'Lord of Rings' takes top gong in leadup to Oscars

LOS ANGELES - The American Film Institute has named The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring as best picture of the year - a good omen for the Oscars in March.

Elijah Wood, who played Frodo the Hobbit, attended the three-hour ceremony in Los Angeles, screened nationally by CBS, but few other of the major nominees joined him.

Awards for Peter Jackson's New Zealand-made film also went to Jim Rygiel (best digital artist) and Grant Major (best production designer).

Robert Shaye, executive producer of The Lord of the Rings, declined to speculate too much about his film's chance of taking the Oscar for best film.

"I am a little superstitious. If you look at something too hard it just slips away," he said.

But later he quipped, "Well, I'm a member of the academy and I am going to vote for it."

Sissy Spacek was on hand to pick up the award for actress of the year for her searing performance as the angry, grieving mother in In The Bedroom.

An absent Denzel Washington won best actor for his work as the rogue cop in Training Day.

Also missing was Robert Altman, named best director for Gosford Park, which attacks the British class system.

The AFI awards, given to both films and television shows, come just two weeks before the more exuberant and better-attended Golden Globes, which are handed out on January 20 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Among those winning AFI awards but not attending were Gene Hackman, best featured actor in a movie for his role as the conniving father in The Royal Tenenbaums; Jennifer Connelly, best featured actress in a film for her work as the long-suffering wife in A Beautiful Mind; and James Gandolfini, best TV actor in a series for his role as a Mafia boss in The Sopranos.

Band of Brothers was named best TV mini-series.

Seinfeld co-creator Larry David's new show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, was named best TV comedy series.

- REUTERS

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