Contest winners net movie passes

By FREDRICK J. JOHNSON

The Capital-Journal

Linda Nickel is no stranger to forecasting who the Oscar winners will be at Hollywood's annual Academy Awards gala.

Nickel, of Topeka, who this year won first place in The Topeka Capital-Journal's Academy Awards Game and collected $200 and a one- year movie pass for two at particpating theaters, said Tuesday she won at least a second prize several years ago --- sometime in the mid- 1990s.

Actually, Nickel said, she thinks she won second prize one year and third prize another year but isn't absolutely sure about the third prize because "it's been so long ago."

Regardless, Nickel won the top prize this year when her perfect entry was the first one picked during a random drawing of more than 4,000 contest entries.

All entries are entered in the random drawing, and the first perfect entry drawn wins first prize. The second, third and fourth perfect entries win those respective prizes.

Nickel won nothing in last year's contest and thought that might be her fate again this year. She said she put Hilary Swank as her choice for the best actress on most of her 10 entries but later read and heard that Annette Bening might win that category.

She had Bening on a few entries, Nickel said, but most featured Swank, who won the category.

Second prize winner Patricia Smith, of Topeka, has no doubt this is the first year she ever has won anything in the newspaper's contest.

"I'm usually not too lucky," she said. "It was kind of a shock."

Smith tries to go to the movies at least once a week, usually with her daughter. Her husband accompanies her occasionally, if a particular movie interests him, but "he's not into movies like I am," she said.

Her prize of a six-month pass for two at participating theaters will keep Smith and her daughter, and occasionally her husband, regulars on the movie circuit for a while longer.

Third prize, a three-month pass for two, was won by J. Mclain, of Topeka, and fourth prize, a one-month pass for two, was won by Karen Bates, of Topeka.

Winners of 50 one-time movie passes for two are listed below. These winners were selected at ramdom from all entries and didn't need perfect scores to win.

David Bybee, Topeka; Larry Olberding, Silver Lake; Keli Hoskins, Holton; Jill Huggins, Topeka; Dal Lowrey Jr., Topeka; Paula Taylor, Topeka; Ray Guerrero, Topeka; Patricia Kirk, Topeka; Amanda Rocha, Topeka; Christine Myers, Topeka; Anna Campbell, Holton; Jorge Colon Jr., Topeka; Blake McIntyre, Osage City; Karen Holt, Mayetta; Kelli Phillips, Topeka; Catherine Pheasant, Topeka; Lucille Lillibridge, Topeka; Mary Ann Starbuck, Topeka; Annita Huff, Topeka; Louis A. Demers, Topeka; Amy Ewing, Topeka; Sharla Bradley, Topeka; Joe Soltis, Berryton; Debby McGee, Topeka; and Kimberly Havens, Carbondale.

Gretchen Upton, Rossville; Julia Towle, Topeka; Jan Lippert, Osage City; David Cullen, Topeka; Marcy Glassman, Topeka; Roy Wohl, Topeka; Boyd L. Blair, Topeka; Denise Moore, Topeka; Tamara Wise, Topeka; Maxine Patterson, Topeka; Lydia H. Parks, Ottawa; Margie Pizzuto, Topeka; Mark Sankoorikal, Topeka; Don Hemme, Topeka; Helen Lytle, Rossville; Pam Hatfield, Topeka; Ben Appelhanz, Topeka; Karen Sauls, Topeka; Joyce Alexander, Topeka; Shirley Degener, Topeka; Michaelle Majeroni, Topeka; Doug Goheen, Topeka; Eugene Joly, Topeka; Jackie Meinhardt, Topeka; and Marie White, Onaga.

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