Bollywood meets Hollywood at the Oscars!
Hello, everybody. With an official running time of 30 minutes past the promised three-hour mark, the 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday under the direction of producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon and host Hugh Jackman was given a whole new life.
And life was very good for "Slumdog Millionaire", the big winners of the night with eight Oscars including Original Score and Song ("Jai Ho", and how about their performance?), Director (Danny Boyle), and Best Picture of 2008. The late Heath Ledger as expected picks up Supporting Actor for "The Dark Knight" with his family accepting on his behalf; Penelope Cruz claims Supporting Actor ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"); Sean Penn beats out Mickey Rourke for his second Best Actor prize ("Milk"); and after six tries without a win...Kate Winslet finally comes up to the Oscar stage to grab possession of Best Actress ("The Reader"). And me? For the second time, I was SIX FOR SIX in my picks!!!!
Other winners include "WALL-E" (Animated Feature Film), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Art Direction, Makeup, and Visual Effects), and Japan's "Departures" (Foreign Language Film).
Like I said, in an attempt to boost sagging ratings from years past, the show got a whole new attitude with us staying tuned as to who the presenters will be to over five decades of past acting winners helping to pass the torch. And as for Jackman as host? I thought he made things work his way.
The stars worked their way on the red carpet as well prior to all this. We saw Angelina Jolie baring her shoulders in beautiful black Elie Saab, Sarah Jessica Parker looking like Cinderella in Dior, Freida Pinto in John Galliano, and Alicia Keys and Heidi Klum not afraid to show a little leg in Armani and Rouland Mouret respectively.
So, who do I give my Best Dressed props to? She may have lost graciously to Winslet, but Anne Hathaway in her Armani Prive was always a winner to me. And for Worst Dressed? In a tie, has to be Jessica Biel (she looked way better two Oscars ago, but this is what she gets for sleeping with Justin Timberlake!) and for the first time, a guy: that being Mickey Rourke!
As always, there are stories behind the big wins. She has come a long way from starting her career on the BBC in the early '90s; a few films and her first Oscar nod later, it would be "Titanic" that made her a household name worldwide. With several others to follow such as "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Finding Neverland", "Flushed Away", "The Holiday", and recently "Revolutionary Road" (reuniting her and "Titanic" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio), her grace and beauty has lit up the silver screen every time. And now comes the icing on her career cake, as 33-year-old Kate Elizabeth Winslet's 18-year journey is topped and sprinkled with Oscar gold!
Meanwhile, "Slumdog Millionaire's" huge haul is a huge make-up for "Quiz Show" losing Best Picture to "Forrest Gump" for game show fans. And all of India is celebrating as well, as the 81st Annual Academy Awards was indeed the night when Bollywood met Hollywood. So long and stay strong!
Hello, everybody. With an official running time of 30 minutes past the promised three-hour mark, the 81st Annual Academy Awards on Sunday under the direction of producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon and host Hugh Jackman was given a whole new life.
And life was very good for "Slumdog Millionaire", the big winners of the night with eight Oscars including Original Score and Song ("Jai Ho", and how about their performance?), Director (Danny Boyle), and Best Picture of 2008. The late Heath Ledger as expected picks up Supporting Actor for "The Dark Knight" with his family accepting on his behalf; Penelope Cruz claims Supporting Actor ("Vicky Cristina Barcelona"); Sean Penn beats out Mickey Rourke for his second Best Actor prize ("Milk"); and after six tries without a win...Kate Winslet finally comes up to the Oscar stage to grab possession of Best Actress ("The Reader"). And me? For the second time, I was SIX FOR SIX in my picks!!!!
Other winners include "WALL-E" (Animated Feature Film), "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Art Direction, Makeup, and Visual Effects), and Japan's "Departures" (Foreign Language Film).
Like I said, in an attempt to boost sagging ratings from years past, the show got a whole new attitude with us staying tuned as to who the presenters will be to over five decades of past acting winners helping to pass the torch. And as for Jackman as host? I thought he made things work his way.
The stars worked their way on the red carpet as well prior to all this. We saw Angelina Jolie baring her shoulders in beautiful black Elie Saab, Sarah Jessica Parker looking like Cinderella in Dior, Freida Pinto in John Galliano, and Alicia Keys and Heidi Klum not afraid to show a little leg in Armani and Rouland Mouret respectively.
So, who do I give my Best Dressed props to? She may have lost graciously to Winslet, but Anne Hathaway in her Armani Prive was always a winner to me. And for Worst Dressed? In a tie, has to be Jessica Biel (she looked way better two Oscars ago, but this is what she gets for sleeping with Justin Timberlake!) and for the first time, a guy: that being Mickey Rourke!
As always, there are stories behind the big wins. She has come a long way from starting her career on the BBC in the early '90s; a few films and her first Oscar nod later, it would be "Titanic" that made her a household name worldwide. With several others to follow such as "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", "Finding Neverland", "Flushed Away", "The Holiday", and recently "Revolutionary Road" (reuniting her and "Titanic" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio), her grace and beauty has lit up the silver screen every time. And now comes the icing on her career cake, as 33-year-old Kate Elizabeth Winslet's 18-year journey is topped and sprinkled with Oscar gold!
Meanwhile, "Slumdog Millionaire's" huge haul is a huge make-up for "Quiz Show" losing Best Picture to "Forrest Gump" for game show fans. And all of India is celebrating as well, as the 81st Annual Academy Awards was indeed the night when Bollywood met Hollywood. So long and stay strong!
