War tones down red carpet at the Academy Awards

• And the nominees are ...
• Oscar briefs
• Nominees and winners recall moments of Oscar night
• Unsavory news can hurt chances for an Oscar

USA Today

Last year's best actress Halle Berry, seen here with best actor Denzel Washington, had to overcome a much-publicized hit-and-run. Advertiser library photo • March 24, 2002 75th Annual Academy Awards 6:30 tonight ABC

"Chicago"

"Gangs of New York"

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"

"The Pianist"

"The Hours"

Some already have called it quits:

• Will Smith, a scheduled presenter, decided to withdraw, saying he didn't "personally feel it was appropriate" to attend.
• "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson is opting to stay in New Zealand, where he's filming the third "Rings" film, rather than risk a delay in returning to the production.
• Post-Oscar parties are scaling down. No media will be allowed at the academy's annual Governors Ball, nor at the Vanity Fair bash or Paramount Studios' arrivals.

"The mood is one of controlled anxiety," said Smith's publicist Stan Rosenfield. "This thing is going to affect everyone far past the events of Sunday."

There were rumors that Nicole Kidman had pulled out of the Oscars, but her publicist, Catherine Olim, said on Wednesday that it's not true. "She's still planning on flying in with her family. Fingers crossed," Olim said.

On Wednesday's "Access Hollywood" TV show, Elizabeth Taylor said she wasn't sorry to see a subdued red carpet. "I'm glad. I think it's frivolous." Taylor is planning to make this Oscars her last. "At the end of the broadcast, all the past winners are going to walk across the stage. So that will be my swan song."

And the nominees are ...

Best Picture

• "Chicago"
• "Gangs of New York"
• "The Hours"
• "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
• "The Pianist"

Actor

• Adrien Brody, "The Pianist"
• Nicolas Cage, "Adaptation"
• Michael Caine, "The Quiet American"
• Daniel Day-Lewis, "Gangs of New York"
• Jack Nicholson, "About Schmidt"

Actress

• Salma Hayek, "Frida"
• Nicole Kidman, "The Hours"
• Diane Lane, "Unfaithful"
• Julianne Moore, "Far from Heaven"
• Renee Zellweger, "Chicago"

Supporting Actor

• Chris Cooper, "Adaptation"
• Ed Harris, "The Hours"
• Paul Newman, "Road to Perdition"
• John C. Reilly, "Chicago"
• Christopher Walken, "Catch Me If You Can"

Supporting Actress

• Kathy Bates, "About Schmidt"
• Julianne Moore, "The Hours"
• Queen Latifah, "Chicago"
• Meryl Streep, "Adaptation"
• Catherine Zeta-Jones, "Chicago"

Director

• Rob Marshall, "Chicago"
• Martin Scorsese, "Gangs of New York"
• Stephen Daldry, "The Hours"
• Roman Polanski, "The Pianist"
• Pedro Almodovar, "Talk to Her"

Adapted Screenplay

• Peter Hedges, Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz, "About a Boy"
• Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman, "Adaptation"
• Bill Condon, "Chicago"
• David Hare, "The Hours"
• Ronald Harwood, "The Pianist"

Original Screenplay

• Todd Haynes, "Far From Heaven"
• Jay Cocks, Steve Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, "Gangs of New York"
• Nia Vardalos, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
• Pedro Almodovar, "Talk to Her"
• Carlos Cuaron and Alfonso Cuaron, "Y Tu Mama Tambien"

Foreign-Language Film

• "El Crimen del Padre Amaro," Mexico;
• "Hero," People's Republic of China
• "The Man Without a Past," Finland
• "Nowhere in Africa," Germany
• "Zus & Zo," The Netherlands

Animated Feature Film

• "Ice Age"
• "Lilo & Stitch"
• "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron"
• "Spirited Away"
• "Treasure Planet"

Oscar briefs

Zeta-Jones will sing with Latifah

If only she were singing "Having My Baby."

A tremendously pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones has agreed to perform in Sunday's Academy Awards, joining Queen Latifah in singing "Chicago's" nominated song, "I Move On."

The John Kander and Fred Ebb tune had been performed in the movie musical by Zeta-Jones and Rene Zellweger, but Zellweger declined to perform in front of the Oscars' global television audience.

Zeta-Jones, more than eight months' pregnant, and Latifah will be joined on stage by more than a dozen dancers in a sequence choreographed by "Chicago" director Rob Marshall and John DeLuca.

The academy has not announced who will perform Eminem's "Lose Yourself," the nominated song from "8 Mile." The rapper's record label says he is taking time off and will not attend the show.

Of the remaining nominated songs, U2 will perform "The Hands That Built America" from "Gangs of New York," folk singers Lila Downs and Caetano Veloso will croon "Burn It Blue" from "Frida," and Paul Simon will sing

"Father and Daughter" from "The Wild Thornberrys Movie."

Anti-war pins offered to stars

In West Hollywood, celebrities picking up their Oscar gowns and jewelry at the Sunset Marquis Hotel were greeted Thursday by the anti-war group Artists United to Win Without War.

Actor Mike Farrell handed out small green-and-blue peace pins and asked celebrities to wear them to the Oscars.

The group was offering a chance "for everyone who wants to make a silent and dignified opposition to what's going on," Farrell said. "The Oscars have to be reflective to the reality of what's happening today."

U2 will do 'Gangs' tune

U2 will perform at the 75th Academy Awards, the band's first time performing on the Oscar show.

U2 will perform "The Hands that Built America" from "Gangs of New York," for which the band's four members are nominated in the original song category. This is the first nomination for U2, which has been performing together since the late 1970s. Bono accepted the win at the Golden Globes for the same song earlier this year.

Best actress fashion report

As the Academy Awards drew close, some nominees chose outfits early — and others played it down to the wire.

A week ago, best actress contenders Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and Salma Hayek had selected the gowns they will be wearing on March 23, but Diane Lane was keeping her options open.

"I'm sort of going between panic and denial," Lane said, on choosing the right outfit. "Yes, I have a choice, but again it is a choice and I'm going to keep my choice as such until I get into the limousine. It's always important to have a backup."

Kidman said she had a list for her right Oscar dress. "I do like to be able to sit down in it, and I like to be able to eat in it," says Kidman.

"I just see a dress that I like and go, 'That's what I'm going to wear.' I don't put an enormous amount of deliberation into it," Kidman adds, saying that she is bringing her mother and father to the Oscars.

Hayek has a similar method: "I'm a little unorthodox on this process because I find it boring. So I said, 'I want this and this.' It took me like 10 minutes to decide for the Golden Globes and the Oscars," says Hayek. "Like I'm going to go around and try on a million dresses "