Posted: Wed., Feb. 12, 2003, 1:00pm PT

Oscar Tidbits II

Answers to possible trivia questions

By Timothy M. Gray

This is the second consecutive year that a musical was nominated for best pic. The last time that happened: 1971 and '72, with "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Cabaret" (latter, coincidentally, another Kander & Ebb musical.)

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" is only the fourth sequel ever nommed for best pic, after "The Bells of St. Mary's" and the two followups to "The Godfather."

Jack Nicholson earns his 12th acting bid, tying him with Katharine Hepburn. With her nom, Meryl Streep becomes the all-time champ, with 13.

John C. Reilly has the distinction of appearing in three best-pic contenders: "Chicago," "The Hours" and "Gangs of New York."

Despite noms for past pseudonyms and blacklist-era "fronts," this is the first time a fictitious person was nominated: Donald Kaufman ("Adaptation" screenplay). If "they" win, the Kaufmans will share one statuette.

Elmer Bernstein earned his 14th bid; the composer, who last won in 1967, has been nominated in each of six decades, starting in the 1950s.

John Williams earned his 42nd nom, maintaining his record as the most-nominated living person. (Walt Disney still holds the record, with 64.)

Sound maven Kevin O'Connell ("Spider-Man") scored his 16th bid. He had been tied with two other individuals for the most noms (15) without a win. This year, he will either join the winner's circle or be in a class by himself.

Two foreign-language scripts are competing in the original screenplay category, the first time that's occurred since 1976.

Conrad L. Hall is the first posthumous nominee since 1995, when producer Mario Cecchi Gori and actor-thesp Massimo Troisi were cited.

Buena Vista nabbed three of the five slots for animated feature film, the second year for that category.