All The ACE Eddie Awards

Eddie winner Steven Cohen thanked his assistant Scot Scalise and post production supervisor David Gaines, among others.

When asked if he was editing with the latest equipment director Alan Parker replied, "Yes, I have this white-bearded old man." He was referring to Gerry Hambling, recipient of a Career Achievement Award at the American Cinema Editors 48th annual Eddie awards. In his long career, beginning as a "runner" in England, Gerry has accumulated six Oscar nominations, three ACE Eddie noms, for 'Fame', 'In the Name of the Father' and 'Evita', and won an Eddie for 'Mississippi Burning' as well as numerous British awards.

The montage of film clips for the Career Achievement Award for John Woodcock showed what an extraordinary range his career covered, from Jerry Lewis comedy features to Howard Hawk's 'El Dorado' to TV's 'Ike: The War Years'. John thanked his assistants, saying "They helped me through the tough stuff and I don't think they get enough credit frankly." John's former assistants include Michael Kahn, Guild Board secretary Diane Adler and Emmy-winning editor Paul Dixon. Now retired, John writes wonderful reminiscences in the ACE magazine -- today's digital assistant may need a moment to fully appreciate his memory of John Wayne spitting tobacco juice into a trim bin.

Editor and mixer Walter Murch presented independent producer Saul Zaentz with the Golden Eddie Film-maker of the Year award. Saul Zaentz won Best Picture Oscars for 'The English Patient', 'Amadeus', and 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'.

The evening's MC was a very funny Tom Arnold and the winners were:

• for best edited episode from a television mini-series, Antony Gibbs for 'George Wallace: Part Two'. Also nominated were Bud Hayes for 'Asteroid: Part One' and Patrick McMahon for 'The Shining: Part Two'.
  
  
• for best edited two-hour movie for commercial television, Martin Nicholson for 'Little Girls in Pretty Boxes'. Also nominated were Casey O. Rohrs and Tanya Swerling for 'Cinderella'; Michael Ornstein for 'Hope'; and Paul LaMastra for 'The Member of the Wedding'.
  
  
• for best edited one-hour series for television, Randy Jon Morgan for 'ER: The Long Way Around.' Also nominated were Randy Roberts and Warren Bowman for 'Early Edition: The Wall Part 1' and Lynne Willingham for 'X-Files: Post-Modern Prometheus'.
  
  
• for best edited half-hour series for television, Ron Volk for 'Frasier: Perspective on Christmas'. Also nominated were Dennis C. Vejar for 'Just Shoot Me: Lemon Wacky Hello' and Stuart Bass for 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Crucible'.
  
  
• for best edited documentary, Arnold Glassman for 'Frank Capra's American Dream'. Also nominated were Paul Barnes and Erik Ewers for 'Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery' and Jay Rabinowitz for 'Year of the Horse'.
  
  
• for best edited two-hour movie for non-commercial television, Steven Cohen for 'Don King: Only in America'. Also nominated were Michael JabIow for 'Breast Men' and Michael Brown for 'Miss Evers' Boys'.
  
  
• SharonTeo of Ohio University won the Best Student Editing Eddie.
  
  
• The best edited feature film award went to Conrad Buff, James Cameron and Richard A. Harris for 'Titanic'. Also nominated were Richard Francis-Bruce for 'Air Force One', Richard Marks for 'As Good As It Gets', Pietro Scalia for 'Good Will Hunting' and Peter Honess for 'L.A. Confidential'.

Director-editor James Cameron endeared himself to a perhaps sceptical audience by explaining he had insisted on more editing time for 'Titanic' because the Avid doesn't speed up the emotional and thinking processes that editing still needs. "I love editing," he said. "Happiness is a warm Avid."