2004 Academy Awards ® 

Oscar contest winner
Web-posted 3/11/2004
Of the more than 250 reader entries, 111 outpicked our staff writer Steven Uhles. Of those, 42 readers picked all six correctly. In a blind drawing, Jeff Bedenbaugh of Modoc, S.C. was chosen as this year's Oscar Contest winner.

New Zealand celebrates wins at Oscars
Web-posted 3/1/2004
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- And the winner is ... New Zealand.

Oscar winner Sean Penn picks right time to overcome shyness
Web-posted 3/1/2004
LOS ANGELES -- Sean Penn didn't shy away from attending the Academy Awards this time. Good thing, too, since his name was called as the best-actor winner for "Mystic River."

Best actress Charlize Theron is belle of the Governors Ball
Web-posted 3/1/2004
LOS ANGELES -- The winner at the Academy Awards and at the post-telecast Board of Governors Ball: Charlize Theron.

And the Oscar for boring award shows goes to this year's Oscarcast
Web-posted 3/1/2004
NEW YORK -- After promises of the unexpected, the biggest surprise on Sunday's Oscarcast was a lack of surprises.

Twenty-one people arrested for attempting to sneak into Oscars
Web-posted 3/1/2004
LOS ANGELES -- Twenty-one people were arrested as they tried to sneak into the 76th annual Academy Awards show at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, officials said.

Best-picture front-runner "Lord of the Rings" claims 11 Oscars
Web-posted 2/29/2004
LOS ANGELES -- "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" won a record-tying 11 Academy Awards on Sunday, including best picture and director and becoming the first fantasy to win the top Oscar.

List of 76th annual Academy Award winners
Web-posted 2/29/2004
List of winners at the 76th annual Academy Awards, presented Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles:

Peter Jackson honored with directing Oscar for 'Rings' finale
Web-posted 3/1/2004
LOS ANGELES -- Peter Jackson completed his epic journey from obscure low-budget filmmaker to Oscar winner Sunday, collecting the best-director Academy Award for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

Theron proves de-glamming can pay off on glamorous Oscar night
Web-posted 3/1/2004
LOS ANGELES -- The Academy Awards have a history of honoring glamorous or handsome performers who obscure their beauty to play beasts, and Charlize Theron continued the tradition with her best-actress win for "Monster" Sunday night.

All About Oscar 

Oscar Insider: Backstage at the Oscars
Web-posted 2/29/2004
LOS ANGELES -- The first hush fell backstage on Sunday when two grim-faced accountants walked in, each toting a valise that contained Oscar night's surprises.

Oscar Insider: Promoting the Academy Awards
Web-posted 2/26/2004
CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Artistic appreciation may be the motor that drives Hollywood's awards season, but hype is the gasoline.

Oscar Insider: The master chef prepares for his own Big Night
Web-posted 2/24/2004
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Oscar nominees have a lot going on in their stomachs during the ceremony - knots, butterflies, maybe even an ulcer or two.

Oscar Insider: Producer to allow stars their 'moments'
Web-posted 2/23/2004
LOS ANGELES -- You can't tell Clint Eastwood to shut up. When Hollywood hands out the Oscars, acceptance speeches are one of the few unpredictable things.

Oscar insider: Workers get on same page at first production meeting
Web-posted 2/16/2004
LOS ANGELES -- On Feb. 29, Billy Crystal will read wisecracks from a script in front of millions of Oscar telecast viewers while wearing a tuxedo on the Kodak Theatre stage.

Oscar Insider: Creating the Oscar stage and coaxing celebrities onto it
Web-posted 2/10/2004
LOS ANGELES -- It's three weeks before the Academy Awards, and the celebrity presenters are hidden under a white sheet.

Oscar Insider: What you see if you're an Academy Awards voter
Web-posted 2/5/2004
LOS ANGELES -- Imagine you're one of the roughly 5,800 people who get to decide which movies get Oscars and which don't.

Oscar Insider: Academy workers spend a night with secrets
Web-posted 2/4/2004
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The two copy repairmen contaminated themselves by getting off an elevator on the wrong floor. They would have to be questioned - and possibly quarantined.

Oscar uncovered
Who is this "Oscar" guy and why is he so important?

Previous Oscar winners
A complete list of Academy Award winners in the major catagories.

The Nominees 

'Return of the King' leads Oscar race with 11 nominations
Web-posted 1/27/2004
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the final chapter in Peter Jackson's majestic fantasy trilogy, led the Academy Awards race Tuesday with 11 nominations, including best picture and director.

Fun and Games 

Trivia from the 76th annual Academy Award nominations
Web-posted 1/27/2004
Tidbits and trivia from Tuesday's Oscar nominations:

Fun with Oscar
Test your Academy Award knowledge with our fun (and highly addictive) games.

Party with Oscar 

Party tips
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you throw a Hollywood style Oscar party (celebrities NOT included).

Printable invitations
Once your party is planned you will need to advertise it. Use our free invitations to spread the word.

More news 
NOMINEES
 • Honorary Oscar winner Blake Edwards recalls a turbulent past
 • Coppola's Oscar bids follow lifetime of studying family business
 • Offbeat French cartoon looking for Oscar gold
 • 'Friedmans' victims ask to deny documentary Oscar
 • Keisha Castle-Hughes' nomination a surprise
 • Diane Keaton returns to romantic spotlight
 • Q&A With Renee Zellweger
 • Charlize Theron undergoes 'Monster' metamorphosis
 • Hobbits, fish, pirates lead cast in box-office year
 • Johnny Depp says ahoy to a 'Pirates' life
 • For Sheridan, truth and lies serve the story
 • Clint Eastwood says change is key to his longevity

OTHER
 • Red carpet at the Oscars is a tribute to old Hollywood
 • Billy Crystal once again steps into Oscar's shoes
 • Oscars put on the ritz after two years in war's, terror's shadow
 • Pressure increases on independent directors
 • Oscars look like coronation day for 'Lord of the Rings'
 • This year, Oscar has a distinctly international feel
 • Who's watching? Oscar organizers aim to stop TV ratings freefall
 • 25-year camera development pays off with software Oscar
 • Oscar outfits: It's all about the red carpet
 • The best and the worst of the Academy Awards
 • Translating the whiskey scene in 'Lost in Translation'
 • Winners and nominees of movie honors for 2003
 • Oscar bid makes a name for 'City of God' director
 • 'City of God' little affected by movie's success
 • You won't see biscuits at East Coast Oscar party
 • Oscar predictions: Rings, Penn, Theron and more
 • Depp, Theron take lead-acting honors at SAG awards
 • Academy takes strict hands-on policy for Oscar advertising
 • New Oscar rules mute bad blood, but campaigning frenzy remains
 • 'LOR' named top film at British Academy Awards
 • Planners say 5-second delay won't deter political remarks
 • Oscar nominees assemble for annual luncheon
 • Billy Crystal getting ready to host Oscars
 • Five questions with "Finding Nemo" director
 • Johnny Depp likens U.S. to an agressive, 'dumb puppy'
 • Bruckheimer makes blockbuster movies that critics hate
 • 'Rings' on track to snap Oscar fantasy taboo
 • Some surprises and obvious choices among nominations