Looking at Film from Every Angle

76th Academy Awards (2003): The Ceremony

Nominations Announcement

Nominations Announcement Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Nominations Presenters: Sigourney Weaver, Frank Pierson
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Supporting Actor
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Supporting Actress
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Actor
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Actress
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Director
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Original Screenplay
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Adapted Screenplay
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Foreign Language Film
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Animated Feature
Nominations Morning Category Presentation: Picture

Ceremony Details

Awards Ceremony Date/Time: Sunday, February 29, 2004, 5:30pm
Location: Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland
Televised On: ABC
Host: Billy Crystal
Length: 3 hours, 44 minutes
Nielsen Ratings: 26.68 rating
Viewers: 43.56 million

Presenters

Opening Montage: Sean Connery
Supporting Actor: Catherine Zeta-Jones
Best Picture Introduction: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Ian McKellen
Production Design: Angelina Jolie
Animated Feature: Robin Williams
Costume Design: Renée Zellweger
Best Picture Introduction: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: Nicolas Cage
Supporting Actress: Chris Cooper
Tribute: Bob Hope: Tom Hanks
Animated Short Film: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson
Live Action Short Film: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson
Original Song Introduction: “You Will Be My Ain True Love,” “The Scarlet Tide,” and “Into the West”: Liv Tyler
Visual Effects: Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith
Scientific & Technical Awards; and Gordon E. Sawyer Award: Peter D. Parks: Jennifer Garner
Honorary Award: Blake Edwards: Jim Carrey
Best Picture Introduction: Lost in Translation: Bill Murray
Makeup & Hairstyling: Scarlett Johansson
Sound Mixing: Sandra Bullock, John Travolta
Sound Editing: Sandra Bullock, John Travolta
Tribute: Katharine Hepburn: Julia Roberts
Best Picture Introduction: Mystic River: Oprah Winfrey
Documentary Short Subject: John Cusack, Diane Lane
Documentary Feature: Alec Baldwin, Naomi Watts
In Memoriam: Frank Pierson
Music: Original Score: Phil Collins, Sting
Film Editing: Pierce Brosnan, Julianne Moore
Original Song Introduction: “A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow” and “Belleville Rendez-vous”: Jamie Lee Curtis
Original Song: Jack Black, Will Ferrell
Foreign Language Film: Charlize Theron
Cinematography: Jude Law, Uma Thurman
Writing: Adapted Screenplay: Francis Ford Coppola, Sofia Coppola
Best Picture Introduction: Seabiscuit: Tobey Maguire
Writing: Original Screenplay: Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon
Directing: Tom Cruise
Actress: Adrien Brody
Actor: Nicole Kidman
Picture: Steven Spielberg

Previous Acting & Directing Winners

The tradition of prior acting winners returning the subsequent year to present the opposite-gender category is a long one. Each year, we look to see whether the prior winners returned. There was an intermittent tradition where the prior directing winner returned as well, but this was a rare occurrence.

Actor – Adrien Brody: Yes
Actress – Nicole Kidman: Yes
Supporting Actor – Chris Cooper: Yes
Supporting Actress – Catherine Zeta-Jones: Yes
Directing – Roman Polanski: No

Song Performances

Belleville Rendez-Vous: Béatrice Bonifassi, Benoît Charest
A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow: Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara
Into the West: Annie Lennox
Scarlet Tide: Elvis Costello, Alison Krauss
You Will Be My Ain True Love: Alison Krauss, Sting

Original Song Film Performers

Was the song performed at the Oscars by the same individuals who performed it in the film?

Belleville Rendez-Vous: No (Performed in the Film by: Matthieu Chedid)
A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow: Yes (Performed in the Film by: Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara)
Into the West: Yes (Performed in the Film by: Annie Lennox)
Scarlet Tide: Partial (Alison Krauss only) (Performed in the Film by: Alison Krauss)
You Will Be My Ain True Love: Partial (Alison Krauss only) (Performed in the Film by: Alison Krauss)

Other Performances

Opening Number: Best Picture Spoofs – Ol’ Man River = Mystic River; Maria = Lost in Translation; My Favorite Things = The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Goldfinger = Seabiscuit; Come Fly with Me = Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World: Billy Crystal
Original Song Presentation: Get Off the Stage (song parody): Jack Black, Will Ferrell

Ceremony Production Staff

Announcer: Andy Geller
Conductor / Musical Arranger: Marc Shaiman, Harold Wheeler
Director: Louis J. Horvitz
Producer: Joe Roth
Writer: Jon Macks, Beth Armogida, Dave Boone, Ed Driscoll, Carol Leifer, Billy Martin, Marc Shaiman, David Steinberg, Norman Steinberg, Scott Wittman
Writer (Special Material): Billy Crystal
Production Design: Roy Christopher

Emmys

Nominations: 9
Wins: 1
Variety Music or Comedy Special: Nominee
Directing for a Variety Special: Winner
Performance in a Variety or Music Program: Nominee (Billy Crystal, host)
Music Direction: Nominee
Multi Camera Picture Editing for a Special Miniseries or a Movie: Nominee
Lighting Design Lighting Direction for a Variety Series: Nominee
Art Direction for Variety or Nonfiction Programming: Nominee
Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special: Nominee
Technical Direction Camerawork Video Control for a Miniseries Movie or a Special: Nominee