Gold Mettle

Who should polish up that Oscar thank you speech, and who should practice smiling graciously at the winner? EW.com's readers –- some 7,000 of them –- have been casting their ballots in Oscar poll. Here are the results -- as of Friday morning -- listed in order of the top vote getters. Best Actress JULIA ROBERTS
Best Supporting Actress KATE HUDSON
Best Supporting Actor BENICIO DEL TORO
Best ActorRUSSELL CROWE
Best Director ANG LEE
Best Picture ''GLADIATOR''
The arena rocking Ancient Roman epic is stirring 38 percent of voters, putting it ahead of another historical epic,Taiwan's ''Crouching Tiger'' (No. 2; 27 percent).