Monday, February 23, 2009

Oscars 2009 - Winners and Post-Show Highlights


As expected, "Slumdog" danced away with nearly all the awards for which it was nominated, and the lovely Ms. Winslet finally snagged her first golden boy, but, for me, the real stars of Sunday's show were Bill Condon and Larry Mark, the producers of the finest Oscar telecast I've ever seen. From the set design to the absolutely awe-inspiring presentations of the acting categories, it truly was a night to remember. Here are some of Your Movie Buddy's highlights:


Dustin Lance Black wins Best Original Screenplay
Probably my favorite win of the night. So well deserved and such a Cinderella story for this cute and talented guy (his speech wasn't too shabby either).


Daniel Craig and SJP present Art Direction, Makeup, and Costume Design.
Nice touch having the sharply-dressed James Bond and Carrie Bradshaw hand out these trophies. And the stage dressing during this bit was especially eye-catching.


A. R. Rahman does double duty. The "Slumdog" maestro claimed the award for Best Original Score then ran back out on stage to perform "Jai-Ho" only seconds later. I wasn't even aware he was the man behind the voice in this catchy tune.


Sid Ganis nixes the speech. The Academy prez saves us all from a yawn-inducing, obligatory address and simply waves at the crowd from his seat. I think I speak for everyone when I say: "Thanks, Sid."


Queen Latifah sings "I'll Be Seeing You." The soulful star reminded us of her multiple gifts by crooning the classic number during the In Memoriam segment. Many people hated this; I thought it was beautiful.


Sean Penn wins Best Actor. This was a pleasant surprise, as was Penn's hearfelt, decidedly democratic speech. I didn't think it was possible to like this actor more than I already did. Extra points for mentioning "the picketers down the street."


The incredibly energetic Hugh Jackman. Who needs jokes when you've got an inventive, funny and highly entertaining song-and-dance number?


The Women in White
. A beautiful retread of 2008's Ladies in Red, these four goddesses were the best-dressed of the evening, with Anne Hathaway coming out on top for the second year in a row.


Those uber-exciting actor-to-actor presentations. I was in starstruck heaven, and the lead actor lineup was especially impressive (save Adrien Brody, who felt a bit like he was poking his head in, like he's doing above).



...And this adorably bittersweet photo.

For all the winners, go to oscar.com (I scored 19/24 on my predix!!). See you next year, kids. :)

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