Rediff Entertainment Bureau

Maggie Smith and Ian Mckellen (The Lord Of The Rings) invoke a one-of-a-kind presentation by the magicians of the famous troupe of acrobats and gymnasts of the Cirque De Soleil, at the 74th Annual Academy Awards, in Los Angeles.

Jim Rygiel, Randall William Cook, Richard Taylor and Mark Stetson of The Lord Of The Rings walk away with the Best Achievement in Visual Effects Award. They wanted to achieve a 'heightened' vision in the film, as Randall William Cook declares.

Director Arthur Hiller wins the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Hiller's most famous work was the tragic story of Angie (Ali McGraw) and Paul (Ryan O'Neal) in Love Story. The film epitomised "a love of mankind", as McGraw called it, much like her director himself.

As a precursor to the Best Original Score Award, Mahatma Gandhi and 2001's Sexy Beast actor Ben Kingsley presents Great moments in the dark score -- a medley compilation of music scores from films like The Godfather and Gone With The Wind.

Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock announce Howard Shore for 'translating the words of author J R R Tolkein into music' in The Lord Of The Rings. Shore's original music score in the sweeping saga won the day.

Five-time Oscar nominee Denzel Washington ("there truly aren't enough awards to present him" and "the man of all our dreams", described Whoopi Goldberg), presents an Honorary Oscar to Sidney Poitier (of Goodbye, My Lady; Cry, The Beloved Country; The Jackal; In The Heat Of The Night; They Call Me Mr Tibbs!. He was the first African American to win the Best Actor Award for Lillies Of The Field (in 1963).

As actress Halle Berry (Monster's Ball) describes him, "Sidney Poitier is an American, not an African-American. But an American. You [Poitier] are the measure of a human being."

The actor-filmmaker began his career, in 1949, on a journey that most people considered "impossible". Against all odds, he surmounted prejudices against African-Americans. He thanked visionaries like the late Rochard Brooks, Ralph Nelson, Norman Jewison -- from whom, he said, all of "America benefitted", and who enriched "the tradition of American filmmaking".