"Scent of an Oscar fills Pacino gala" - USA Today, February 22, 1993

NEW YORK - Al Pacino was playing it humble Saturday night, ad 700 of his closest friends gathered to honor him.

But girlfriend Lyndall Hobbs confides that the Bronx-bred actor is anxious to receive a long overdue Oscar.

"Just being nominated is an enormous pleasure. you try not to think about it," said Pacino, who never has won the coveted prize. He's a rare double nominee - up for best actor in "Scent of a Woman" and supporting actor in "Glengarry Glen Ross."

Hobbs, who directed Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello in "Back to the Beach", said thoughts of an Academy Award do occupy some of Pacino's waking hours. "He's not above it all. After losing six times, it starts to mean something. He's a happy boy."

In the audience of the American Museum of the Moving Image's Waldorf-Astoria tribute to Pacino: Ellen Barkin, Ron Silver, Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin, Carly Simon, Jack Klugman, Brian De Palma, Christopher Reeve, Alan Arkin, Sidney Lumet and Lauren Bacall.

In an extemporaneous speech, a choked-up Pacino thanked his late mother and his late drama coach Lee Strasberg for inspiring him.

He cited a bogus tabloid article about his supposedly high sex drive, saying a friend commented: "Al, what can I tell you? It's your year, kid!"

Before the ceremony, a buoyant Pacino played gracious host, jumping up from his table to greet guests.

Their words were invariably kind. Basinger called him "my hero"; Bacall describes his acting as "brilliant, dazzling." Robert De Niro sent a taped message recalling his role as Pacino's father in "Godfather 2: "You were a beautiful baby."

Basinger and Baldwin held hands, and chatted about their upcoming film, a remake of "The Getaway."

Gabrielle Anwar, renowned for her tango scene with Pacino in "Scent of a Woman, lifted her evening dress to display a cast. Her leg was broken in a gardening mishap.

Handsome "Scent" co-star Chris O'Donnell, 22, escorted actress Reese Witherspoon. He worried that he's "starting to get used to all the attention. You have to be prepared that it's not going to last."

But he's going to do his best to stay in the limelight. Next film: "The Three Musketeers" with Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland.

Is he a fan of the classic tale? "I used to eat the candy bar," he quipped.