Roberts, Gibson, Friends Named People's Choices

January 8, 2001 -- For the second year in a row, Oscar hopeful Julia Roberts was elected favorite female film actress at the 27th Annual People's Choice Awards, held Sunday.

Roberts, one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, took the podium and thanked Joe Roth, her date for the evening and her director for America's Sweethearts, and Steven Soderbergh, who directed her in Erin Brockovich. The pretty woman then said she was honored to be in Brockovich, joking that the buxom character allowed her to have breasts for the first time in her life.

Perennial audience fave Mel Gibson, who appeared in The Patriot and What Women Want, won the corresponding award for male motion picture actor. He also garnered the award for favorite motion picture star in a drama. Gibson mirrored Roberts' chesty reference by grabbing the two trophies and centering them on his nipples, a gesture that earned howls and catcalls from the audience.

Oddly, John Goodman was picked as favorite male performer in a new TV series for his role in the now-defunct comedy Normal, Ohio. The rookie Fox sitcom was yanked in December due to poor ratings. Goodman has also been nominated for a TV Guide Award for his portrayal of a wisecracking gay father on Normal.

Friends, which debuted in 1994, was again chosen as favorite TV comedy, while a beaming Jennifer Aniston, who portrays ditzy Rachel Green on the NBC series, accepted an award for favorite female TV performer.

NBC's ratings stalwart ER was picked for favorite dramatic series — the show's eighth consecutive People's Choice Award win.

Drew Carey, who has his own, self-titled ABC hit sitcom and who hosts Whose Line Is It Anyway? on the same network, was chosen as favorite male television performer for yet another year.

The 1999 Stephen King flick The Green Mile, starring Tom Hanks, was chosen for both favorite motion picture and favorite motion picture drama. The Green Mile received four Oscar nominations last year.

Jim Carrey, who starred last year in Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Me, Myself, & Irene, was chosen for favorite motion picture star in a comedy.

The People's Choice Awards are chosen by a nationwide Gallup telephone poll. The 1,200 randomly selected voters are given no suggestions or nominees and can select any person or program they choose for each category.

Polling took place between Nov. 1, 1999, and Oct. 31, 2000, so Gibson was chosen before What Women Want was released. Fans also made their choices without considering some of this year's hottest films, including Carrey's Grinch and Hanks' Cast Away, which were released (and went on to top the box-office charts) during the last two months of 2000.

Reuters contributed to this story.