GOSSIP TO SWAY OSCAR VOTERS?

GOSSIP TO SWAY OSCAR VOTERS?

SECAUCUS, N.J. (Wireless Flash) -- You think the Academy Awards are all about talent? Think again. According to gossip columnist Jeannette Walls, gossip and rumors play a huge role in determining who wins an Oscar. She claims "Shakespeare In Love" won last year's Best Picture prize over front runner "Saving Private Ryan" thanks to pro- "Shakespeare" rumors spread by Miramax, the film's distributor. Miramax also supposedly trashed "Saving Private Ryan" by planting unfavorable stories about the flick with gossip columnists. Because the gossip strategy worked, Walls predicts other studios will follow suit and concoct their own gossipy smear campaigns.