of the year, but it gets the biggest viewership. Broadcast around the world, the Academy claims it captures a billion watchers.
For those billions of viewers, the challenge lies in making it through all those dull, little awards and endless production numbers to see who wins the big ones.
This year's host, David Letterman, is known for smart-aleck barbs, which are more appropriate for late night than for a prestige show such as this. Still, there is great curiosity as to how he will handle himself - and how he'll fare against the memory of Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and even Billy Crystal. If he falls back on the cheap laughs, he may misstep.
That should take care of the early part of the show, but what can we do to get through all those minor awards?
Here's a hint. Keep count of the ``Forrest Gump'' wins. Gump is nominated for 13 awards; it has a chance to break, or tie, the all-time Oscar record. ``Ben Hur'' holds the record with 11 wins in 1959.
That makes the early races interesting. To break the record, ``Gump'' needs to win awards like best makeup and best visual effects. It's also likely to win the sound award, although ``Speed'' or ``Clear and Present Danger'' could be an upset here.
An early announcement will be best supporting actor. Gary Sinise of ``Gump'' will probably lose that one to Martin Landau in ``Ed Wood.'' That leaves only 12 chances for ``Gump'' to truly triumph. Look closely when the original score category comes up. ``The Lion King'' is likely to win over ``Gump,'' cutting the record-breaking odds.
``Pulp Fiction'' will win the best original screenplay (allowing wonder boy Quentin Tarantino to get to the stage) while ``Forrest Gump'' will win the best screenplay adaptation. This allows both the favorites to win.
There's even an interesting race in the documentary feature category this year. The big hoopla has been about the fact that ``Hoop Dreams'' didn't get nominated. Will the audience actually boo the winner?
Stay tuned for the breathtaking best editing announcement. ``Hoop Dreams'' got its only nomination there. Hampton native Steve James, who directed ``Hoop Dreams,'' still has a chance to get to the stage here. But ``Forrest Gump'' is also in this category. James' mother, who still lives on the Peninsula, will be watching closely.
The production numbers are likely to be as overproduced as usual. Elton John will sing one of the three songs he wrote for ``The Lion King.'' He'll most likely win for the ballad ``Can You Feel the Love Tonight'' rather than ``Circle of Life'' or ``Hakuna Matata.'' But you'll still have to sit through ``Make Up Your Mind'' from ``The Paper'' and ``Look what Love Has Done'' from ``Junior.''
If you want to stay really interested, there's always the clothes. Goldie Hawn came closest to falling out of her shiny slip dress last year. Who will it be this year?
Come to think of it, there are lots of things to keep you interested. Our prediction is that Gump will make a good run, but won't quite be able to set a new record. There are too many snags, but run, Forrest, run. See page A2 for more information about going online. MEMO: More about the Oscars _ including film clips, photos, plot summaries and
past winners _ is available on the Internet computer network. Links are
on the Local News page of the Pilot Online at
http://www.infi.net/pilot/
by CNB