Oscar nomination day in Hollywood surprises before sunrise.
Among the nominees, elation is the word.
Bill Murray is master of all he surveys on the set.
And for Lucille Ball at Harvard, her cup nearly runneth over.
Those stories and more as entertainment tonight puts on some happy faces for Wednesday, February 17th, 1988.
I am very, very, very, very, very happy, honored, touched, amazed.
Hello everyone, I'm Mary Hart.
And I'm John Tasch and we are geared up to bring you Oscar nomination day with all its glory and disappointments.
It is a day of contrasts where the last emperor ruled supreme with nine nominations
and a box office blockbuster went against Oscar tradition to claim a best picture nomination.
Um, darling, this is Alex. I'm sorry, I've forgotten your last name. Alex Forrest.
Nice to meet you.
Haven't we met somewhere before?
Not only had married Michael Douglas met Glenn Close somewhere before, namely a brief but unforgettable weekend tryst,
but the popular fatal attraction is actually an expanded version of a British short subject.
We have a minute and a half. It's my responsibility to tell the control room and New York that we won't be ready.
I will be ready.
In 84 seconds!
It didn't take much more than 84 seconds for broadcast news to become a genuine hit.
It's writer-producer-director James L. Brooks' first film since sweeping the Oscars four years ago with terms of endearment.
You ruined my life.
That's impossible. It was war when I got here.
You'd think all New York's Italian and the whole country's talking about Moonstruck,
a warm comedy drama with Cher and Nicolas Cage and more sensational character actors than you can count.
Now we shall remove the foreign stench of the Manchurian rats who still hide in a forbidden city.
The Last Emperor is a majestic epic spanning 60 years.
It balances the spectacle of China's forbidden city with the intimate story of Puyi, whose life was both glorious and tragic.
Great Britain in the harrowing years of World War II.
I want my family!
Through the eyes of writer-producer-director John Borman, this autobiographical tale of a boy and his war is humorous, realistic and original.
The year's biggest moneymaker, Beverly Hills Cop II, received only one nod, that for original song.
Also, Steven Spielberg was shut out. No individual recognition for him.
Of course, the Best Picture nominations will be showing up in your newspaper tomorrow,
already part of advertising campaigns designed to bring you into theaters.
Best Picture means money and, for some, unexpected critical acclaim.
It doesn't get much better than this.
I got up this morning at about five o'clock for when they announced it.
I was jumping up and down, my wife was jumping up and down, the dog was jumping up and down. It's hysterical.
Well, there's only room for five pictures on that list, but some of the really big money earners this year were completely left off.
For example, the bomba, the untouchables and three men and a baby.
While the last emperor led the field, other sweeping epics like Cry Freedom and Empire of the Sun and the Vietnam film Full Metal Jacket were also largely ignored.
But there was no ignoring the talent of this year's Best Actress nominees.
Three are among the hottest stars in Hollywood, two are newcomers to the Oscar race,
and one of those newcomers, Sally Kirkland, earned her nomination without the support of a studio.
You mean I'm the understudy?
Yeah, it's great, huh?
Too long that sometimes I think that you're absolutely stupid.
Sally Kirkland has played a lot of supporting roles throughout her career
and campaigned openly for a Best Actress nomination for Anna, which today she received.
Holly Hunter was a last-minute choice to play the workaholic network news producer in broadcast news,
and she ended up picking up a nomination for a role that was originally written for Deborah Winger.
He's interviewed Gaddafi, he reported on the 81 story.
I think he's essential to do the job we're capable of, and I think it's my responsibility to tell you that.
Glenn Close's performance as the obsessed other woman in Fatal Attraction stirred up a national controversy
about the danger of casual sex.
The nomination is her fourth overall in seven pictures and her first for Best Actress.
And you're here with a strange girl being a naughty boy.
Moonstruck brought Cher her first Best Actress nomination for her performance as a Brooklyn bookkeeper.
Then maybe I wouldn't have had the bad luck I had.
And Meryl Streep received her fifth Best Actress nomination in seven years for Ironweed.
Hypocrite. What's he doing in church after what he did to me?
Some Oscar favorites fell victim to the winnowing process, including Angelica Houston and Maggie Smith, both previous winners.
And of course we can't forget Barbara Streisand, who did not receive a nomination for Nuts.
Now Sally Kirkland had been criticized in some Hollywood circles for pushing so blatantly to gain a nomination.
Today those criticisms evaporated.
I'm walking around with one of those little televisions who are run by batteries and then it's going wrong.
I'm saying, help, the batteries aren't working. I was in a nutcase this morning.
And then they announced three people before me and there's two places left and their tears are streaming down my face.
Oh please, please, please. And then it says Sally Kirkland and it was just like, oh, I had a baby.
That's pretty funny.
Now reacting to her nomination, Glenn Close told Entertainment Tonight she is ecstatic and Fatal Attraction represents the work of some extraordinary people.
And Michael Douglas, who of course co-stars with Glenn Close, also received a nomination, but it wasn't for Fatal Attraction, it was for Wall Street.
However, two leading men will join their leading ladies at the Academy Awards this year, including Meryl Streep's buddy from Ironweed.
I'm the one that put you on the map.
For his portrayal of a stumble bum ex-Big League ball player in Ironweed, Jack Nicholson has gotten his ninth Oscar nomination and sixth in this category.
Put his hands, see it all.
Coming up fast with his third consecutive best actor nod is William Hurt.
What do you do when your real life exceeds your dreams?
In broadcast news, Hurt plays a network correspondent who never really understands the news he reports.
For his role of the charming but compromised Romano in Dark Eyes, Marcello Mastriani has already won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.
He now has his third Oscar nomination.
Nothing ruins my day more than the monsters that you do.
Greed pays off for Michael Douglas in Wall Street and results in his first acting nomination.
Douglas owns one Oscar already for producing Cuckoo's Nest.
Invited to the awards ceremony for the first time ever as a nominee is Robin Williams.
Surprise, surprise, surprise.
In Good Morning Vietnam, Williams plays the DJ who made Southeast Asian radio safe for rock and roll.
He was great in that Robin Williams has hit comedy, but no Steve Martin in Roxanne.
And a surprise there. Nominations for both Streep and Nicholson, but Ironweed misses out on Best Picture.
Stay with us. I had a morning in the life of Oscar nominee Olympia Dukakis in a room filled with anticipation.
And later, there's no anticipating Bill Murray as John goes one on one with a comic maniac.
The newcomers were hot in the Best Supporting Actress category.
All five women named received their first nomination this year.
Norma Alejandro was nominated for her role in Gabby, a true story, and Archer in Fatal Attraction.
The biggest surprise was Anne Ramsey. She was nominated for playing the unlikable mom in Throw Mama from the Train.
Anne Southern was named for The Whales of August, and Olympia Dukakis for her portrayal of the wise wife in Moonstruck.
And being on film is somewhat different because actually Olympia Dukakis is a New York theater person.
And in New York theater people are seldom up so early in the morning, but today was different.
Olympia was waiting for some very important news.
Oh for Oscar.
The theme at Olympia's was family and friends all waiting for the big moment.
Olympia Dukakis in Moonstruck.
Although she's finally accepting the film's popularity.
I'm getting a little used to it now. It's funny, I think I finally believe it.
Olympia told our Tony Harris the success hasn't gone to her head.
No, my dream was, and I guess still is, to play the great parts, to do them with wonderful people.
To have your work acknowledged, this is really satisfying.
And it's important. But you see, something comes in that's very humbling and very real.
I think she was happy. That was funny.
As for the rest of Olympia's day, she's rehearsing for her theater company's production of Tennessee Williams' The Rose Tattoo.
Vincent Gardini, who played Dukakis' wandering husband in Moonstruck, was nominated as Best Supporting Actor.
It is his second nomination. The four other actors named all are nominated for the first time.
Albert Brooks was nominated for Broadcast News. Sean Connery for The Untouchables.
Morgan Freeman for Street Smart and Denzel Washington for Cry Freedom.
Vincent Gardini was among the actors who told what the nomination means.
They figure that if you win, your practice is going to go up, so they won't hire you.
And I will tell the producers and directors that if I do win, my price will go up.
And if I don't get any calls, my price will go down right away.
It means a little bit of acceptance after a long attempt to get here.
But that doesn't mean I'm here at all. I've got a lot more to do.
My hands aren't sweating, and I only have that sort of tingling sensation around the head that you do when you get excited about something.
Yet, it's going to hit me. I know, and I've got to do a matinee today.
I don't want the news to hit me right in the middle of the show.
And I'm supposed to be this old man, and all of a sudden I go, wow!
I'd like to rack them up. I've got a big shelf. That would be nice.
It's a good goal. It's good to have a goal. That's an okay goal. I think I'd like to do that.
Good luck to you and to the other nominees as well.
Indeed. Well, we've told you about the surprises on this year's list of Oscar nominees,
but why is it some movies and performers make it while others seemingly deserving are ignored?
Leonard Maltin has some of the answers and the inside story. Leonard?
Well, no one has all the answers, Mary, because the Oscars always have a few surprises in store.
This year's no exception. As you've already heard, Steven Spielberg got shut out again, and so did Barbara Streisand.
James L. Brooks woke up this morning to find that his film, Broadcast News, got nominated as Best Picture,
and all three of his leading actors got nominated too, but he didn't get mentioned as Best Director.
Now, if that sounds strange, remember that only directors nominate directors.
Only actors nominate actors, and so on down the line.
It certainly seems that Mr. Spielberg's fellow directors and Ms. Streisand's fellow actors don't hold them in the highest regard.
On the other hand, the actors do care about good performances, even if the films aren't big hits, like Sally Kirkland's Anna,
and even if the performances are better than the film, as is the case, I think, with Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson in Ironweed.
I'm so glad Cher didn't get snubbed this year. I'm delighted Sean Connery has finally been recognized with his first nomination,
and I'm happy to see Anne Suther nominated, though she's the only one from the Wales of August to be cited,
leaving Bette Davis, Lillian Gish, and Vincent Price out in the cold.
The category that does absolutely mystify me is Best Song. Let's face it, they ought to chuck this category,
especially in a year when they're so desperate that they're nominating the theme from Cry Freedom and a lot of other mediocre stuff.
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the nominations today is the recognition for comedy, which is so often an Oscar shutout.
After all, when so many comic performers are honored and three of the best-pictured nominees are comedies, well, that's something to smile about.
Now we get to the point that starts the boys and girls in the newsroom wagering. Leonard, what are your picks?
Oh, I'm the world's worst predictor. I hate, this is my least favorite part of the job every year,
because I'm no good at it, and I think if I had to vote, I don't know which I'd choose.
I would say that I think Moonstrike has a good chance. I think the Oscar people liked it a lot. It shows in all the nominations it's got.
I think on the actress side, Cher has a shot in Glenn Close, too. I'd make it a close race between them.
And for best actor, I think it might be Michael Douglas. I have a feeling this is his year.
Now this is no Vegas line you're giving us here, is it?
No, by no means. One to make sure.
I love making Leonard nervous, don't you? Thank you, Leonard. Yes.
Anyway, if you could choose, who would you pick as this year's Oscar winners?
Well, over the year we've been polling audiences in our exclusive movie track survey,
and now we've gone back to those ratings and made some projections on the people's choices in the top three categories.
Robin Williams would win hands down as best actor. It was too close to call between Holly Hunter and Cher for best actress,
and the boonstruck would walk away with best picture.
Tomorrow, Tippie has a tiger by the tail, Phyllis has a feathered friend, and Doc has lost his kitty, as we meet stars and their unusual pets.
On Friday, Nobile House star Pierce Brosnan says, why read the book when you can star in the miniseries?
Travel arrangements furnished by Delta Airlines.
Delta has the best record of satisfied passengers of all major airlines.
At Delta, we love to fly, and it shows.
As we mentioned earlier, Steven Spielberg was passed over by the Motion Picture Academy this year,
but last night in New York, the National Board of Review presented Spielberg and others with its DW Griffith Award for Achievement.
This is history. No, it's him. Not I. It's him. Not I. It's him.
Among those who appeared at the awards, co-stars Michael Douglas and Glenn Close, Kathleen Turner, Yoko Ono, Peter Weller, and Judith Ivy.
Steven Spielberg received two awards, Best Director and Best Picture for Empire of the Sun.
Michael Douglas won in the Best Actor category for his role in Wall Street, and Olympia Dukakis, Best Supporting Actress for Moonstruck.
That golden oldie Chuck Berry won the Best Documentary Award for Hail Hail Rock and Roll, and Lee Remick a special television award.
I'm just thrilled. I really feel very, very proud of it.
It's nice. It's a nice feeling of like we all did our homework and we did okay.
Makes me feel really wonderful.
It feels good to get any award. I'm happy.
Yeah. Actress Lillian Gish was given the Career Achievement Award for her lifetime of work.
She was unable to attend, however, because she was injured in a fall.
Now, we won't go so far as to predict that Bill Murray will get an Oscar nomination next year, but you can bet that his new comedy will make millions at the box office.
When I met him on the set, it was loosely controlled madness in front of and behind the cameras.
What's that thing that Scrooge is always saying?
Bahamut.
In his first starring role since 1984, Bill Murray plays a modern-day Scrooge in a story based on Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Who do we fire, please?
The new movie is called Scrooged, and Murray plays a cutthroat television executive in charge of an expensive production.
I dropped in on Murray during a lull in the film.