Oscar Reax: Surprise, Shameless Dancing
February 12, 2002

Forget that subdued crap most actors try to hand us. René Zellweger let it all hang out upon hearing the news of her nomination for Best Actress for Bridget Jones's Diary.

"I'm shocked, honored and grateful and shamelessly laughing and dancing around the apartment," she said in a statement. "I'm just happy, so happy."

She wasn't the only one, as a batch of nominees (no-brainers and out-of-left-field choices alike) celebrated their nominations Tuesday for the 74th Academy Awards. While The Lord of the Rings led the way with 13 nominations, a handful of actors woke up to a pleasant surprise--and, presumably, did some shameless dancing of their own.

A Beautiful Mind director Ron Howard passed the praise to his cast and crew ("I was very, very happy to hear all our names mentioned"), Kate Winslet says she was "stunned" and New Zealand Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson got some good news late at night, rather than early in the morning. (It was 2:30 a.m. in his time zone).

Here's a rundown of some other reactions to Tuesday announcements:

• "I was in my apartment in London, wrapping a Valentine's Day present for my daughter on the floor, and my manager called me and mass hysteria broke out," Halle Berry tells E! News Daily. "I don't remember much else--except that I called my mother and then my husband. I probably won't sleep for the next six weeks...It's six weeks to the Oscars, right?"

• Best Actor nominee Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith had a bruising experience: "Jada and I were asleep, the phone rang, Jada answered it and it was my publicist telling me the news," he said. "Jada got so excited, she started jumping up and down and hit her head on the door. So I got her some aspirin and then we laughed ourselves silly."

• "When I first heard, I was watching television," said Best Actor nominee Tom Wilkinson. "I haven't called anyone yet--my wife's not home and my kids are in school. It's a nice surprise."

• "I was hoping to recognized by the Academy because they are the experts," said Best Supporting Actor nominee Ian McKellen, aka Gandalf. "But 13 nominations! I was surprised."

• An "honored" Best Director nominee Robert Altman said, "Working on Gosford Park was a joy and a delight thanks to the glorious cast. To be recognized by the Academy makes it all the sweeter."

• And speaking of his "glorious cast," Maggie Smith was "thrilled" by the news she's up for her sixth Oscar nomination, and her fourth for Best Supporting Actress. Her costar Helen Mirren was equally "gratified," scoring her second nod for the same category. "It means the world to me that it has been recognized by the Academy," she said.

• Beatle-wise, "This is fantastic news," Paul McCartney said, upon getting word that his song "Vanilla Sky" (from the Cameron Crowe film of the same name) was nominated for Best Original Song. "It's a great honor to be considered by the Academy for an award such as this. It's something every songwriter aspires to. We are thrilled and would like to thank all of the people responsible."

Meantime, Internet betting site Intertops.com has already released its list of Oscar odds. A Beautiful Mind is the current fave at 4-5, followed by The Lord of the Rings, with 3-2 odds. The longshot of the bunch? Gosford Park at 12-1.

For Best Actress, Sissy Spacek is a 4-5 favorite for In the Bedroom--while Russell Crowe is a 1-2 frontrunner for A Beautiful Mind and his director, Ron Howard, is in front with 3-5 odds. Will Smith (12-1), René Zellweger (15-1) and David Lynch (10-1) are the respective longshots in those categories.

Finally, Intertops says Jim Broadbent is the even-money bet for Best Supporting Actor for Iris, and Jennifer Connelly is a 1-4 front runner for Best Supporting Actress for A Beautiful Mind.

Source: Yahoo News (E!)