Short answers, pulled from the story.
The 75th Academy Awards ceremony took place on the 23rd of March 2003 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. This event marked the eleventh time producer Gilbert Cates oversaw the telecast for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Adrien Brody became the youngest person ever to win Best Actor at age 29 for his role in The Pianist. Roman Polanski also won Best Director for The Pianist during this same ceremony.
Several actors including Cate Blanchett, Jim Carrey, and Will Smith resigned from their roles as presenters citing safety concerns following the American-led invasion of Iraq. AMPAS president Frank Pierson refused to delay the gala despite pleas from broadcaster ABC to postpone proceedings up to a week.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $321 million in domestic receipts. Gangs of New York followed with $70.1 million while Chicago earned $64.5 million.
The American telecast drew an average of 33.04 million viewers over its length which represented a 21% decrease from the previous year's ceremony. An estimated 62.55 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards show.