'Gladiator' Leads Oscar Nominations

The Roman epic "Gladiator" held steadfast against a modern-day crusader, a chocolatier, a pair of martial artists and the war on drugs to emerge as the top Oscar-nominated film Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Hear Kathy Bates and Robert Rehme read the Oscar nominations. "Gladiator" seized 12 nominations, including best picture, best actor for Russell Crowe, best supporting actor for Joaquin Phoenix and best director for Ridley Scott.

Rounding out the best picture nominees were "Chocolat" "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic."

In addition to the best picture nods, "Erin Brockovich" and "Traffic" scored best director nods, a stunning achievement in that each of the films were helmed by double Director's Guild nominee Steven Soderbergh.

Each film yielded acting nods as well: Julia Roberts and Albert Finney were nominated for best actress and best supporting actor, respectively, while Benicio Del Toro received a best supporting actor nomination for "Traffic."

Ang Lee's martial arts romance epic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" grabbed 10 nominations, a record for a foreign language film. In addition to best picture and best director, it received a nod for best foreign language film. The film, however, failed to grab any acting nominations. There were a surprising number of front runners absent from the major categories. Michael Douglas appeared to be a shoo-in earlier this year for best actor for "Wonder Boys," but failed to be nominated. Perhaps the most glaring exclusion came with the omission of Cameron Crowe's coming of age rock opus, "Almost Famous." A director's guild nominee, Crowe failed to grab slots for best director and best picture. He did, as expected, grab a nomination for best original screenplay.

The nomations were announced by Oscar-winning actor Kathy Bates and Academy president Robert Rehme. The awards will be presented March 25 in Los Angeles. Actor Steve Martin is scheduled as host. Complete List Of Nominees:

• Best Picture: "Chocolat"; "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; "Erin Brockovich"; "Gladiator"; "Traffic."
• Best Actor: Javier Bardem, "Before Night Falls"; Russell Crowe, "Gladiator"; Tom Hanks, "Cast Away"; Ed Harris, "Pollock" and Geoffrey Rush, "Quills"
• Best Actress: Joan Allen, "The Contender"; Juliette Binoche, "Chocolat"; Ellen Burstyn, "Requiem for a Dream"; Laura Linney, "You Can Count on Me"; Julia Roberts, "Erin Brockovich"
• Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Bridges, "The Contender"; Willem Dafoe, "Shadow of the Vampire"; Benicio Del Toro, "Traffic"; Albert Finney, "Erin Brockovich"; Joaquin Phoenix, "Gladiator"
• Best Supporting Actress: Judi Dench, "Chocolat"; Kate Hudson, "Almost Famous"; Frances McDormand, "Almost Famous"; Julie Walters, "Billy Elliot"; Marcia Gay Harden, "Pollock"
• Best Director: Stephen Daldry, "Billy Elliot"; "Ang Lee, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; Steven Soderbergh, "Erin Brockovich"; Ridley Scott, "Gladiator"; Steven Soderbergh, "Traffic"
• Best Original Screenplay:"Almost Famous"; "Gladiator"; "Billy Elliot"; "Erin Brockovich"; "You Can Count On Me"
• Best Adapted Screenplay:"Traffic"; "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; "Chocolat"; "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" "Wonder Boys"
• Best Foreign Film:"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon";"Amores Perros," "Divided We Fall"; "Everybody Famous"; "The Taste of Others"
• Best Costume Design: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas"; "Gladiator"; "102 Dalmatians"; "Quills"
• Best Cinematography: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; "Gladiator"; "Malena"; "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"; "The Patriot"
• Best Musical Score: "Chocolat"; "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"; "Gladiator"; "Malena"; "The Patriot"
• Best Song: "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon", "Dancer In The Dark"; "The Emperor's New Groove"; "Meet The Parents"; "Wonder Boys"
• Best Sound: "Cast Away"; "Gladiator"; "The Patriot"; "The Perfect Storm"; "U-571"
• Best Sound Editing: "Space Cowboys"; "U-571"
• Best Visual Effects: "Gladiator"; "Hollow Man"; "The Perfect Storm"
• Best Film Editing: "Almost Famous"; "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; "Gladiator"; "Traffic"; "Wonder Boys"
• Best Art Direction: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"; "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas"; "Gladiator", "Quills", "Vatel"
• Best Makeup: "The Cell"; "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas"; "Shadow Of The Vampire"
• Best Documentary Feature: "Into The Arms Of Strangers: Stories Of The Kindertransport"; "Legacy"; "Long Night's Journey Into Day"; "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy"; "Sound And Fury"
• Best Documentary Short: "Big Mama"; "Curtain Call"; "Dolphins"; "The Man On Lincoln's Nose"; "On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps To Freedom"
• Best Live Action Short: "By Courier"; "One Day Crossing"; "Quiero Ser (I Want To Be)"; "Seraglio"; "A Soccer Story (Una Historia De Futebol)"
• Best Animated Short: "Father And Daughter"; "The Periwig-Maker"; "Rejected"

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