March 21, 1999
Web posted at: 6:51 a.m. EST (1151 GMT)

In this story: Some films making history Poll supports 'Private Ryan' Kazan controversy RELATED STORIES, SITES

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Stars from far and wide are gathering here in preparation for the 71st annual Academy Awards, being hosted by Whoopi Goldberg at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Sunday evening.

History, dark and light, is the theme of this year's awards, with two films set in the 16th Century -- "Elizabeth" and "Shakespeare in Love" -- pitted against "Saving Private Ryan," "The Thin Red Line" and "Life Is Beautiful," all set in World War II.

The Oscars ceremony itself its making history, for the first time in its 46 years on television taking place on a Sunday. The film industry had previously resisted putting such a popular awards show on a weekend night, fearing that it would compete with ticket sales.

"It's a great move," said Gil Cates, who is producing his ninth Oscar ceremony.

"Sunday is a festive day, a day of relaxation. It's a non-work day, and I think that comports well with what Oscar should be," he said. "The whole phenomenon of folks rushing home from work to watch the show is going to be avoided."

DEAR WHOOPI, LOVE, THE STARS:

CNN's Showbiz Today asked the stars for advice to Academy Awards ceremony host Whoopi Goldberg. Here's their suggestions: Ellen DeGeneres: Keep it moving, just keep it movin'. I don't want to be sitting there too long, you know. Catherine Zeta-Jones: Just get the dress right. That's all you have to worry about at the Oscars, isn't it? Minnie Driver: Don't talk about Monica Lewinsky. What a drag. Siegfried and Roy: For a good entrance... give her a white lion, a white tiger. Robin Williams: I can't advise her on that... It would be like a leper giving a facial.

Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Kim Basinger, John Travolta, Annette Bening, Andy Garcia and Helen Hunt are among the presenters.

The performers are Celine Dion, Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Randy Newman, Peter Gabriel, Allison Moorer and Aerosmith.

Oscar winner Geena Davis ("The Accidental Tourist," 1988) will be host of an academy first: an exclusive pre-ceremony show beginning at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

And there's still more history afoot in this year's awards. As "Life Is Beautiful"'s nominated director and writer, Roberto Benigni, notes in his ever-effervescent style, "This is the first time in the history of Oscars for a foreign-language movie to get seven nominations. It's in the history of Oscars, now. I feel like a historian like, um, Benjamin Franklin!"

Benigni's Italian film isn't the only film in the foreign-language category making Oscar history. The country of Iran earned its first-ever nomination with "Children of Heaven." For Iranian director Majid Majidi, getting to the Oscars wasn't easy. Neither was gaining entry to the United States: He told CNN's Showbiz Today that he was held at the airport's customs, fingerprinted and photographed before he was allowed through.

"Shakespeare in Love" is just one of several British films being touted this Oscar season

The English remain closest to Hollywood's heart. "American actors have always respected British actors," says Howard Karren of Premiere magazine. "British acting has always been sort of looked up to as sort of the height of its craft."

And this year is no exception: A partial list of nominated Britons includes "Shakespeare in Love" writers Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, director John Madden and supporting actress Judi Dench; Brenda Blethyn from "Little Voice"; Emily Watson of "Hilary and Jackie"; and Ian McKellen of "Gods and Monsters."

Australia, the land down under, got its comeuppance with eight nominations -- including Cate Blanchett of "Elizabeth" and "Hilary and Jackie" co-star Rachel Griffiths.

"It's like Australia gets to go to the Super Bowl," Griffiths says. "You know they're going crazy for it, I think there's this huge party in Sydney."

Many folks are hoping that "Saving Private Ryan" wins the Oscar battle

Yet Australians are certainly not the only film buffs rooting for their stars. In the United States, folks are getting excited about the prospect of seeing their favorite American stars win, too.

According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Thursday, most Americans are hoping that "Saving Private Ryan" will be named Best Picture of the Year. Of the 1,025 U.S. adults interviewed from March 12 to 14, 53 percent say they want to see Steven Spielberg's war movie win the top prize at the Oscar ceremony. "Shakespeare in Love" ranked a distant second, at 11 percent.

The support for "Private Ryan" is nearly as strong as the 58 percent who favored the blockbuster "Titanic" at last year's awards.

One era in history will loom especially large because of an honorary award being given to director Elia Kazan, whose critically acclaimed films include "On the Waterfront" and "Gentleman's Agreement." Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese are presenting.

In the 1950s, Kazan drew fire by giving the names of colleagues to the House Un-American Activities Committee investigating communist infiltration in Hollywood.

Yet Spielberg disagrees, saying, "The body of his work has been a great influence upon me and all of my peers."

A motion is underway encouraging stars at the ceremony to refrain from applauding when Kazan receives his award. Acknowledging there are those who will refuse to applaud Kazan, Cates said: "We'll show all." There will be no "sweetening" if the applause is scant or attempt to mask any boos, he said.

Correspondents Dennis Michael, Michael Okwu and Paul Clinton contributed to this report.