OSCAR BITS

CHANNEL SWITCHERS

Several of this year’s acting nominees have a television history. Best actress nominee Elisabeth Shue (“Leaving Las Vegas”) played Craig T. Nelson’s 15-year-old daughter Jackie on the 1984-85 ABC series “Call to Glory.” Best actor nominee Richard Dreyfuss (“Mr. Holland’s Opus”) appeared as David Rowe III in the 1964-65 NBC series “Karen.” Best supporting actor nominee Kevin Spacey (“The Usual Suspects”) played the evil Mel Proffit in 1988 on the CBS series “Wiseguy.” Best supporting actress nominee Mare Winningham (“Georgia”) won an Emmy in 1980 for outstanding supporting actress in a limited series or special for the ABC movie “Amber Waves.” Best actress nominee Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) was a regular on the daytime soap “Search for Tomorrow.”

GENDER BENDER

Actress Christine Cavanaugh is not only the voice of the male pig “Babe,” but she is also the voice of the boy genius “Dexter” on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series “Dexter’s Laboratory.”

DOWNSIZING

The last child actress to win a miniature statuette for “outstanding child actress” was Hayley Mills for 1960’s “Pollyanna,” above.

UNSUNG HELMERS

Ron Howard, the director of best picture nominee “Apollo 13,” and Ang Lee, the director of best picture candidate “Sense and Sensibility,” are not nominated for best director. If either film wins best picture, it will be the first time a best picture has won without its director being nominated since 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy.”

PARK’S PLACE

Animator Nick Park, who has won Oscars for best animated short for 1991’s “Creature Comforts” and 1993’s “The Wrong Trousers,” is nominated again this year for “A Close Shave.” In fact, he has been nominated for every film he’s made. Park also received a nod for 1991’s “A Grand Day Out”--but lost to himself.

THE HUSTON CLAN

Thirty-seven years after he guided his father, Walter, to a best supporting Oscar in 1948’s “The Treasure of Sierra Madre,” John Huston directed his daughter Anjelica to a supporting award for 1985’s “Prizzi’s Honor.”

THE GRANT FACTOR

Hugh Grant has starred in best picture nominees in each of the last three years: “Remains of the Day” (1993); “Four Weddings and a Funeral” (1994) and “Sense and Sensibility” (1995).

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

African American actor James Baskett received a special award for 1947’s “Song of the South” for “his able and heartwarming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and storyteller to the children of the world.”

TOON TUNES

Two of the best original song nominees--”Colors of the Wind” (“Pocahontas”) and “You’ve Got a Friend” (“Toy Story”)--were introduced in animated films. The first song from an animated film to win the Oscar was 1940’s “When You Wish Upon a Star” from “Pinocchio,.” above.

LYRICAL LADY

Lyricist Dorothy Fields was the first woman to win a best song Oscar. She and Jerome Kern wrote “The Way You Look Tonight” from 1936’s “Swing Time.”

SHORT STINT

Anthony Quinn, who won his second best supporting actor Oscar with his portrayal of Paul Gauguin in Vincente Minnelli’s 1956 drama “Lust for Life,” was only on screen for eight minutes.

OPUS NO. 2

Richard Dreyfuss, who won best actor for 1977’s “The Goodbye Girl,” is nominated in that category this year for “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” If he wins, he’ll join Sally Field, Helen Hayes, Vivien Leigh and Luise Rainer as the only performers to win two Oscars with only two nominations.

IN THE FAMILY

Amy Madigan, the wife of best supporting nominee Ed Harris (“Apollo 13”), was nominated for best supporting actress for 1985’s “Twice in a Lifetime.”

A PALPABLE HIT

“Hamlet,” the 1948 best picture winner, was the first film from a foreign country (England) to win that honor.

WIDE-SCREEN WONDER

The 1954 best picture nominee “Three Coins in the Fountain” was the first Cinemascope film to be shot on location in Europe.

LONG REIGN

Yul Brynner, above, who won as best actor for 1956’s “The King and I,” not only originated the role of the king of Siam on Broadway, but he also starred as the monarch in the short-lived 1972 CBS series “Anna and the King.”

LEMMON’S FEAT

Jack Lemmon was the first performer to win Oscars in both the best actor and supporting actor categories. He won best supporting actor for 1955’s “Mister Roberts” and best actor for 1973’s “Save the Tiger.”

‘SABRINA’ FAIR

The original 1954 “Sabrina” was nominated for six Oscars, including best actress (Audrey Hepburn) and best director (Billy Wilder). Edith Head won for her costume design. The 1995 remake is nominated for two Oscars: best achievement in music (original musical or comedy score) for John Williams’ score, and best song, “Moonlight,” penned by Williams and Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

TIED WITH 10

Meryl Streep, who is nominated for best actress for “The Bridges of Madison County,” now ties Bette Davis, Laurence Olivier and Jack Nicholson with 10 nominations each. Katharine Hepburn, right, holds the record with 12 nods.

MULTI-TALENTED

Barbara Streisand is the only best actress winner (1968’s “Funny Girl”) to also win the award for best song. She co-wrote “Evergreen” from 1976’s “A Star Is Born” with Paul Williams.

SUPPORTING PLAYERS

Shelley Winters was the first actress to win two best supporting actress awards. She won for 1959’s “The Diary of Anne Frank” and 1965’s “A Patch of Blue.” More than 20 years earlier, Walter Brennan won best supporting actor for 1936’s “Come and Get It” and 1938’s “Kentucky.” Brennan won his final supporting actor award for 1940’s “The Westerner.” He is the only actor to win three awards.

HE DID IT

When writer George Bernard Shaw received the screenplay Oscar for 1938’s “Pygmalion,” he responded: “It’s an insult for them to offer me any honor, as if they had never heard of me before--and it’s very likely they never have.”

IT HAPPENED ONE YEAR

Besides starring in the 1934 Oscar-winning film “It Happened One Night,” Claudette Colbert also appeared in two other best picture nominees that year: “Cleopatra” and “Imitation of Life.”

THE NUNS’ STORY

Susan Sarandon is nominated for best actress this year for her role as a Roman Catholic nun in “Dead Man Walking.” One actress has previously won an Oscar for playing a nun, and several more actress received nominations. Jennifer Jones, right, received the best actress award for 1943’s “The Song of Bernadette.” Gladys Cooper was nominated for supporting actress for the same film; Ingrid Bergman was nominated for best actress for 1945’s “The Bells of St. Mary’s”; Loretta Young was nominated for best actress and Celeste Holm for best supporting actress for 1949’s “Come to the Stable”; Deborah Kerr was nominated for best actress for 1957’s “Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison”; Audrey Hepburn received a best actress nod for 1959’s “The Nun’s Story”; Julie Andrews was up for best actress and Peggy Wood for best supporting for 1965’s “The Sound of Music”; and Anne Bancroft was nominated for best actress and Meg Tilly for best supporting actress for 1985’s “Agnes of God.”

HAIL TO THE CHIEFS

Anthony Hopkins is nominated for best actor for his role as Richard Nixon in “Nixon.” Three other actors have been nominated for their performances as former presidents. Raymond Massey was nominated for best actor for 1940’s “Abe Lincoln in Illinois,” Alexander Knox was nominated in that category as Woodrow Wilson, above, in 1944’s “Wilson,” and James Whitmore was nominated for best actor for 1975’s “Give ‘em Hell, Harry!”

ENCORE!

The first Oscar-winning song, “The Continental” from 1934’s “Gay Divorcee,” lasted nearly 15 minutes in the movie.

TUNEFUL TITLES

The 1936 Oscar-nominated “Pennies From Heaven” was the first title tune to be nominated for best song. The 1954 song “Three Coins in the Fountain” was the first title tune to win the best song Oscar.

TAKING LEAVE

John O’Brien, who wrote the novel “Leaving Las Vegas,” committed suicide two weeks after learning his book was going to be made into a movie.

DAD, DAUGHTER AND DUMMY

Edgar Bergen received a special wooden statuette at the 1937 Oscars for his “outstanding comedy creation” of Charlie McCarthy. Daughter Candice Bergen was nominated for best supporting actress for 1979’s “Starting Over.”

WORKING BOTH SIDES

Donald Crisp, who won best supporting actor for 1941’s “How Green Was My Valley,” co-directed the 1924 film “The Navigator” with Buster Keaton.

DOCU DRAMA

The documentary category was introduced in 1941. Canada’s “Churchill’s Island” was the first winner.

AND THE WINNER, AGAIN, IS . . .

Walt Disney received four Oscars in one year in four different categories. He picked up Oscars for his 1953 productions “The Alaskan Eskimo” (documentary short subject), “The Living Desert” (documentary feature), “Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom” (cartoon) and “Bear Country” (two-reel short).

TUBE ORIGINATORS

Maximilian Schell, who won the 1961 best actor Oscar for his performance as German lawyer Hans Rolfe in “Judgment at Nuremberg,” played the part in CBS’ April 1959 TV version. Cliff Robertson, who won the 1968 best actor Oscar for “Charly,” originated that part in 1961 on “The U.S. Steel Hour.”

DEATH HOUSE GANG

Sean Penn is nominated for best actor for his role as a condemned man awaiting execution in “Dead Man Walking.” Susan Hayward won her only Academy Award playing a convicted killer on death row. She won as best actress for 1958’s “I Want to Live!” for her portrayal of Barbara Graham, who was executed in the San Quentin gas chamber in 1955 for allegedly being involved with two men in a murder of a Burbank woman.

SWEDISH DUO

Sweden’s “The Emigrants” was nominated for the 1972 best film Oscar. The sequel, “The New Land,” was also nominated that year as best foreign-language film.

THE CROMWELLS

Best supporting actor nominee James Cromwell (“Babe”) is the son of famed film director John Cromwell (“Of Human Bondage,” “The Prisoner of Zenda” and “Since You Went Away”), who co-hosted the Oscar ceremonies in 1945 with Bob Hope.

ROLE MODEL

Eva Amurri, the daughter of best actress nominee Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”), plays her mother’s character as a youngster in the movie.

GOT MILK?

Joan Fontaine was the only performer to win an Oscar in a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. She won best actress for Hitch’s 1941 thriller “Suspicion.”

GREENER PASTEUR

Only one time in academy history did a writer win Oscars for original story and screenplay of the same film. Sheridan Gibney and Pierre Collings won in both categories for 1936’s “The Story of Louis Pasteur.”

SPELLBINDER

There were 21 nominees for 1945’s best scoring of a dramatic or comedy picture. Miklos Rozsa’s music for “Spellbound” took the honors.

THEIR NEXT: ‘BABEHEART’

George Miller and Mel Gibson, director and star of three “Mad Max” movies, are both producers of best picture nominees. Miller produced “Babe,” Gibson “Braveheart.”

SEASONAL STANDARDS

Bing Crosby’s recording of the Oscar-winning “White Christmas” from 1942’s “Holiday Inn” spent 14 weeks at No. 1.

VEAL OSCAR

Chef Wolfgang Puck is collaborating with Restaurant Associates Caterers to create and execute the Governors Ball sit-down dinner. The 1,650 guests will be treated to six different passed hors d’oeuvres, including smoked salmon pizza with dill cream and caviar, pizza with duck sausage, roasted potatoes and caviar and tempura shrimp with wasabi cream. The appetizer plate features marinated artichokes with white truffle vinaigrette, Spago chopped Chino vegetable salad, marinated shrimp with basil, tuna tataki with wasabi cream, asparagus with orange mustard, smoked salmon on grilled bread and Parmesan breadsticks with prosciutto. The main course consists of roasted Alaskan salmon with horseradish potato puree and sweet pepper fondue, and grilled free-range veal medallion with ginger and orange glaze and stir-fried spring vegetables. The desert is Oscar’s Delight--Oscar’s favorite chocolate cake with wild berries.