Tom Cruises into Sci-Fi Fans' Hearts

By Stephen M. Silverman

Friday March 07, 2003 11:00 AM EST

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Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report" isn't up for any major Oscars, but the futuristic thriller could have its day in the sun. Or on Saturn.

The film and the heavily Oscar-nominated "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" each picked up 10 nominations to top the list of sci-fi, fantasy and horror picture contenders for the 28th annual Saturn Awards, reports Variety.

The nominations were announced Thursday by Cinescape and the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

The Saturn Awards, a golden statuette of the planet Saturn surrounded by a ring of film, will be presented in Los Angeles sometime in June. No specific date has been set (perhaps planners are awaiting the right alignment of the planets).

In the race, "Minority" and "Rings" were followed by "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones," with its six nominations, as well as "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and last year's box-office champ, "Spider-Man," each with five.

On the TV side, exiting show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" tied with "Smallville" for the most nominations -- five -- and will compete with "Alias," "Angel," "Enterprise" and "The Twilight Zone" for best fantasy show.

"Minority Report" will compete with "Men in Black 2," "Signs," "Solaris," "Star Trek: Nemesis" and "Attack of the Clones" for the science-fiction film prize.

"Two Towers," meanwhile, needs to combat "The Scorpion King," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "Reign of Fire," "The Santa Clause 2" and "Spider-Man" in the fantasy film categories.

Career achievement awards will go to puppeteer producers Sid and Marty Krofft, actors Kurt Russell and Bill Paxton, director James Cameron and Miramax film honchos Bob and Harvey Weinstein.