Academy Awards end on historic, surprise notes

Oscars 2010 page

Katheryn Bigelow made history Sunday night when she became the first woman to win a directing Oscar for “The Hurt Locker.” Bigelow’s Iraq war drama also won Best Picture, beating out front runner “Avatar.”

James Cameron’s box-office breaking film took home Art Direction, Cinematography and Visual Effects. “The Hurt Locker” nabbed statues for Original Screenplay, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Film Editing and Directing.

Christoph Waltz kicked off the evening by taking home the award for Best Supporting Actor, a category he’s had nailed down since winning Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Given how memorable his turn as Hans “The Jew Hunter” Landa was in “Inglourious Basterds,” that was pretty much a given. The Austrian actor’s acceptance speech was really touching as he thanked American audiences for accepting him.

Waltz was an expected win for his stunning performance, as was Mo’nique for her role as an abusive mother in “Precious.” They were both shoo-ins to win their awards and deservedly so. In her acceptance speech, Mo’Nique paid homage to Hattie McDaniel, who was the first African-American to win an Academy Award, for her role as Mammy in 1939’s “Gone With the Wind.”

Surprising approximately no one, Jeff Bridges’ Oscars dreams were finally realized after four unsuccessful nominations. The 61-year-old actor won Best Actor for his role in “Crazy Heart.” During an emotional acceptance speech, he dedicated the win to his parents, who he thanked for “turning him onto such a groovy profession.”

Best Actress, one of the night’s least-predictable categories, went to Sandra Bullock, who also won this category at the Golden Globes. She graciously acknowledged each of the other nominees as she accepted her award recognizing her role as a football-crazed woman with a heart of gold in “The Blind Side.”

Yet again, Pixar Animation Studios took home the award for Best Animated Feature (for the fifth time) with “Up.” The film’s soundtrack by Michael Giacchino also won the Oscar for Best Original Score.

The show also had a number of sentimental moments. An early tribute to late director John Hughes featured a touching appearance by stars from the legendary ’80s teen film director’s films. Hughes passed away Aug. 6. A similar dedication to other stars who passed away last year, including, confusingly, Michael Jackson, was accompanied by singer/songwriter James Taylor, who sang a cover of The Beatles “In My Life.”

First-time host Alec Baldwin and co-host Steve Martin (his third time in that role) impressed with their witty repartee. They walked comedic circles around last year’s host, Hugh Jackman, who demonstrated all the comedic sensibilities of a drunk lemur. Ben Stiller was another comedic stand out. He presented the Best Makeup award while dressed as one of “Avatar’s” blue-skinned Na’vi, a fine follow up to his tongue-in-cheek turn as a bearded Joaquin Phoenix last year.