'Titanic' takes 70th Oscars

The dreaded iceberg never emerged at last night's 70th Annual Academy Awards. That meant smooth sailing for "Titanic," the epic romance that can now add the words "Best Picture" to its already golden resume.

In the annual ceremony honoring excellence in motion pictures, director James Cameron's film about the legendary 1912 ocean disaster received a total of 11 awards. It took home statuettes in nearly every technical category, and tied "Ben-Hur"'s 38-year-old record for Oscar wins, a mark that hasn't been neared in decades.

Also tying records was industry favorite Jack Nicholson's Best Actor award for his role as an obsessive-compulsive writer in "As Good as it Gets" - his third Oscar. With the nod, Nicholson joined the company of silver screen legends Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan as the most heralded actors in movie history.

AP PHOTO "Titanic" director James Cameron screams "I am king of the world" as he accepts an Oscar for Best Director.

Nicholson's co-star Helen Hunt, who also appears on NBC's "Mad About You," was another one of the night's many anticipated winners, snagging a trophy for Best Actress.

Also rising out of television fame was supporting actor winner Robin Williams, who became popular with his free-association comedy riffs and his role as a wacky alien on the early 1980s TV comedy "Mork and Mindy." Williams took home his first-ever Oscar for playing a tough therapist in "Good Will Hunting," a film that was also nominated for Best Picture.

The popular independent movie's only other Oscar went to original screenplay writers and best friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who crafted "Good Will Hunting" and waited more than five years to see their script become a motion picture.

In another one of the night's most anticipated moments, Curtis Hanson, who wrote and directed the critically acclaimed crime thriller "L.A. Confidential," collected an Oscar for the screenplay he wrote with Brian Helgeland.

Hanson recognized the extensive cast of his film, only one of whom was nominated for an acting prize. "A screenplay is just words on paper ... I want to thank the actors of 'L.A. Confidential' for making Brian and me look so good," Hanson said.

Making Hanson look particularly good was veteran performer Kim Basinger, who won the Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of a Veronica Lake lookalike prostitute in "L.A. Confidential."

"If anyone has a dream out there, just know: I'm living proof that (dreams) do come true," Basinger.

But the night belonged to James Cameron, a director who reportedly underwent years of financial and physical strain to bring his film to fruition. The filmmaker has been criticized repeatedly for spending upwards of $200 million on his motion picture.

Still, over the course of a presentation that lasted even longer than his movie, Cameron became pretty familiar with the joy that goes along with winning an Academy Award. He took home statuettes for editing, directing and producing his historical romance.

In his Best Director acceptance speech, Cameron appropriately summed-up the evening by evoking the joyous words of Jack Dawson, his film's protagonist: "I'm the king of the world!"

Of course, no king ever had three Academy Awards to his credit.

Winners at last night's 70th Academy Awards

Best Director: James Cameron, "Titanic"

Best Actor: Jack Nicholson, "As Good as it Gets"

Best Actress: Helen Hunt, "As Good as it Gets"

Best Supporting Actor: Robin Williams, "Good Will Hunting"

Best Supporting Actress: Kim Basinger, "L.A. Confidential"

Best Original Screenplay: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, "Good Will Hunting"

Best Adapted Screenplay: Curtis Hanson and Brian Helgeland, "L.A. Confidential"

Best Original Song: "My Heart Will Go On," "Titanic"

Best Dramatic Score: "Titanic"

Best Musical or Comedy Score: "The Full Monty"

Best Makeup: "Men in Black"

Best Foreign Language Film: "Character" (the Netherlands)

Lifetime Achievement: Stanley Donen

03-24-98