Ngila Dickson

The first time someone asked Ngila Dickson whether she wanted them to vote for "The Last Samurai" or "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" for best achievement in costume design, she was horrified. Because Dickson (whose name is pronounced NIE-la) has been nominated for her contributions to both films, she's competing against three other costume designers and herself.

The Last Samurai Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe Warner Home Video, $30 The two-DVD set of the action-drama set in Japan in 1876 takes itself way too seriously. "Tom Cruise: A Warrior's Journey" features pompous, lugubrious interviews with the superstar, director Edward Zwick, producer Paula Wagner and others who talk about this movie as if it were the Second Coming. Ditto the documentary "Making an Epic: A Conversation With Edward Zwick and Tom Cruise."

'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor In the enviable position of competing against herself, Ngila Dickson received dueling nominations for her work in "The Last Samurai" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." She won and lost, taking home a statuette for "Return of the King." Accepting her statuette, she acknowledged "my amazing wardrobe crew.

'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' Ngila Dickson, Richard Taylor In the enviable position of competing against herself, Ngila Dickson received dueling nominations for her work in "The Last Samurai" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." She won and lost, taking home a statuette for "Return of the King." Accepting her statuette, she acknowledged "my amazing wardrobe crew.

The Last Samurai Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe Warner Home Video, $30 The two-DVD set of the action-drama set in Japan in 1876 takes itself way too seriously. "Tom Cruise: A Warrior's Journey" features pompous, lugubrious interviews with the superstar, director Edward Zwick, producer Paula Wagner and others who talk about this movie as if it were the Second Coming. Ditto the documentary "Making an Epic: A Conversation With Edward Zwick and Tom Cruise."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Facebook billionaire and tech mogul Sean Parker has a staff of hundreds and is spending millions to create a whimsical backdrop for his fairy-tale wedding in Big Sur to Alexandra Lenas, a source tells us. The total price tag could climb as high as $10 million, the person said. Nearly $9 million alone is going to building faux ruins, waterfalls, bridges and a gated cottage in Big Sur, according to TMZ.com. The stone dance floor in the woods surrounding the Ventana Inn & Spa will set the 34-year-old back $350,000.

Ngila Dickson's Academy Award-nominated work for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "The Last Samurai" has earned her plaudits from the Costume Designers Guild. The organization presented its awards Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Dickson, who has two of the five Oscar nominations for costume design, won the guild award for excellence in period/fantasy film for both movies. Durinda Wood won for excellence in contemporary film for "A Mighty Wind."

SAN FRANCISCO - Even in the annals of over-the-top celebrity weddings, Sean Parker's planned nuptials may take the cake. The Facebook Inc. billionaire who also co-founded Napster is dropping nearly $10 million on a fairy-tale wedding in Big Sur that includes a whimsical fantasy world featuring faux ruins, waterfalls, bridges and a gated cottage, a person familiar with the plans said. Just the stone dance floor in the woods surrounding the Ventana Inn & Spa will set the 34-year-old back $350,000, according to the website TMZ. The plants and flowers will cost $1 million.

You can buy a lot of things when you're the founder of Napster and former president of Facebook, but a free pass from the California Coastal Commission apparently isn't one of them. The extravagant wedding Facebook billionaire and tech mogul Sean Parker is arranging June 1 is being investigated by Monterey County planners and the state Coastal Commission, the Carmel Pine Cone reported. After a two-year engagement, Parker is marrying Alexandra Lenas, a singer and songwriter with whom he has a 2-month-old daughter, Winter Victoria.

BEST PICTURE "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" * ACTOR Sean Penn "Mystic River" * ACTRESS Charlize Theron "Monster" * SUPPORTING ACTOR Tim Robbins "Mystic River" * SUPPORTING ACTRESS Renee Zellweger "Cold Mountain" * DIRECTOR Peter Jackson "The Return of the King" * ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson "The Return of the King" * ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Sofia Coppola "Lost in Translation" * FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM "The Barbarian Invasions" Canada * ANIMATED

The first time someone asked Ngila Dickson whether she wanted them to vote for "The Last Samurai" or "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" for best achievement in costume design, she was horrified. Because Dickson (whose name is pronounced NIE-la) has been nominated for her contributions to both films, she's competing against three other costume designers and herself.

Alison Maclean's sinister, compelling "Crush" (at the Nuart) begins so swiftly that it's important to pay close and immediate attention to its stunning opening sequence. It suffices to say here that sequence ends in a car accident, with one woman, Christina (Donogh Rees), nearly killed and the other, Lane (Marcia Gay Harden), walking away with only a scratch on her forehead. "Crush" has so much wit and panache it's important not to give too much away.

With an endeavor like "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, it's the numbers that catch your eye first--and how could they not? An unprecedented three feature films shot simultaneously in 274 days spread over 15 months at a cost of nearly $300 million are enough to get anyone's attention.