READERS SELECT `DANCES WITH WOLVES' AS WINNER

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Southeast Missourian readers predict a "Dances With Wolves" rout at tonight's Academy Awards.

An unofficial tally of entries in the newspaper's "Pick the Oscars" contest shows local movie fans foresee victory across the board for Kevin Costner and his epic Western film.

Contest entries will be officially tabulated following tonight's award ceremony, to air at 8 p.m. on ABC-TV. One winner will receive 20 Wehrenberg West Park Mall Cine movie tickets.

Coming into the 63rd annual Academy Awards, "Dances With Wolves" had 12 nominations, the most of any film. The local survey shows "Dances With Wolves" capturing five of the top awards, including Best Picture.

In the local survey, with just over 200 entries, "Dances With Wolves" was a walk-away winner for Best Picture with 125 votes. "Ghost" earned 67 votes. The other nominees, "Awakenings," "The Godfather Part III," and "GoodFellas," trailed far behind.

It could be a Kevin Costner night; in addition to the predicted victory for Best Picture, the survey shows Costner winning both Best Actor and Best Director awards.

Critics predict Costner may have a fight to get past Jeremy Irons from "Reversal of Fortune" for the Best Actor honor. But local movie fans disagree. In fact, Irons earned just 19 votes. Costner captured 138 votes. The survey shows Robert DeNiro ("Awakenings") a long-distance second to Costner with 49 votes for Best Actor.

Costner, who has already won the top prize from the Directors Guild of America, outdistanced the competition for best director with 152 votes. Francis F. Coppola, who made "Godfather Part III," edged out Martin Scorsese, who made "GoodFellas," 37 to 22 for the second-place spot.

Critics claim Costner, a first-timer, faces a very real challenge from director Scorsese.

The movie is also predicted to capture Best Supporting Actor honors for Graham Greene (Kicking Bird in "Dances With Wolves") with 75 votes and Best Adapted Screenplay for Michael Blake, who collected 127 votes.

"Dances With Wolves" already has won the adaptation award from the Writers Guild of America and should repeat, critics say.

Julia Roberts easily outpaced her competition for Best Actress with 144 votes for her role in "Pretty Woman."

This pick goes against predictions by the critics, who claim the smart (and sentimental) money is on Joanne Woodward for "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge." Woodward earned just 22 votes in the Missourian survey.

Whoopi Goldberg was the overwhelming favorite for best supporting actress for her role as a dimestore psychic in "Ghost." She received 130 nods. Film critics consider her an upset pick.

Critics-choice Mary McDonnell (Stands With a Fist in "Dances With Wolves") placed a distant second place with 47 votes.

In the category for original score, competition was tight between John Williams ("Home Alone") and John Barry ("Dances with Wolves"). Williams won by two votes.

Easily topping the original song category was "Blaze of Glory" from the movie Young Guns II with 116 votes.

Entries for the contest came from across Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. And several enterprising school classes participating in the Newspaper In Education program took advantage of their free newspapers to enter.