CELEBS TALK ABOUT ... THE BIG `O'.

Robin Williams co-hosted the Oscars in 1985 with Alan Alda and Jane Fonda, and it's an experience he's not eager to repeat.

``God, no, oh, please no,'' Williams says at the mere mention of the job. ``It's a tough gig, man. After the first two awards, more and more losers are sitting there hoping for an open bar. That's why the Golden Globes are so much fun, because you can see Jack Nicholson going, 'I don't give a (rip). I'm just sitting here having a couple of cocktails. And look at Lara Flynn (Boyle). You could put an eye out.' ''

``He's having a good time. But the Academy Awards . . . that's death.''

As for his own memories about winning a supporting-actor Oscar for ``Good Will Hunting'' in 1998, Williams says: ``My stand-out recollection is how all of a sudden English became a second language. And you look out in the audience and you see the history of show business. There's Madonna. There's Burt Reynolds (who lost to Williams that year) looking at you like, 'Die. I hope you die.' Fun night.''

- Glenn Whipp

Bryan Singer, the director of ``The Usual Suspects'' and ``Apt Pupil,'' knows who he's rooting for in tonight's Oscars - Halle Berry as best actress and Ian McKellen for best supporting actor, both worked for him in ``X-Men'' and are about to again on the sequel, ``X2.''

Asked if he has an eye for casting, Singer, who shepherded Kevin Spacey to an Oscar in ``Suspects,'' modestly notes that he might. When he was a high-school student and was looking for someone to cast in his 8mm films, he was ``looking for a kid and he had to really be special. I noticed this kid in junior high, and I thought he had a certain interesting energy and quality.''

A girl who was making the film with Singer knew the kid and recruited him. Singer was so impressed with the youngster's ability that he made another film starring him. ``And that was Ethan Hawke. He was 12 or 13 at the time.''

Hawke, as it so happens, is up against McKellen - a fact that was pointed out to Singer. ``In this particular case,'' he said, laughing, ``since I'm about to go to work with these two certain people (on 'X2'), I have my fingers crossed for Ian and Halle.''

- Rob Lowman

``I am rooting for Sean Penn,'' says Jodie Foster, who's taken home Oscars as best actress for ``The Accused'' and ``The Silence of the Lambs.'' ``I don't know what his chances are, but I just think that was such an extraordinary performance. For whatever reason he's gotten criticism for it, you have to understand what an extraordinary performance that is, just light-years ahead of anything else.'' When asked about her pal Russell Crowe, who at one time was going to star in a film for her, ``The Panic Room'' actress, who's presenting Sunday, replied, ``Aw, he's already got one!'' She then added diplomatically, ``Russell's great, you know. And 'A Beautiful Mind' was an extraordinary performance, too.''

- Bob Strauss

Recently knighted Ben Kingsley, who is nominated as best supporting actor in ``Sexy Beast,'' doesn't believe actors dwell on awards. But he does put the Oscars into a perspective that some of us can understand.

``Put it this way,'' says the 58-year-old English actor, who won an Oscar for ``Gandhi.'' ``For those of us who work in film, it's the closest we can get to having some kind of applause at the end of an event. Because when a theater actor, which I'm not, does a play, then there is some applause at the end of the evening. But when a film actor, which I am, finishes a movie, then the family breaks up and we go on to the next project.

``Essentially there's no ritualized applause from the audience. So award ceremonies of any kind are an opportunity to take a modest bow at the end of our work.''

- Rob Lowman