80th Academy Awards Winners

There are many people around the world that didn’t watched this show, but there are also millions that did. I’m one of them thanks to my dearest photographer friend, as without his invitation I will have not been able to see it. Big Kiss and Big Thanks!!!

By this late time most of you already know the winners but here they are anyway.

Best motion picture of the year: "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production: Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

Achievement in directing: "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

Performance by an actress in a leading role: Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role: Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
Performance by an actor in a leading role: Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role: Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)

Adapted screenplay: "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Original screenplay: "Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Diablo Cody

Achievement in cinematography: "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Robert Elswit
Achievement in art direction: "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount): Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
Achievement in costume design: "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal) Alexandra Byrne
Achievement in film editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Christopher Rouse
Achievement in makeup: "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
Achievement in sound mixing: "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
Achievement in visual effects: "The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
Achievement in sound editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score): "Atonement" (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song): "Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova

Best animated feature film of the year: "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Brad Bird
Best foreign language film of the year: "The Counterfeiters" Austria

Best documentary feature: "Taxi to the Dark Side" (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
Best documentary short subject: "Freeheld" A Lieutenant Films Production: Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
Best animated short film: "Peter & the Wolf" (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman
Best live action short film: "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)" (Premium Films) A Karé Production: Philippe Pollet-Villard

Have to share with you that I had a big jumping moment in the show when Marion Cotillard won her Oscar, as I was SO glad for her that she beat Julie Christie, which had all the betting odds in her favor. Is quite good that a French speaking role gets the Oscar as it is the first time ever that this happens; the only other time that an actress got an Oscar for a non-English speaking role was Sophia Loren for La Ciociara in 1962, which of course was in Italian. Also worth noting is that this is the second time a French actress gets an Oscar, the first was Simone Signoret for Room at the Top in 1959. Another first will be that I’ll be doing my first post for an actress as I feel I have to write about her.

Totally expected – I would have got VERY upset if not- was Javier Bardem Oscar who becomes the very first Spaniard ACTOR to get an Oscar. Bravo!!! Check, as I did, any Spain newspaper online to find that all the front pages include Bardem news and a country that is happy for the deserved success of his conational. If you feel like check the Thank You Cam and a very serious Bardem giving thanks to everyone… do it here.

Even if I was hoping that Cate Blanchet would get the Oscar, I was glad that a great actress with many great roles in her career was finally recognized with the Oscar and yes I do agree that Tilda Swinton was outstanding in her Michael Clayton supporting role. This is a good win and perhaps after the Marion Cotillard surprise was the second greatest and positive surprise of the night. Besides I have to say that I was mesmerized by her last night androgynous look and great absence of makeup, wow!

Then I’m ecstatic with Diablo Cody win, not only she did an outstanding screenplay with a very original story about a told many times theme, but her win gives hope that the Academy members are hopefully becoming less conservative, if only those that voted for Cody could become members of the few that select the short list of foreign movies in competition (he he) then perhaps excellent Romanian movies (not only 4months but also The Death of Mr. Lazarescu) could be considered at least for nominations! As some of you were expecting, I had to talk about the unforgettable omission!!!

Some of us were expecting that the Coen Bros oeuvre would become the big winner as it did, but no one -I know or read about predictions- imagined that the second movie with most Oscars would be The Bourne Ultimatum!

The show was not more than Okay, but at least I’m so glad it went back to an Awards Show format, as last year the show had an awful entertainment format. Still you could tell that the organizers had to rush with the show as I did missed a lot the funny introduction done with the host and whatever crazy idea about this year movies they always come up. This year they had a video that looked more -as I read somewhere- like an UPS ad, lol! Yep, I also thought it was an ad and not the beginning of the show!

Unfortunately the nominated songs this year were not happy at all, which contributed a lot to the not that much entertaining feel the show had for some.

Another Academy Awards came and went, but this year I did enjoy it and hope there is no guild strike next year so they can prepare the show as they know how to do it. The Mother of All Awards dropped the curtain down and we will have to wait another year for this event to happen again.

Cheers!!!