LORD OF THE NOMINATIONS ACADEMY LETS STUDIOS CRANK UP THE HYPE WITH CHOICES.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Writer

Now the real spending can begin.

After what have been called the most aggressive and costly Oscar campaigns in history, the Academy Award nominations came out Tuesday and studios now know where to funnel millions more in advertising dollars in the next five weeks.

The big winner Tuesday was ``The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,'' which received 13 nominations - but still can't shake the feeling of being the underdog when the awards are handed out March 24 at the first ceremony at the new Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

That's because the favorite remains ``A Beautiful Mind,'' Ron Howard's uplifting and broadly fictionalized portrait of schizophrenic mathematician John Nash. ``A Beautiful Mind'' received eight nominations, including nods for actors Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly and a first-ever directing nomination for Howard.

``It's 'A Beautiful Mind's' award to lose,'' said one veteran Oscar campaigner (who, like most interviewed, asked not to be identified). ``It's the only one of the five best-picture nominees that's uplifting, and that's what works with academy voters. That's what they want to endorse for posterity.''

Of course, the studios behind the other best-picture nominees - ``Moulin Rouge,'' ``In the Bedroom,'' ``Gosford Park'' and ``Lord of the Rings'' - won't be giving up without a fight.

20th Century Fox has spent more than $10 million in an effort to make ``Moulin Rouge'' its first best-picture winner since ``The French Connection'' took the Oscar in 1972.

``There's a feeling they've butchered a number of campaigns in recent years, the most recent being 'Cast Away,' so this is their shot at redemption,'' says a studio campaign insider.

It might be a long shot, though, given that ``Moulin Rouge'' director Baz Luhrman was surprisingly omitted from the nominees' list.

``Maybe he was seen as wanting it too much,'' says an Oscar strategist. ``He was out there in the spotlight a lot, campaigning for his movie, and that might have hurt him with the director's branch, who see themselves as artists and not people who crave attention.''

Another big loser was DreamWorks' popular animated movie ``Shrek,'' which the studio hoped would be nominated for best picture. It wasn't, despite a bold, $15 million-plus ad campaign. ``Shrek'' did receive a nod for best animated feature, and will compete against Disney's ``Monsters, Inc.'' and Nickelodeon's ``Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'' in the new Oscar category.

Nominees included actors of color: Denzel Washington (``Training Day'') and Will Smith (``Ali'') compete, marking the first time two African-Americans were nominated for best actor in the same year.

Halle Berry was recognized for her performance as the grieving, yearning widow in ``Monster's Ball.'' It was the first time since 1972 that three African-Americans were nominated in lead acting categories.

``It's one of those things where the work is there and it's being recognized,'' Smith told ``Extra.'' ``Black folks are going to be smiling for a couple of weeks at least.''

Also smiling: Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson, the leads of Miramax's downbeat revenge drama ``In the Bedroom.'' Spacek, 52, received her sixth nomination. She won in 1980 for ``Coal Miner's Daughter,'' and is the odds-on favorite this year.

``I am so thrilled,'' Spacek said. ``It's wonderful for a film of this nature to get the recognition and support that it has. What a gift.''

Wilkinson, reached by phone in London, tempered his enthusiasm.

``With all these things you must retain a healthy dose of skepticism. It's nice when it happens, but it's not why we do it. It's a bonus.''

For Crowe, it's a bonus that comes with a sense of deja vu. Crowe's nomination for ``A Beautiful Mind'' is his third in a row, following last year's win for ``Gladiator'' and his 2000 nod for ``The Insider.'' If he wins, as forecasted, Crowe will join Luise Rainer, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Jason Robards and Tom Hanks as actors who have won back-to-back Oscars.

Of course, Crowe is still not nearly as prodigious as composer John Williams, who scored his 41st nomination for his music on Steven Spielberg's ``A.I. Artificial Intelligence.'' He has won five times, most recently for another Spielberg film, ``Schindler's List.''

But Williams' nomination also underscores the notion that this year's slate offers few surprises. Most slots in the major categories went according to expectations; the wild cards came with the fifth nominees - director David Lynch (``Mulholland Drive''), supporting actor Ethan Hawke (``Training Day''), and lead actors Sean Penn (``I Am Sam'') and Renee Zellweger (``Bridget Jones's Diary'').

The question is: Will the general public care enough about the contenders to tune in to the ceremony? Which, by the way, will be broadcast starting at 5:30 p.m. March 24 on KABC-TV (Channel 7).

``There are a lot of good movies and performances, but few that stand out as being great,'' said one academy member.

``It's kind of an off year. I get the sense that there aren't that many people, outside of the studios and the nominees, who really feel strongly one way or another about who wins.''

AND THE NOMINEES ARE...

Here is the list of nominees for the 74th Academy Awards, announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

BEST PICTURE: ``A Beautiful Mind,'' ``Gosford Park, ``In the Bedroom,'' ``The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,'' ``Moulin Rouge.''

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE: Russell Crowe, ``A Beautiful Mind''; Sean Penn, ``I Am Sam''; ``Will Smith,'' Ali; Denzel Washington, ```Training Day''; Tom Wilkinson, ``In the Bedroom.''

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Jim Broadbent, ``Iris''; Ethan Hawke, ``Training Day''; Ben Kingsley, ``Sexy Beast''; Ian McKellen, ``Lord of the Rings''; Jon Voight, ``Ali.''

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: Halle Berry, ``Monster's Ball''; Judi Dench, ``Iris''; Nicole Kidman, ``Moulin Rouge''; Sissy Spacek, ``In the Bedroom''; Renee Zellweger, ``Bridget Jones's Diary.''

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE: Jennifer Connelly, ``A Beautiful Mind''; Helen Mirren, ``Gosford Park''; Maggie Smith, ``Gosford Park''; Marisa Tomei, ``In the Bedroom''; Kate Winslet, ``Iris.''

DIRECTING: Ron Howard, ``A Beautiful Mind''; Ridley Scott, ``Black Hawk Down''; Robert Altman, ``Gosford Park''; Peter Jackson, ``The Lord of the Rings''; David Lynch, ``Mulholland Drive.''

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM (new category): ``Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius,'' ``Monsters, Inc.,'' ``Shrek.''

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: ``Amelie,'' ``Elling,'' ``Lagaan,'' ``No Man's Land,'' ``Son of the Bride.''

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: ``A Beautiful Mind,'' ``Ghost World,'' ``In the Bedroom,'' ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``Shrek.''

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: ``Amelie,'' ``Gosford Park,'' ``Memento,'' ``Monster's Ball,'' ``The Royal Tenenbaums.''

FILM EDITING: ``A Beautiful Mind,'' ``Black Hawk Down,'' ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``Memento,'' ``Moulin Rouge.''

SOUND: ``Amelie,'' ``Black Hawk Down,'' ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``Moulin Rouge,'' ``Pearl Harbor.''

SOUND EDITING: ``Monsters, Inc.,'' ``Pearl Harbor.''

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: ``Children Underground,'' ``Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton,'' ``Murder on a Sunday Morning,'' ``Promises,'' ``War Photographer.''

DOCUMENTARY SHORT: ``Artists and Orphans: A True Drama,'' ``Sing!'' ``Thoth.''

COSTUME DESIGN: ``The Affair of the Necklace,'' ``Gosford Park,'' ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' ``The Lord of the Rings.''

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ``Amelie,'' ``Black Hawk Down,'' ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``The Man Who Wasn't There,'' ``Moulin Rouge.''

MAKEUP: ``A Beautiful Mind,'' ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``Moulin Rouge.''

VISUAL EFFECTS: ``A.I.: Artificial Intelligence,'' ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``Pearl Harbor.''

ORIGINAL SCORE: ``A.I.: Artificial Intelligence,'' John Williams; ``A Beautiful Mind,'' James Horner; ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' John Williams; ``The Lord of the Rings,'' Howard Shore; ``Monsters, Inc.,'' Randy Newman.

ORIGINAL SONG: ``Until'' from ``Kate & Leopold,'' ``May It Be'' from ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``If I Didn't Have You'' from ``Monsters, Inc.,'' ``There You'll Be'' from ``Pearl Harbor,'' ``Vanilla Sky'' from ``Vanilla Sky.''

ART DIRECTION: ``Amelie,'' ``Gosford Park,'' ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,'' ``The Lord of the Rings,'' ``Moulin Rouge.''

ANIMATED SHORT FILM: ``Fifty Percent Grey,'' ``For the Birds,'' ``Give Up Yer Aul Sins,'' ``Strange Invaders,'' ``Stubble Trouble.''

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM: ``The Accountant,'' ``Copy Shop,'' ``Gregor's Greatest Invention,'' ``A Man Thing (Meska Sprawa),'' ``Speed for Thespians.''

CAPTION(S):

15 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) `The Lord of the Rings' (13 nominations total)

(2 -- color) `A Beautiful Mind' (8 nominations total)

(3 -- color) `Gosford Park' (7 nominations total)

(4 -- color) `In the Bedroom' (5 nominations total)

(5 -- color) `Moulin Rouge' (8 nominations total)

(6 -- color) Russell Crowe

``A Beautiful Mind''

(7 -- color) Sean Penn

``I Am Sam''

(8 -- color) Will Smith

``Ali''

(9 -- color) Denzel Washington

``Training Day''

(10 -- color) Tom Wilkinson

``In the Bedroom''

(11 -- color) Halle Berry

``Monster's Ball''

(12 -- color) Judi Dench

``Iris''

(13 -- color) Nicole Kidman

``Moulin Rouge''

(14 -- color) Sissy Spacek

``In the Bedroom''

(15 -- color) Renee Zellweger

``Bridget Jones's Diary''

Box:

(1) AND THE NOMINEES ARE... (see text)

(2) QUOTABLE 

- Compiled by Valerie Kuklenski