THIS PAGE IS UNDER continual CONSTRUCTION to stay current with breaking news

Tiger Woods' Father Dies After Losing Battle With Cancer

    Earl Woods, who was more determined to raise a good son than a great golfer and became the architect and driving force behind Tiger Woods' phenomenal career, died Wednesday morning at his home in Cypress, Calif. He was 74.

"My dad was my best friend and greatest role model, and I will miss him deeply," Tiger Woods said on his Web site. "I'm overwhelmed when I think of all of the great things he accomplished in his life. He was an amazing dad, coach, mentor, soldier, husband and friend. I wouldn't be where I am today without him, and I'm honored to continue his legacy of sharing and caring."

Woods was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998 and was treated with radiation, but the cancer returned in 2004 and spread throughout his body. Last month, he was too frail to travel to the Masters for the first time. His son finished tied for third.

The last tournament Woods attended was the Target World Challenge in December 2004, when his son rallied to win and then donated $1.25 million to the Tiger Woods Foundation that his father helped him establish.

Earl Woods was more than a golf dad, more than a zealous father who lived vicariously through his son's achievements.

He had played catcher for Kansas State, the first black to play baseball in the Big Eight Conference, and he had been a Green Beret for two tours in Vietnam. But he felt his true purpose was to train Tiger, and he watched his son evolve into the dominant player of his time - the youngest player to win the career Grand Slam - and one of the most celebrated athletes in the world.

"I knew Tiger was special the day he was born," Woods said in a May 2000 interview with The Associated Press.

Woods introduced Tiger to golf by swinging a club as his son watched in a high chair. Tiger appeared on the "Mike Douglas Show" at age 2, played exhibitions with Sam Snead and Jack Nicklaus, and his television appeal was solely responsible for quantum gains in PGA Tour prize money.

Even so, Woods said he never intended to create a champion golfer.

"I make it very, very clear that my purpose in raising Tiger was not to raise a golfer. I wanted to raise a good person," Woods told Golf Digest magazine about his book, "Training a Tiger: A Father's Guide to Raising a Winner in Both Golf and Life."

Woods gave his son freedom to develop a love for golf on his own, not letting him play unless his homework was done, making him call his father at work to ask if they could practice. Along with the games they played, Woods taught him to be mentally strong by jingling change in his pockets and warning him of water hazards when his son was in the middle of his swing.

It all worked.

Tiger Woods set records that might never be broken by winning three straight U.S. Junior titles, followed by three straight U.S. Amateurs. In only 10 years as a pro, he already was won 48 times on the PGA Tour with 10 major championships, and he set a PGA Tour record by going seven years and 142 consecutive events making the cut.

In the forward to his father's book, Woods said: "In retrospect, golf for me was an apparent attempt to emulate the person I looked up to more than anyone: my father. He was instrumental in helping me develop the drive to achieve, but his role - as well as my mother's - was one of support and guidance, not interference."

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said Woods will be remembered for providing Tiger every opportunity "to become the world's best golfer and an outstanding representative of the game and its values."

Foremost for Earl Woods was raising a son who could influence life beyond golf. Woods was black and his wife, Kultida, whom he met during one of his tours to Vietnam, was Thai and Chinese.

Tiger Woods won twice in his first seven PGA Tour events after turning pro in 1996 at age 20 and was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Woods predicted greatness for Tiger on and off the course, telling the magazine that his son "will do more than any other man in history to change the course of humanity."

"He's the bridge between the East and the West," the father said. "There is no limit because he has the guidance. I don't know yet exactly what form this will take. But he is the Chosen One. He'll have the power to impact nations. Not people. Nations. The world is just getting a taste of his power."

Perhaps the lasting image of Earl Woods came the next spring, at the 1997 Masters, when he stepped onto the 18th green and wrapped his arms around a 21-year-old son who shattered records at Augusta National, a watershed victory that changed the appeal of golf and sent him to the greatness his father had always predicted.

Earl Woods was born March 5, 1932, in Manhattan, Kan., the youngest of six children. His parents died by the time he was 13.

His father wanted him to play for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues, and his mother stressed education. Woods wound up going to Kansas State, graduating in 1953 with a degree is sociology.

Woods did two tours during the Vietnam War as a member of the U.S. Army Special Forces, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. It was his second tour that shaped the latter part of his life.

He met Kultida Punsawad, who was working as a receptionist in Thailand, and married her in 1969. He fought alongside Lt. Col. Nguyen T. Phong of the South Vietnamese army, a friend he nicknamed "Tiger" because of his courage and bravery. Woods promised Tiger Phong that he would name a son after him.

Eldrick "Tiger" Woods was born Dec. 30, 1975.

Earl Woods moved to Cypress, Calif., - to the house where he died - and set up a makeshift practice range in the garage with a mat and a net, placing his son in a high chair as he practiced.

The education went beyond swinging a club.

"I tried to break him down mentally, tried to intimidate him verbally, by saying, 'Water on the right, OB on the left,' just before his downswing," Woods once said in an AP interview. "He would look at me with the most evil look, but he wasn't permitted to say anything. That's the frustration. He couldn't say a word, but he always had an escape word. He never used it.

"One day I did all my tricks, and he looked at me and smiled," Woods said. "At the end of the round, I told him, 'Tiger, you've completed the training.' And I made him a promise. 'You'll never run into another person as mentally tough as you.' He hasn't. And he won't."

05/03/06 15:44 EDT

   RENOWN PERCUSSIONIST DON ALIAS DIES AT 66

   Harlem, New York       Many percussionists do not get the spotlight and recognition that maybe saxophonists or trumpeters get, but take out the percussion in many of today’s sounds and you will not be able to taste the aural spices that add an invisible rich texture of musical gumbo to a studio mix or live performance. Sometimes hot, sometimes sweet, the savory rhythms of congas or the angelic chimes of bells add the touch, the sensitivity to a musical piece, that when excluded, is distinctively missed.  

           Don Alias , passed away, at the end of March at 66 and he took with him a treasure trove of percussion legacy [ December 25, 1939-March 29, 2006].  Everybody’s favorite percussionist, Alias who played with Miles Davis on the historic Bitch’s Brew album, was the kind of percussionist that was very “hirable”.    Noted for being a sensitive player, his sessions and touring credits read like a who’s who of 20^th Century contemporary jazz.  Stan Getz, Nina Simone, Herbie Hancock, Pat Matheny, Lou Rawls, Mongo Santamaria, Roberta Flack, Chick Corea, Carlos Santana, Joni Mitchell, Chuck Mangione, and David Sanborn included him on their recording sessions and tour dates.

           “ Don and I had been playing music very closely together for 20 some years,” says keyboardist/producer Ricky Peterson . “We started with David Sanborn and did numerous projects together. He was a wonderful friend and confidant and taught me a lot in my life about music, love and friendship. I love him and surely miss him. I know he's up hanging with all the cats in a much better space and feeling good!”

           Though sort out to record and play with the best of the best, jazz saxophonist Dave Sanborn had a special place and friendship for Alias that spanned two decades.  Last year he contributed heavily to David Sanborn 's Songs From The Night Before and Herbie Hancock 's The New Standard. The soft spoken, white haired, Harlem-raised son of Caribbean immigrants from St. Martin , was the mainstay of Sanborn’s sound whether on stage or in the studio.  Although his up bringing was rooted in getting a good education, a degree in biology which Alias obtained, seemed useless at age 16 when Dizzy Gillespie gives you one of your first breaks playing at the Newport Jazz Festival as one of the drummers with the Eartha Kitt Dance Troupe in 1957.  

           Don Alias attended Gannan College studying medicine and later went to Boston to study biochemistry, where he met Tony Williams and Chick Corea and formed an Afro-Cuban group called Los Muchachos, along with bass player Gene Perla. When Gene got a gig New York with Nina Simone, he got Don the job as the band's drummer. At that time,  Don had no skills on the drum set and, as he said, “I wasn't quite sure how to make the high hat (pedal) go.” Nina Simone said Don thought like she did, and that is why after three years on the road, she made him her musical director in his last year with her.  Nina Simone was not one to cross and Miles Davis eventually lured Alais to record with him for the Bitch’s Brew sessions [Miles Runs The Voodoo Down] while Simone was on vacation. Davis caught an ear full from Nina after her prediction of Miles trying to “steal” her drummer came true.

           After playing and recording with Miles , most, if not all musicians’ careers take off.     Don Alias was no exception.  A self taught musician, Alias growing up in Harlem , New York earned his percussion chops playing on the streets and absorbing information from drummers like Nana Vasconcelos and Airto Moreira, who exposed Don to hand percussion while adding color and texture to his playing.

         "We had an affinity for Afro-Cuban music," he explained in an interview with Latin Percussion drum manufacturer Martin Cohen . "People in my neighborhood liked all kinds of music. If you bought a Miles Davis record you also bought a Tito Puente record and The Delfonics."

         "Years ago, percussion wasn't always taken seriously," he recalled. "I've been fighting to make percussion an integral part of any ensemble, just as important as the saxophone, bass and piano. Going out with Herbie in that setting was proof that percussion can be used in any genre." - Cay Fatima/EMNS

"What possess someone to play the conga drum, to beat on a drum with your hands? It's a strange instrument I'll say, and in some ways really masochistic to play them. Listen to your heartbeat, it is like a drum, and you cannot live without your heart." - Don Alias

-Editor's Note: EMNS photographer/writer Cay Fatima met Don Alias in April 2005 when she saw Dave Sanborn backstage at the North Fork Theater, Westbury New York.  Unable to see Don perform at the Blue Note because of her mother's sudden illness in November 2005, Ms. Fatima's technician Tanisha Goodman did get to greet him after the end of an exhausting tour and both are saddened by this great loss.  Says Fatima, "We had a very engaging conversation and reminisced about the good old days.  I am really glad to have documented one of his last performances for EMNS."

Black Arts Groups Thrive

By Cay Fatima

New York , New York  

            On the heels of the passing of visual artist Gordon Parks, many voiced an opinion as to who among the talented African-American photographers will rise and become as visible and noteworthy as Parks.  Parks was recognized as a pioneer, some Black photographers were discussing, because he was able to be successful in the white photographic circles.  Any photographer accepted as a staff photographer at Life magazine had to meet a standard of excellence regardless of race, although some felt he was the token photographic visual artist for many decades. 

                  If the talent is out there, the next superstars may come out of the nurturing Black creative visual arts groups. Two of these organizations the Long Island Black Artist Association and Kamoinge Inc. have existed since the Sixties and have been evolving into viable organizations that promote African-American visual arts. Parks’ death sparked a dialogue as to why many contemporary artists pursued visual arts.  Gordon Parks became a symbol of Black achievement in American society and many aspired to be just like him.

                    In numerous cultures past and present, the visual artist is revered and not only is the artist held in high esteem, but is given a unique distinction of being the visual historian and storyteller. Before there were movies, the poets, storytellers and visual artists, communicated with the masses to express not only a personal point of view, but also perhaps a social point of view.

           The enslaved Africans that were brought to the Americas also brought with them their visual arts skills. Many of the Africans trained and became portrait artists for their masters. Like their musician counterparts, the African-American artists were given privileged status in the Americas , unlike their field hand brethren, and rose to the top of the social African-American ladder.

           Although White visual artists were allowed to receive payment for their works, the enslaved African, was still just a tool for their master's needs. After the great American emancipation, Black visual artists still had to earn a living. The idea of just earning a living from their artistic visual skills was going to be a daunting task. Many turned to other occupations, perhaps furniture making, musical instrument making, basket weaving, architecture, sculpture, then at the turn of the 20th-century, photography.

           As with the rest of the American Society, there rose a small African-American middle class, which valued the social accoutrements of their white counterparts.  Going to college, studying the arts and sciences of the European culture became necessary for the black middle class.  Social skills, like reciting Greek poetry, playing European classical instruments and oil painting were also necessary for the well-groomed “Talented Tenth”.

           However, African Americans were not encouraged to pursue the visual arts as a meaningful occupation, until the period known as the Harlem Renaissance.  During this time, all forms of creative arts flourished in the black community.  Music, literature, dance, and visual and graphic arts thrived with a new-found voice and audience.  For all arts to flourish there has to be patrons of the arts.  W. E. B. DuBois is quoted as saying, “The Black arts should be for us, by us and near us.” Many Blacks who were born during the time of the Harlem Renaissance, later became the artistic merchants of the sixties.

          It is very hard for one person, like Parks, to go against the establishment and eke out an existence as a visual/graphic artist, to receive recognition, create opportunities, and of course receive the patronage that should come from the adulation. Across the nation in the sixties, groups were formed to help foster the growth of the African-American artist.

              Two such groups are The Long Island Black Artist Association and Kamoinge Inc. Founded in 1968 by four artists James Counts, Ray Miles , Ernest Snell and Charles Winslow , THE LONG ISLAND BLACK ARTIST ASSOCIATION has long been a breeding ground to expose the talent of many Long Island based visual artists that also included Romare Bearden , Ann Tanksley and Barbara Powell .   The purpose of the association is “…to help the African-American artist find a conduit for the exhibition of their work.   To that end it has continually sought new venues for exhibiting the work of its members locally, nationally and internationally and has encouraged the artist's individual efforts to find recognition.” 

             The association which is the only such long-standing supportive group in the Brooklyn, Queens, Nassau and Suffolk area, to provide an atmosphere of fellowship in which professional and semi professional artists can exchange ideas, techniques and mutual support in their field of visual arts.  Many discover their potential talent, that may not be nurtured in the general artistic community, whereas, the group can provide a cultural service to the community and offer a "sensitive environment" for the cultural expression of the larger African-American community.       Works by individuals are in collections in the U.S.A. , Canada , the Caribbean , Africa and Europe , and through out the years the association has exhibited in many museums, galleries, colleges, universities, libraries, churches, and corporations throughout the country.      

             Unlike The Long Island Black Artist Association, which is open to anyone who expresses an interest in joining, Kamoinge, a word translated from the Kikuyu language of Kenya , as “a group of people acting together”, is open to photographer members by invitation only.   Also established in the sixties, Kamoinge has a well-established membership some of which include, Salimah Ali, Anthony Barboza, Adger Cowans, Collette Fournier, James Francis, Albert Fennar, Frank Stewart, Toni Parks [Gordon Parks’ daughter], Herbert Randall [a founding member] and Herb Robinson. Numerous have credentials that span a wide range of photographic fields that include university professors, contributing  photographers to national magazines, journals and/or periodicals, plus owners of their own studios. Originally called the Kamoinge Workshop, the group is now known as Kamoinge Inc. recalled Frank Stewart . Stewart came to New York to study photography with Roy DeCarava in the late sixties, and during that time, became familiar with some members of the Kamoinge Workshop. Stewart received encouragement and technical advice in which he feels took years off “learning time”.

           According to member Collette Fournier , “I curated a major photography exhibition in 1993, entitled “There is a World Through Our Eyes:  Perceptions and Visions of The African American Photographer”. In seeking out African American photographers, I found many that I invited into the exhibition were members of a photography collective called Kamoinge. I kept in touch with photographers and Kamoinge members Lou Draper who was teaching at Mercer County Community College and Beuford Smith who was freelancing.  As a photographer, I approached Kamoinge about concerns of archiving the work of African American photographers. Based up that discussion and my exhibition record, I was invited to join Kamoinge, Inc., several years later.”

            Stewart documents, “Kamoinge exists as a forum for African-American photographers to view and critique work in an honest and understanding environment, and to nurture and challenge each other in order to attain the highest level of creativity.  The group’s aim is to seek out the truth inherent in our cultural roots, and to create and communicate these truths with insight and integrity.”

            Every few years Kamoinge opens up the membership says Fournier. Current members recommend that new photographers are asked to join the group based upon relationships, exhibitions or work that they [membership] have seen. The new photographers must present and discuss their work at monthly meetings and attend another three meetings. The membership then decides whether to accept the new candidate based upon the strength of the photographer’s work. They have recently accepted excellent younger photographers into the group.

              “I believe that Black America,” decries Fournier, “is experiencing a Renaissance of the arts much like the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s. The fact that many African American artists have been educated has diversified our experiences in the Art world. Education and a commitment to our art have created many opportunities for us to work in our art fields and produce as professionals. We are published, exhibit our work globally, are gallery owners, collectors, researchers, lecturers, teachers, and managers of our own our businesses. We are savvy about the art world.  All of these factors have given our artwork a platform to increase in value and to be collectable.”

           Professionally, Kamoinge has organized a number of group exhibitions, like the recent “Black Music: From Bebop to Hip-hop” exhibit at the Brooklyn Academy of Music art gallery. In 1994, Kamoinge published a poetry/photography book The Sweet Breath of Life, through the efforts of member Frank Stewart. Published by Atria Books, Simon and Schuster, the book project included the brilliant poetry of Ntozake Shange.

            “Simultaneously," Fournier explains, "we participated in a traveling exhibition of a show with the same title at the George N’namdi Galleries in New York, Detroit and Chicago. Socially the exhibitions put us in touch with the art world and created opportunities to sell our photographs.  Atria Books had organized book signings and marketed showcases at Hu-man  Bookstore in Harlem and at Macy ’s 34^th St .  The exhibition openings gave us an opportunity to socialize with the public and share our stories as artists. Note cards from the book project were produced by then President Beuford Smith , Vice President, Frank Stewart and Treasurer, Herb Robinson. The book project gave me an opportunity to address the photography group UPAA (University Photographers Association of America) about the group process of publishing a book. It also created opportunities to do local book signings and to distribute press releases to various organizations. Emotionally, the group of twenty-five plus can’t agree on all issues but our motto is “As One”.  Philosophically this keeps us on track as an organization. With current President Tony Barboza and Vice President Adger Cowans aboard, future projects include publishing another book, printing a group portfolio and possibly reaching out to a younger audience. It has been an excellent experience to be a member of the photography collective,” remembers Founier .

          The members of these organizations bring years of education, teaching and work experience to the table. Many own studios, teach at schools or work for major newspapers and advertising agencies.  Others work at occupations that support their love of the craft rather than the craft of loving their art.

           “It [being in the LIBAA] was a good positive vehicle for a young Black artist like me who did not have a way to get immediate exposure.  It inspired me to keep doing it. It was art from Black people.  Even if it was a brief time, it was nice to be affiliated with them,” says mixed media artist Henry Allen Stevens , Jr. , who also like many crossover to other creative arts such as music, writing or dance.  Allen does not have the group sense for artistic survival. He wanted to branch out, but selling ones talents to a contemporary mass Black culture whose artistic values have more to do with electronic computer generated visual expression is not easy in the mass produced art of the 21 Century.

          If the icons and superstars of a new century are on the horizon, listen to local buzz about who some of the emerging visual art talent that is out there to support, by buying their work, attending their exhibits and spreading the word about artists in need of wider recognition. You may be able to purchase exquisite work at a fraction of the cost in addition to the appreciated value of the work.     For further information about joining any of these groups please contact:

THE LONG ISLAND BLACK ARTIST ASSOCIATION

Post Office Box 141 , Hempstead , Long Island , New York , 11550-0141 .

Kamoinge Inc.

Collette Fournier tele/fax: (845) 352-2648

e-mail: fournierandco@aol.com

Beuford Smith at (718) 624-7670 fax (718) 624-3105

e-mail: kamoinge@msn.com

However you must be a member to exhibit with this groups.

Visit them on the web www.liblackartists.com and www.thesweetbreatheoflife.com

Picture captions

Gordon Parks

Members of LI Black Artist Association

Members of Kamoinge at recent group photo exhibit at BAM

Collette Fournier photo of Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, Pastor Abyssinian Baptist Church, Harlem, NY

GORDON PARKS; VISUAL ARTS LEGEND DIES AT 93

NEW YORK (AP) -- Gordon Parks, who captured the struggles and triumphs of black America as a photographer for Life magazine and then became Hollywood 's first major black director with "The Learning Tree" and the hit "Shaft," died Tuesday, a family member said. He was 93.

Parks, who also wrote fiction and was an accomplished composer, died in New York , his nephew, Charles Parks , said in a telephone interview from Lawrence , Kansas .

"Nothing came easy," Parks wrote in his autobiography. "I was just born with a need to explore every tool shop of my mind, and with long searching and hard work. I became devoted to my restlessness." (Watch Parks describe how his powerful work could be a lesson for all -- 1:49)

He covered everything from fashion to politics to sports during his 20 years at Life, from 1948 to 1968.

But as a photographer, he was perhaps best known for his gritty photo essays on the grinding effects of poverty in the United States and abroad and on the spirit of the civil rights movement. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)

"Those special problems spawned by poverty and crime touched me more, and I dug into them with more enthusiasm," he said. "Working at them again revealed the superiority of the camera to explore the dilemmas they posed."

In 1961, his photographs in Life of a poor, ailing Brazilian boy named Flavio da Silva brought donations that saved the boy and purchased a new home for him and his family.

"The Learning Tree" was Parks' first film, in 1969. It was based on his 1963 autobiographical novel of the same name, in which the young hero grapples with fear and racism as well as first love and schoolboy triumphs. Parks wrote the score as well as directed.

In 1989, "The Learning Tree" was among the first 25 American movies to be placed on the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. The registry is intended to highlight films of particular cultural, historical or aesthetic importance.

The detective drama "Shaft," which came out in 1971 and starred Richard Roundtree , was a major hit and spawned a series of black-oriented films. Parks himself directed a sequel, "Shaft's Big Score," in 1972, and that same year his son Gordon Jr. directed "Superfly." The younger Parks was killed in a plane crash in 1979.

Parks also published books of poetry and wrote musical compositions including " Martin ," a ballet about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Parks was born November 30, 1912 , in Fort Scott , Kansas , the youngest of 15 children. In his 1990 autobiography, "Voices in the Mirror," he remembered it as a world of racism and poverty, but also a world where his parents gave their children love, discipline and religious faith.

He went through a series of jobs as a teen and young man, including piano player and railroad dining car waiter. The breakthrough came when he was about 25, when he bought a used camera in a pawn shop for $7.50. He became a freelance fashion photographer, went on to Vogue magazine and then to Life in 1948.

"Reflecting now, I realize that, even within the limits of my childhood vision, I was on a search for pride, meanwhile taking measurable glimpses of how certain blacks, who were fed up with racism, rebelled against it," he wrote.

When he accepted an award from Wichita State University in May 1991, he said it was "another step forward in my making peace with Kansas and Kansas making peace with me."

"I dream terrible dreams, terribly violent dreams," he said. "The doctors say it's because I suppressed so much anger and hatred from my youth. I bottled it up and used it constructively."

In his autobiography, he recalled that being Life's only black photographer put him in a peculiar position when he set out to cover the civil rights movement.

"Life magazine was eager to penetrate their ranks for stories, but the black movement thought of Life as just another white establishment out of tune with their cause," he wrote. He said his aim was to become "an objective reporter, but one with a subjective heart."

The story of young Flavio prompted Life readers to send in $30,000, enabling his family to build a home, and Flavio received treatment for his asthma in an American clinic. By the 1970s, he had a family and a job as a security guard, but more recently the home built in 1961 has become overcrowded and run-down.

Still, Flavio stayed in touch with Parks off and on, and in 1997 Parks said, "If I saw him tomorrow in the same conditions, I would do the whole thing over again."

In addition to novels, poetry and his autobiographical writings, Parks' writing credits included nonfiction such as "Camera Portraits: Techniques and Principles of Documentary Portraiture," 1948, and a 1971 book of essays called "Born Black."

His other film credits included "The Super Cops," 1974; "Leadbelly," 1976; and " Solomon Northup 's Odyssey," a TV film from 1984.

Recalling the making of "The Learning Tree," he wrote: "A lot of people of all colors were anxious about the breakthrough, and I was anxious to make the most of it. The wait had been far too long. Just remembering that no black had been given a chance to direct a motion picture in Hollywood since it was established kept me going."

Last month, health concerns had kept Parks from accepting the William Allen White Foundation National Citation in Kansas , but he said in a taped presentation that he still considered the state his home and wanted to be buried in Fort Scott .

Two years ago, Fort Scott Community College established the Gordon Parks Center for Culture and Diversity.

Jill Warford , its executive director, said Tuesday that Parks "had a very rough start in life and he overcame so much, but was such a good person and kind person that he never let the bad things that happened to him make him bitter."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

By John Horn and Susan King, Times Staff Writers
March 5, 2006

It split audiences, divided critics and even left its own producers warring. But "Crash" ultimately unified the one constituency that matters most in Hollywood : Academy Award voters.

In one of the biggest upsets in recent Academy Award history, "Crash" defeated " Brokeback Mountain " for the best picture Oscar on Sunday, also winning in the categories of best original screenplay and editing.

Though the provocative ensemble drama about race relations in Los Angeles dealt a blow to the heavily favored " Brokeback Mountain ," the ascension of "Crash" symbolized not only the rise of independently financed movies but also this award season's emphasis on personal stories about divisive social issues.

"What an amazing night!" one of "Crash's" two credited producers, Cathy Schulman , said after the film's win was greeted by astonishment and applause inside the Kodak Theatre. Addressing her fellow best picture nominees, she said: "You have made this year one of the most breathtaking and stunning maverick years in American cinema."

" Brokeback Mountain ," which had cleaned up at awards shows leading up to the 78th annual Oscars and was among the year's best-reviewed films, did win an Oscar for Ang Lee , the first non-white director to win the industry's top filmmaking prize. The controversial movie about cowboys in love also won trophies for adapted screenplay and score.

In upsetting " Brokeback Mountain " for best picture, "Crash" delivered as big a shock as when " Shakespeare in Love" toppled "Saving Private Ryan" seven years ago.

In choosing "Crash" over " Brokeback Mountain ," the academy was picking between two small movies dealing with prejudice and intolerance. "Crash" isn't playing in theaters anymore, having been released on DVD in September. Not one of this year's best picture nominees has grossed more than $80 million in theaters; only " Brokeback Mountain " has come close.

Even though its win was unexpected, "Crash" represents an Academy Award trend. For the fourth consecutive year, none of the major Hollywood studios could claim credit for making and releasing a best picture winner — a span stretching back to Universal Pictures' "A Beautiful Mind." (Last year's winner, "Million Dollar Baby," was distributed by Warner Bros. but financed by independent Lakeshore Entertainment.)

And unlike past independent best film winners, which were fully financed by specialized companies such as Miramax Films, this year's non-studio films were bankrolled by a patchwork of private investors.

Of the best picture nominees, "Capote," whose Philip Seymour Hoffman took the best actor Oscar, was partially financed by a German investment fund and Canadian tax credits; "Good Night, and Good Luck" attracted deep-pocketed patrons in Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and EBay co-founder Jeff Skoll; "Brokeback Mountain" was helped to the screen by Bill Pohlad, whose family owns the Minnesota Twins; and "Crash" was bankrolled by a German media fund, the Blockbuster video chain and a bank loan.

Only "Munich" was 100% underwritten by a studio, but had not Steven Spielberg been at the helm it is unlikely that Universal — or any other studio, for that matter — would have backed the production about the aftermath of the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Prominent movie critics were sharply split on "Crash's" artistic merits, and audiences fell into two sharply polarized camps: those who loved the $7.5-million film, and those who loathed it. When the film was released in May, it carried the names of six separate producers, but only two — Schulman and the film's co-writer and director, Paul Haggis — were deemed eligible for the best picture trophy.

Financier Bob Yari , the film's first Hollywood supporter and one of the four delisted producers, has sued Schulman and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the credit dispute, and Schulman has sued Yari. Schulman did, however, thank Yari in her acceptance speech.

Yari wasn't invited to the show, and watched the ceremony with colleagues at a Burbank burger joint. He said the controversy over the producing credit tainted his ability to enjoy the Oscars , but that the win gave him hope.

"It almost takes away all the hesitation I have to continue," he said.

Many of the other best picture nominees also split audiences along political, religious and aesthetic lines — and their box office returns suffered as a result. Eric Bana , who starred in " Munich " and was a presenter Sunday night, said the Oscars helped draw attention to movies some ticket buyers dismissed out of hand.

"There were a few films this year where people made up their minds without actually seeing the films or knowing much about them," Bana said as he entered the Kodak Theatre.

The ceremony's first award — a best supporting actor win for George Clooney in "Syriana" — was indicative of the evening's slate of nominees. Released by Warner Bros., the political thriller about oil and terrorism was subsidized by Skoll's Participant Productions; Clooney himself waived his up-front salary in order to get the outspoken movie made.

"This is not an industry that says OK. It has to be about big business and big budgets," Clooney said backstage after his win. "I think the beauty of the academy is that it finds little moments to say, 'Let's talk about these films and let's talk about things that maybe the rest of the mainstream doesn't get a chance to see.' "

Neither "Syriana" nor "The Constant Gardener," a drama about pharmaceutical corruption in Africa that won a best supporting actress Oscar for Rachel Weisz, sold nearly as many tickets as the winner for documentary feature, "March of the Penguins," which grossed $77.4 million.

Actor William H. Macy , whose wife, Felicity Huffman, was nominated for best actress in "Transamerica," said before the ceremony that he was encouraged by the kinds of movies Oscar voters singled out, and that they had performed well relative to their costs.

"The [best picture nominees] this year were not blockbusters but they were movies of depth," Macy said. "These films were successful too, and that's not getting enough attention."

Some Oscar-winning movies that were conceived as fully financed studio films were different animals by the time they hit theaters. "Memoirs of a Geisha," which won Academy Awards for costume design, art direction and cinematography, was developed at Sony Pictures, but the nervous studio sold a hefty share of the film to Spyglass Entertainment.

Even the specialized film companies that distributed four of the five best picture nominees are not immune to the relentless business pressures that make daring filmmaking increasingly difficult. Focus Features, which released " Brokeback Mountain ," adheres to a rigid model that balances a film's artistic merit against its foreign sales potential. That formula prevented Focus from making 2004's "Sideways," which went on to be a critical triumph, win the adapted screenplay Oscar and turn into an art house smash, grossing more than $71 million.

The ceremony's honorary Oscar was presented to maverick director Robert Altman , recognizing a filmmaker who often works outside of — and has often expressed his open disdain for — the big studios.

Those studios could take some solace in the three wins collected by " King Kong " and the best actress trophy for Reese Witherspoon of "Walk the Line."

The show was hosted by Jon Stewart of the satirical news program "The Daily Show," the fourth Oscar host in as many years. Ratings for last year's show, for which Chris Rock was host, were down 3% from the previous year, and Oscar organizers worried that television viewership might be down again this year because so few people had seen the five best picture nominees.

But these movies were never intended to be blockbusters. They just had something to say. Noted Yari as he drove away from Mo's Restaurant to celebrate his film's unexpected triumph, "No matter how much we want to believe important messages drive Hollywood decisions, the greatest driver is financial potential."

Times staff writers Robert W. Welkos and Geoff Boucher contributed to this report.

Golden Feet: Davis wins world speedskating Cup title

Edges countryman Cheek, 1,000 meter world speedskating crown belongs to U.S. star Shani Davis.

Updated: 12:59 p.m. ET March 4, 2006

 HEERENVEEN, Netherlands - American speedskater Shani Davis outperformed teammate Joey Cheek to win the overall World Cup title in the 1,000 meters on Saturday, November 4, 2006.

Olympic champion Davis clocked 1 minute, 8.91 seconds, while Cheek came in 13th and finished second in the overall rankings. Jan Bos of the Netherlands was second in 1:09.00, while Jeremy Wotherspoon of Canada was third.

Davis