January 18, 2001

Although the official nominations for the 73rd Academy Awards won't be announced until Feb. 13, Oscar season has officially begun on the Hollywood Stock Exchange® with the now-annual arrival of HSX NominOptions®.

Special securities being IPOed throughout the weekend, HSX NominOptions give traders the chance to buy and sell the movies and stars most likely to be nominated for an Oscar by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Beginning this Thursday, HSXers will be offered a baker's dozen selection of contenders in the Academy Award categories of Best Picture and Best Director. Among the 13 choices for Best Picture are such heavyweights as Gladiator (NOGLA), Erin Brockovich (NOERI), and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (NOCRO).

For a complete list of HSX NominOptions in the category of Best Picture, click here.

Each HSX NominOption is offered at H$2.50. The NominOptions will halt trading at 11 p.m. PST on Monday, Feb. 12, in preparation for Tuesday, Feb. 13, when Oscar nominations will be announced by the Academy.

Each option of a nominated film or star will cash out at H$6.50, while those NominOptions failing to secure a nomination will delist at H$0.00.

Meanwhile, a pair of Steven Soderbergh securities front the list of NominOptions in the Best Director category. HSX traders can invest in the acclaimed helmer's directing of both Erin Brockovich (NOSSE) and Traffic (NOSSO). If Oscar smiles on Soderbergh, he could become the first director since Michael Curtiz in 1938 to receive two helming nods from the Academy in the same year.

For a complete list of HSX NominOptions in the category of Best Director, click here.

In the Best Actor and Best Actress categories, megastars Tom Hanks (NOTHA) and Julia Roberts (NOJRO) lead the charge with riveting performances in Cast Away and Erin Brockovich, respectively. Other NominOptions in the lead acting categories include Quills' Geoffrey Rush (NOGRU), Laura Linney (NOLLI) for You Can Count On Me, and Javier Bardem (NOJBA) for Before Night Falls.

For a complete list of HSX NominOptions in the category of Best Actor, click here.

For a complete list of HSX NominOptions in the category of Best Actress, click here.

On Saturday, Jan. 20, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress will be available for trading. Among the contenders in the Best Supporting Actor race, Willem Dafoe (NOWDA) headlines a stellar group that also includes Benicio Del Toro (NOBDT) for Traffic, Albert Finney (NOAFI) for Erin Brockovich, Bruce Greenwood (NOBGR) for Thirteen Days, and Joaquin Phoenix for both Gladiator (NOJPG) and Quills (NOJPQ).

For a complete list of HSX NominOptions in the category of Best Supporting Actor, click here.

And in the category of Best Supporting Actress, the field of thirteen features two performances from previous Oscar winner Frances McDormand in Almost Famous (NOFMA) and Wonder Boys (NOFMW). Joining McDormand are Kate Winslet (NOKWI) for Quills, Lupe Ontiveros (NOLON) for Chuck & Buck, and Dame Judi Dench (NOJDE) for Chocolat.

For a complete list of HSX NominOptions in the category of Best Supporting Actress, click here.

On Sunday, Jan. 21, the final day of IPOs will offer HSX NominOptions for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay.