(25 Mar 1997) English/Nat

Hollywood's A-List was out in force Monday night for the 69th Annual Academy Awards.

Oscar hopefuls mingled with past winners outside Los Angeles' Shrine auditorium.

"The English Patient" was showered with at least seven Oscars, but the festivities beforehand excited the crowd outside as much as the ceremony itself did for the lucky thousands inside.

Replicas of the Oscar statue -- six metres tall -- stood guard at the doors of the Shrine Auditorium.

Thousands of fans had queued for hours to watch their favourite stars arrive for the 69th Academy Awards ceremony.

Oscar hopefuls arrived in a state of anticipation.

Many of the 20 acting nominees arriving Monday night were virtual unknowns -- certainly to American audiences.

The exceptions included Tom Cruise, Diane Keaton and Lauren Bacall.

In the best picture category, four of the five nominees were independent films.

One of those, "The English Patient" -- starring Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas - - started by sweeping Oscars in at least seven categories.

But for the Hollywood studios, Cuba Gooding, Junior, managed to win best supporting actor for the film Jerry Maguire:

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"You know, I've been so blessed in the last year, that it didn't matter to me what happened tonight, truly, and you know it sounds like bullshit but here the front-runner thing happened and all of that stuff, I thought it was a compliment. I thought if it didn't happen, it would be interesting to see all the people who said, 'Oh, I thought for sure you were going to win' and that's what I basically tried to focus in on. "
SUPER CAPTION: Cuba Gooding, best supporting actor "Jerry Maguire" speaking backstage at the Oscars

The French actress Juliette Binoche won best supporting actress for her role as a nurse in "The English Patient".

She said she did not expect to win:

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"I don't know, it feels like a dream still, you know, it feels unreal. I don't believe I have this in my hand."
SUPER CAPTION: Juliette Binoche, best supporting actress, "The English Patient" speaking backstage at the Oscars

The Oscars for best film, actor and actress are still to be announced, but it looks as if "The English Patient" could be on its way to sweeping the awards.

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