THE BUZZ ANIMATOR BAGS NEW HDTV.

His film was short, and so was his speech.

Producer Gil Cates announced Tuesday that Michael Dudok de Wit, who claimed the animated short Oscar for his film ``Father and Daughter,'' won the producer's prize of a high-definition television for giving the most abbreviated acceptance speech during Sunday's 73rd annual Academy Awards.

Dudok de Wit used just 47 words and 18 seconds on the clock to thank his two producers, his wife and the academy.

``I did not write the shortest speech to win the television set. I have many television sets,'' Dudok de Wit told Cates. ``I wrote it to say what I had to say and no more.''

``I wish more of his colleagues would do the same,'' Cates said. Dudok de Wit said he will give the TV to a children's charity.

Speeches were supposed to be limited to 45 seconds, but Julia Roberts apparently borrowed time from the animator and anyone else who ran short of their allotment. Her unscripted thank you - peppered with admonitions to ``stickman'' Bill Conti to lower his conductor's wand and let her talk - ran three minutes, 50 seconds, according to the academy's unofficial stopwatch.

- Valerie Kuklenski

GOING INSIDE: CBS' search is on for the next round of ``Big Brother'' shut-ins.

The network posted an application and instructions for wanna-be ``Big Brother'' players yesterday at its Web site, www.cbs.com. A second season of the $500,000 jackpot game show could be ready to air as early as this summer. Applications will be accepted until April 20.

Tuesday, CBS formally named veteran TV reality series producer Arnold Shapiro (``Rescue 911,'' ``Scared Straight'') to oversee the reality game show.

Shapiro will take over the role played by ``Big Brother'' creators at Endemol Entertainment, a Dutch company that launched the ``Big Brother'' concept in Europe several years ago.

CBS' first version of the series last summer revolved around 10 diverse strangers who lived in a house outfitted with dozens of cameras and microphones that followed them around the clock. The house was built on a CBS studio lot in Los Angeles and some contestants spent up to 88 days at the compound.

But don't expect all the rules of the game to remain the same this time around.

For the second version of ``Big Brother,'' housemates are expected to cast ballots against each other, voting one of their own out of the house as is done on CBS' ``Survivor.'' Last year, viewers were the ones choosing who stayed and who left by logging their votes on a 1-900 number.

This time, viewers will only choose a winner and two runners-up from three finalists, according to CBS' Web site.

And rather than restrict voting to call-in ballots, America Online is expected to set up an Internet voting system for fans to be able to cast ballots online, according to sources.

CBS Monday declined to comment on another issue in ``Big Brother's'' second run, namely, whether CBS News' Julie Chen will reprise her role as host.

Last summer, CBS put on ``Big Brother'' five nights a week - most of the time airing it live - from early July through the end of September. In a partnership with AOL, the series was also carried over the Internet in real time, allowing browsers to peer in on the shut-ins any time, day or night.

- New York Daily News 

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Photo:

Michael Dudok de Wit, Oscar winner for the animated short ``Father and Daughter,'' also won an HDTV.

Reed Saxon/Associated Press