72nd Annual Academy Awards® Winners Coverage

©A.M.P.A.S.®

Welcome to our coverage of the 72nd Annual Academy Awards®. Let me just paint the picture for you. We're currently sitting in the press tent in the parking lot of the Shrine Auditorium. Before you shed a tear, you have to realize that this is the Hollywood version of a tent, so we're actually sitting in a giant white tent that's catered and air-conditioned. Not bad at all. We're also sitting just one seat away from Roger Ebert, so we're in good company.

After a very fast-paced arrivals pre-show, the 72 Annual Academy Awards® are under way. The show already seems to have a different energy than last year and it'll be interesting to see what the Zanucks and Billy Crystal have in store for us.

Robert Rehme, the Academy president, came out to start the show and made reference to the stolen statuettes by joking it almost wasn't "Who's going to win?", but "What will we give them?".

Billy Crystal's trademark filmed opening had to be his funniest yet. These filmed spoofs that place Billy in the movies take weeks to shoot and deserve their own The Making of...show. His opening crack was that ABC called this "Regis' Night Off". He then launched into his song about the nominated films. Very smooth so far, but hey, Billy was born to host this show.

After the song, he paid tribute to Willy Fulgear, the man who found the stolen Oscars®.

The first presenters of the evening were Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, the stars of the upcoming Charlie's Angels. They gave out the Oscar® for Best Costume Design. The winner was Topsy-Turvy.

Billy joked that Warren Beatty and the expecting-any-moment Annette Bening might be releasing their co-production this evening.

Haley Joel Osment, the terrific young nominated actor from the Sixth Sense, introduced a segment on the history of young movie actors.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me co-stars Mike Myers and Heather Graham came out next to present the award for Best Sound. The Oscar® went to The Matrix.

Next up were Tobey Maguire and Erykah Badu from The Cider House Rules. They presented the Oscar® for Best Makeup to Topsy-Turvy, the second one for that film tonight.

Winona Ryder then introduced the clip for the Best Picture nominee The Cider House Rules.

The pace is much better this year. They don't always use Billy Crystal to move things along, sometimes they just use Peter Coyote as an off-screen announcer. Last year's Best Supporting Actor winner, James Coburn, came out to present the Best Supporting Actress Oscar® to Angelina Jolie. As per usual, she was rather teary and managed to thank her entire family.

Billy Crystal's next joke was that the next presenter, Morgan Freeman, was upset that his role in the action sequel to Driving Miss Daisy was being recast with Halle Berry. He presented a film segment on how filmmakers have portrayed the last two million years.

Meanwhile in the press room, Angelina Jolie explained why she always thanks her brother so much. She said that when her parents divorced, he was her strength and her everything. Let me explain what happens here. The tent is full of monitors and we're all wearing infrared headphones so that we can hear the show. While the show's going on, however, we also get a chance to interview the winners as they come offstage. Watching and listening to the show and interviews at the same time while wearing a tuxedo may soon become an exhibition sport in the Olympics.

Cate Blanchett and Jude Law then presented the award for Best Live Action Short Film to My Mother Dreams The Satan's Disciples In New York.

Billy Crystal and Michael Clarke Duncan then came out with some Toy Story 2 props. That segued to a pre-taped segment with the Toy Story characters. They presented the Oscar® for Best Animated Short Film to The Old Man And The Sea.

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