March 1, 2001. Copyright, 2001, Graphic News. All rights reserved OSCAR GETS READY TO PARTY by Mark Samms Graphic News, London, March 1, 2001: THE post-Oscar parties for next month have been booked with a little more circumspection than usual, because the contest for honours in all categories is as open as it has been for many years. Six months ago, Gladiator seemed set to sweep all before it. Since then, however, other movies have emerged largely unheralded from the pack and threatened the pre-eminence of Ridley ScottÕs Roman epic. Foremost among them is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which has garnered 10 Academy Award nominations to GladiatorÕs 12. At BritainÕs BAFTA awards in February, held in advance of the Oscars for the first time, Gladiator scooped five awards to the TigerÕs four. The reflective martial arts fantasy, with its captivating blend of romance and exquisitely-mounted action sequences marks a complete departure for director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm). It had its world premiere at Cannes last year and since then has scooped up a series of prestigious awards across the globe. Not even the fact that it is made in Chinese with English sub-titles has detracted from its success at the box office in the States, and it is a genuine contender in the Best Film category. Lee may even emulate his Golden Globe and BAFTA success, having now twice snatched the Best Director award from both Ridley Scott and Steven Soderbergh, the latter nominated for two films -- Erin Brockovich and Traffic -- on both occasions. In fact, Soderbergh has made Academy Awards history by being nominated twice in both the Best Film and Best Director categories -- the first time this has happened. Losing out yet again would be tough on a man whose reputation has grown to the extent that Julia Roberts openly admitted she would Òread the telephone book to him if he asked me.Ó Her enthusiasm for Soderbergh is hardly surprising. He cast her in the title role of Erin Brockovich, the true story of an unemployed, single mother who gets a job as a legal secretary and ends up successfully championing a lawsuit that is one of the biggest of its kind. Soderbergh dragged out of Roberts one of the finest performances she is ever likely to give, and finally allowed her to leave her fey, glamorous persona far behind. Anyone seeking a clear favourite at this yearÕs Oscars need look no farther than Roberts in the Best Actress category. SoderberghÕs other outstanding movie over the past 12 months, Traffic, depicts three distinct but intertwining strands in the ongoing drugs war between the United States and Mexico, and features celebrity newlyweds Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones amongst its stars. As expected, the movie also earned a Best Supporting Actor nomination for Benicio del Toro, the hot favourite to collect the award after his wins at the Golden Globes and the BAFTAs. In recent years, the OscarsÕ ceremony has come to resemble a Tom Hanks benefit evening. Rarely a year passes when AmericaÕs most consistently-successful actor does not get a nomination of some kind. This year he is up for Best Actor in Cast Away, and his extraordinary one-man performance (he is the only actor seen on screen for 75 minutes of the movie) could well add another statuette to his burgeoning collection. But the eclectic mix featured in this yearÕs awards means there is room for less-hyped movies to stake their claim for honours. Claiming a surprise place in the spotlight in the coveted Best Film category is Chocolat -- the whimsical tale of a woman and her daughter opening a chocolate shop in France -- with additional nominations for Juliette Binoche as Best Actress and Judi Dench as Best Supporting Actress. /ENDS Sources: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, BBC