Judi Dench was almost apologetic after receiving her Best Supporting Actress award for her imperious take on Queen Elizabeth in "Shakespeare In Love."

Noting that she was only on camera for about eight minutes, Dame Judi said, "That's why I didn't reckon that I would be standing here with this...I certainly thought it would go to somebody who had the full length of the film."

Asked if she saw similarities between her take on Elizabeth and her acclaimed performance as Queen Victoria in last year's "Mrs. Brown," she said no. "They were two different parts, two entirely different people in two entirely different reigns."

Even as masterful as she was as "Mrs. Brown," Dame Judy said she was not prepared to label either that or her Oscar-winning performance a masterpiece. "When I see them again, I'm appalled at the choices I made in some scenes."

Our man Coburn

James Coburn, who overcame career-threatening arthritis to win yesterday's Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "Affliction," admitted that he didn't have a clue what he was going to say onstage. Which explains why he was played off the floor by the band before he had finished.

"I would like to go up there again, because I would probably say the right things this time," a grinning Coburn said.

However, Coburn had no problem saying the right things backstage, and saying them quite succinctly. What did he think when he heard his name announced? "Whoopee!"

What does winning the Oscar mean? "I hope it means that I'll get more work." What's your next project? "It's another father-son thing, but he's not as down as old Pop Whitehouse." How'd you spend Oscar day? "I just got up and had some toast and some coffee. I read the paper. I waited for my wife to get dressed; that's what took the time."

Panning Kazan

For Jo Weber, there was no question where she'd be yesterday: outside the Oscars holding a protest sign.

People like Elia Kazan, she said in a voice growing ever more forceful, do not deserve honorary Oscars.

"As good as he was," Weber said, "he has denied the industry enormous amounts of other great art from the colleagues he ruined."

One of those colleagues was her father, John Weber, who was working with the William Morris Agency when he found himself blacklisted.

The work quickly dried up, and he ended up moving to Europe. When that didn't pan out, he returned to the United States and made false teeth for his brother's dental patients.

"I grew up under a cloud," says Weber, 49. "It was no joke."

Neither was it a joke to Arthur Lessac, 89, who saw many people lose their jobs because of their political beliefs. "Some of them committed suicide, others saw their families affected, their children affected. It was an evil situation."

So Lessac, a former drama teacher, stood outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion with his home-made sign, "How many lives did Kazan ruin?"

But those who supported Kazan proved just as passionate yesterday.

"The people who want to condemn this gifted director are immoral people," said Irv Rubin, 50, who identified himself as national chairman of the Jewish Defense League. "Communism is, in my opinion, just as evil as national socialism, which is commonly known as Nazi-ism.

"It's time," said Rubin, "that I as a Jew...paid tribute to people who made a courageous decision, like Elia Kazan."

Snippets, snippy

Overheard in the arrivals line:

One of the bleacher people, on a guest wearing a lime-green shawl: "This one's still celebrating St. Patrick's day."

Army Archerd: insisting that Emily Watson's name was Judy, that Blythe Danner had been nominated for an Oscar (she hadn't), and that Gwyneth Paltrow had been a presenter (she hadn't).

Gwyneth to Army: "Where are your fact checkers?"

Miramax chairman Harvey Weinstein: "If Roberto Benigni gets onstage, it'll be the funniest three minutes of the evening."

The duke of dishonor

The awards weekend began Saturday morning in Santa Monica where "An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn!" emerged as the clear disfavorite at the 19th annual Razzies, held every year to dishonor the worst in American filmmaking.

The story of a director upset by the treatment his film receives, "An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn" stood out among the dregs of Hollywood 1998, winning five Razzies. Four of them were aimed at the film's writer, Joe Eszterhas ("Basic Instinct," "Showgirls"), whose immortality was assured when the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation decided to name their annual writer's honor "The Joe Eszterhas Dis-Honorarial Worst Screenplay Award."

Naturally, Eszterhas won his namesake award. But he also slinked off with three additional dis-honors: Worst Supporting Actor (he plays himself in the film), Worst New Star (sharing the award with Jerry Springer in "Ringmaster") and Worst "Original" Song, for co-writing "I Want to Be Michael Ovitz!" with Gary G. Wiz.

Despite taking out a trade-magazine ad promising he'd be there in person to accept his Razzies, Eszterhas was a no-show.

So putridly stupid

As always at the Razzies, much of the fun was hearing the venomous prose the nation's film critics aimed at these creative misfires. A few examples:

"No matter how much you paid to get in, it's worth more to get out." -- Roger Ebert on "Armageddon"

"Slightly less painful than a prostate exam." -- The Village Voice on "Spice World"

"His thousandth performance as Bruce Willis." -- Entertainment Weekly on you-know-who's range

"The only way to save this 86-minute film would be to trim 86 minutes." -- Ebert, on "An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn!"

"How do you say 'stink' with a British accent?" People magazine on "The Avengers"

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" -- The Christian Science Monitor on "Godzilla"

Whale of a response

James Whale, who made "Frankenstein," a film that both defined and transcended the horror genre, never won much of anything when he was one of Hollywood's most creative film directors.

But the film community made up for lost time Saturday afternoon, as "Gods and Monsters," a film version of Whale's career, was the big winner at the 14th annual Independent Spirit Awards. Shot in only four weeks, "Gods and Monsters" won Best Feature, Best Male Lead (Ian McKellan) and Best Supporting Female (Lynn Redgrave).

The Spirit Awards, held in a massive tent pitched across a Santa Monica street from the Pacific Ocean, honors films made outside the major Hollywood studios. The Spirits is a far looser, loonier and more spontaneous affair than the Oscars. For example: the acceptance speech of Ally Sheedy who won the Best Female Lead nod for "High Art."

The actress, whose career had been in such a slump that she seriously considered changing professions, spent more than 15 minutes onstage exulting. "I've never been nominated for anything before," she said. "This may never happen again. I'm taking my . . .time."

Also at the Spirit Awards:

"I've always felt the ultimate crossover would be Meryl Streep doing a Baltimore accent." -- keynote speaker John Waters, on who he'd like to work with.

Pub Date: 3/22/99