Upsets and triumphs in the Oscar game!

Arthur J Pais in Los Angeles

Defying every bookmaker in Las Vegas and experts in Hollywood who swore that a director nominated for two films cannot, just cannot win, Steven Soderbergh scored an exciting upset when he won the director Oscar for Traffic.

Pundits had said his two nominations will divide the votes, and his rivals would benefit.

He was also nominated for Erin Brockovich, which fetched Julia Roberts her first Oscar for her performance as a feisty woman who almost single-handedly takes over a huge company that had led to cancer and pollution in several towns.

Roberts' triumph came half-an-hour before the Soderbergh upset took place.

Though everybody was certain that Roberts would take home the Oscar, a very giddy Roberts ascended the stage, warning she would be speaking for a long time ''because I may never be here again.''

She clutched her first Oscar, exulting: ''This is quite pretty.''

''I love the world. I'm so happy,'' Roberts gushed, as she rattled off thanks to half a dozen people including director Soderbergh.

When his turn came, Soderbergh, quite stunned, thanked the people responsible for Traffic personally but spoke eloquently about passion and creativity and how people in all walks of life can make a difference by sharing their knowledge and expertise. It was one of the shortest and most unexpected of Oscar speeches.

Traffic, which was rejected by major studios as a risky project, was made for about $40 million by an independent company while Brockovich, costing about $90 million, was produced by Universal Pictures.

Later Soderbergh would tell reporters that it did not matter to him who wrote the cheque -- an independent movie company or a major studio. What mattered to him was good cinema.

Traffic, a rather pessimistic account of failing war on drugs, also won three other Oscars -- for supporting actor, Benicio Del Tore, adapted screenplay and editing.

Unlike the best picture winner, Gladiator, which ended its theatrical run across the world many months ago, Traffic is still playing in theaters across America; in most of the foreign territories, it is in its fourth or fifth week.

It surely sees green light leading it to a bigger success.

Traffic jumped 14 per cent last weekend, thanks to potential Oscar buzz, to $3.9 million, bringing its total to $107.6 million. Abroad, it has grossed over $40 million.

With Oscar blessings, the film could reach $200 million worldwide.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, added 167 theaters before the Oscars this weekend, and ate up $4.7 million, bringing its total to $106.3 million. Its box office also shot up by about 15 per cent from the previous week.

With a best foreign film nod, the rousing martial art drama which also weighs such issues as loyalty and betrayal, could earn at least $20 million more in North America. It has grossed over $60 million abroad. It could end its profitable run with over $200 million worldwide.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also scored Oscars for art direction, cinematography and original score.

Winner of five Oscars, the Roman era epic, Gladiator, was a big miss for its director Ridley Scott. The film has grossed over $400 million worldwide and has received some of the best reviews in recent years.

Scott has another hit on hand: Hannibal, a slick but gruesome drama, has already grossed $280 million worldwide and could wind up with over $350 million.

Russell Crowe, who was nominated last year for his riveting performance as a whistle blower in the ill-fated Insider, which grossed just about $25 million, has become such a big star with Gladiator that he is being offered $15 million per film -- about two times his salary for Gladiator.

"Really folks, I owe this to one bloke, and his name is Ridley Scott," Crowe declared.

"If you grow up... in the suburbs of anywhere, a dream like this seems kind of vaguely ludicrous and completely unattainable," he continued.

"This moment is directly connected to those childhood imaginings. And for anybody who's on the downside of advantage and relying purely on courage, it's possible."

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