I know, I can't believe it either, but here we are...

If you haven't been here before, it's a pretty simple operation. You're playing for a $50 gift certificate from Amazon. You can only enter once. You must must must provide a valid e-mail address. I will send a copy of your ballot to you within 48 hours, and if it bounces, I will throw it out. So, if you don't hear back from me in a day or two, you should assume I have no entry from you. Try again, or write to me.

The first six categories are worth three points, the rest are worth one point. I have a fairly elaborate tie-breaking system in my head (as a backup to the running-time question), but I haven't needed it for the past five years. If I have to use it, I'll explain it to you.

As was the case last year, you can donate a buck or two or ten to lessen the blow to my checkbook, but it is certainly not required. If I happen to receive more than $50 in donations, I will add the excess to the prize amount. [As of 2/28/04, it's up to $136! You people are crazy!] There'll be a link when you're done entering.

And that is it! So here you go. Click the mouse and take your chances...

BEST PICTURE:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit

BEST DIRECTOR:

Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation
Clint Eastwood, Mystic River
Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Fernando Meirelles, City of God
Peter Weir, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

BEST ACTOR:

Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley, House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law, Cold Mountain
Bill Murray, Lost in Translation
Sean Penn, Mystic River

BEST ACTRESS:

Keisha Castle-Hughes, Whale Rider
Diane Keaton, Something's Gotta Give
Samantha Morton, In America
Charlize Theron, Monster
Naomi Watts, 21 Grams

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Alec Baldwin, The Cooler
Benicio Del Toro, 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou, In America
Tim Robbins, Mystic River
Ken Watanabe, The Last Samurai

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Shohreh Aghdashloo, House of Sand and Fog
Patricia Clarkson, Pieces of April
Marcia Gay Harden, Mystic River
Holly Hunter, thirteen
Renee Zellweger, Cold Mountain

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Denys Arcand, The Barbarian Invasions
Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation
Steven Knight, Dirty Pretty Things
Jim Sheridan/Naomi Sheridan/Kirsten Sheridan, In America
Andrew Stanton/Bob Peterson/David Reynolds, Finding Nemo

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Brian Helgeland, Mystic River
Braulio Mantovani, City of God
Peter Jackson/Philippa Boyens/Fran Walsh, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Robert Pulcini/Shari Springer Berman, American Splendor
Gary Ross, Seabiscuit

FOREIGN FILM:

The Barbarian Invasions (Canada)
Evil (Sweden)
The Twilight Samurai (Japan)
Twin Sisters (The Netherlands)
Zelary (Czech Republic)

ANIMATED FEATURE:

Brother Bear
Finding Nemo
The Triplets of Belleville

CINEMATOGRAPHY:

City of God
Cold Mountain
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit

ART DIRECTION:

Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit

EDITING:

City of God
Cold Mountain
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit

COSTUME:

Girl with a Pearl Earring
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Seabiscuit

MAKEUP:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

SCORE:

Danny Elfman, Big Fish
James Horner, House of Sand and Fog
Thomas Newman, Finding Nemo
Howard Shore, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Gabriel Yared, Cold Mountain

SONG:

"Scarlet Tide" by T Bone Burnett and Elvis Costello, from Cold Mountain
"You Will Be My Ain True Love" by Sting, from Cold Mountain
"Into the West" by Fran Walsh, Howard Shore, and Annie Lennox, from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
"A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" by Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole, from A Mighty Wind
"The Triplets of Belleville" by Benoit Charest and Sylvain Chomet, from The Triplets of Belleville

SOUND:

The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Seabiscuit

SOUND EDITING:

Finding Nemo
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

VISUAL EFFECTS:

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

DOCUMENTARY:

Balseros
Capturing the Friedmans
The Fog of War
My Architect
The Weather Underground

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:

Asylum
Chernobyl Heart
Ferry Tales

LIVE-ACTION SHORT:

Die Rote Jacke (The Red Jacket)
Most (The Bridge)
Squash
(A) Torzija (A Torsion)
Two Soldiers

ANIMATED SHORT:

Boundin'
Destino
Gone Nutty
Harvie Krumpet
Nibbles

Tiebreak: How long will the show last?
hours minutes

Your name, or whatever name you want to use:

Your e-mail address, which must work when I return your entry,
or I shall delete said entry without a second thought,
don't think I won't do it:

Your URL, if you have one:
http://

Check this box if you have entered this pool six years in a row:

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abeyance