Other new nominees are doing their best not to overreact or get their hopes up. Jude Law looks at his Best Supporting nomination for Ripley as something of a cross to bear, especially since costars Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow were skunked by the Academy. ''It's a hell of a burden, but one I'm willing to carry,'' he cracks. Russell Crowe, who's now a Best Actor contender for The Insider, is in London with Meg Ryan filming Proof of Life, but he faxed us a cautiously worded statement (''I would like to thank the Academy for the privilege of this nomination.'') The Sixth Sense's 29-year-old writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (can't wait to hear what Billy Crystal does with that name) seems to be downplaying his nominations as well. ''If I won, I'd be the youngest director ever [to win]," he notes. ''How can you be confident about that?'' Only Green Mile's Best Supporting Actor nominee Michael Clarke Duncan seems to be getting into the true spirit of the occasion. ''One time I asked Tom Hanks if he gets introduced as 'Academy Award-winning Tom Hanks.' He said, 'No, they introduce me as a two-time Academy Award winner.' So now I can finally be Academy Award nominee Michael Clarke Duncan. It's kind of cool.''

Then there's Richard Farnsworth, the 79-year-old ex-stuntman who generated more than a few WOWS! when he won a Best Actor nomination for The Straight Story. He was so thrilled he couldn't keep track of the competition. "Wait a minute, Tom Hanks wasn't nominated? I thought he was. Are you serious? He wasn't? Oh, for gosh sakes. Wow. I feel like an idiot. I've got to stop going around talking about Tom Hanks winning anymore."

Not this year, anyway — but then the race has been a bit unusual.

(Reporting by Gillian Flynn, Jeff Jensen, Tricia Johnson, and Dave Karger)

Originally posted Feb 25, 2000 Published in issue #527 Feb 25, 2000 Order article reprints
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