THE WINNERS AND PHOTOS AT THE OSCARS
Kate Winslet, Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz and the late Heath Ledger along with Slumdog Millionaire were huge winners at the 81st Academy Awards in Hollywood California. Penn won the Best Actor prize for his role as assassinated gay official Harvey Milk in Milk, ahead of the very hot favorite Mickey Rourke. The star used his acceptance speech to criticize those who outlawed gay marriage in California and called for equal rights. He said, "You commie, homo-loving sons of guns. I did not expect this. I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me. "For those of you who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban on gay marriage to reflect on their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes. "We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone." He also found time to pay tribute to Barack Obama and Mickey Rourke, adding, "I’m very, very proud to live in a country that is willing to elect an elegant man president. Mickey Rourke rises again, and he is my brother." Winslet was named Best Actress for her portrayal of a Nazi guard in The Reader; sixth time lucky for the star who had been a losing nominee five times before. After catching her breath onstage, the British actress said, "I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t made a version of this speech before. I was probably eight years old and staring into the bathroom mirror and this was a shampoo bottle. Well it’s not a shampoo bottle now." She went on to dedicate her award to her family and The Reader producers Sir Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, both of whom died in 2008. A stunned Cruz took the Best Supporting Actress award for Vicky Cristina Barcelona and warned the crowd, "Has anybody ever fainted here? I might be the first one," before accepting her award with speeches in English and her native Spanish. Ledger’s Best Supporting Actor award for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight brought Hollywood’s A-list to their feet, as his father, mother and sister took to the stage to collect the statuette on his behalf and pay him a touching tribute. But the night was dominated by the hit British movie Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight of the ten awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director for filmmaker Danny Boyle, who bounded onstage and impersonated Winnie the Pooh character Tigger before accepting his award. Australian actor Hugh Jackman was an impressive first-time Oscars host and entertainted guests at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre with a string of song and dance numbers, including duets with Beyonce Knowles and Anne Hathaway.
Complete list of winners at the 81st annual Academy Awards, presented Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles California
Motion Picture: "Slumdog Millionaire." Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk." Actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader." Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight." Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire." Foreign Film: "Departures," Japan. Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire." Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk." Animated Feature Film: "WALL-E." Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Cinematography: "Slumdog Millionaire." Sound Mixing: "Slumdog Millionaire." Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight." Original Score: "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman. Original Song: "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar. Costume: "The Duchess." Documentary Feature: "Man on Wire." Documentary (short subject): "Smile Pinki." Film Editing: "Slumdog Millionaire." Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Animated Short Film: "La Maison en Petits Cubes." Live Action Short Film: "Spielzeugland (Toyland)." Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Academy Award winners previously announced this season:
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (Oscar statuette): Jerry Lewis Gordon E. Sawyer Award (Oscar statuette): Pixar Animation co-founder Ed Catmull
Motion Picture: "Slumdog Millionaire." Actor: Sean Penn, "Milk." Actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader." Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight." Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire." Foreign Film: "Departures," Japan. Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire." Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk." Animated Feature Film: "WALL-E." Art Direction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Cinematography: "Slumdog Millionaire." Sound Mixing: "Slumdog Millionaire." Sound Editing: "The Dark Knight." Original Score: "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman. Original Song: "Jai Ho" from "Slumdog Millionaire," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar. Costume: "The Duchess." Documentary Feature: "Man on Wire." Documentary (short subject): "Smile Pinki." Film Editing: "Slumdog Millionaire." Makeup: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Animated Short Film: "La Maison en Petits Cubes." Live Action Short Film: "Spielzeugland (Toyland)." Visual Effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Academy Award winners previously announced this season:
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (Oscar statuette): Jerry Lewis Gordon E. Sawyer Award (Oscar statuette): Pixar Animation co-founder Ed Catmull
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