A DIFFERENT KIND OF ... HOLLYWOOD INSIDER; Three years ago, Alan Ball was slaving away on sitcoms in relative anonymity. With his screenplay for "American Beauty," the self-taught writer has spun gold from his knack for getting inside the `messy' nature of his characters. And, just maybe, a gold statuette named Oscar.(ENTERTAINMENT)

From: Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) | Date: March 26, 2000| Author: Tillotson, Kristin | Copyright information

Alan Ball taught himself to write for the stage, then television, then the movies. Tonight, he might read his first effort at writing for a more specialized medium - the Oscars acceptance speech.

He's had a couple of dry runs, having already brought home Golden Globe and Screenwriters Guild trophies. But as the odds-on favorite to win the shiniest statuette of all, the writer of "American Beauty" is overbooked, under pressure, euphoric and "terrified," he said.

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