Ah, the Oscars.
From the red carpet glam to the awards ceremony to the after parties, many viewers are glued to their TV sets for hours.
For those who missed the presentation of the awards, here is a brief recap.
Hosted by Hugh Jackman, the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony opened with a touching introduction by five presenters of Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis, nominated for her moving performance in Doubt, Penelope Cruz in Vicky Christina Barcelona, Amy Adams also for her performance in Doubt, Teraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler.
Cruz won and dedicated her award to her family and friends and asked the audience to protect art, which she considers ‘our universal language.’
To the happiness of many, Heath Ledger won Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. His parents and sister accepted the award on his behalf in front of a tearful and moved audience.
Best Actress in a Leading Role went to Kate Winslet for her role in The Reader. Best Actor in a Leading Role went to Sean Penn for his portrayal of the first openly-gay elected official, Harvey Milk, in Milk. Best Picture went to Slumdog Millionaire.
Tina Fey and Martin Short presented the Best Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay awards, with Dustin Lance Black for Milk and Simon Beaufoy for Slumdog Millionaire winning, respectively.
The Best Animated Feature Film and Best Animated Film Short awards were presented by Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black. Black joked about making money by providing the voice in a DreamWorks picture, but betting on a Pixar movie to win the Oscar. And, sure enough, Wall-E won. ‘La Maison en Petits Cube’ won for Best Animated Short.
Video montages of 2008 action, romance, comedy, drama and animated films were also shown. Clips from Wanted, Indian Jones, Mamma Mia!, Horton Hears a Who, were included. The comedy montage was produced ‘aacute; la Pineapple Express for hilarious results.
There was also a brief song and dance featuring Jackman, Beyonc’eacute;, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame. Put together by director Baz Luhrmann, the song featured snippets from famous musicals such as Moulin Rouge, Grease and Mamma Mia!
All in all, Slumdog Millionaire went home with the most awards, snagging Best Directing, Best Song, Best Score, Best Picture and Best Cinematography.
