The 79th Annual Academy Awards were held on Sunday, Feb. 25 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. The Oscars were hosted by first timer Ellen DeGeneres.There was a massive amount of “buzz” surrounding this years Academy Awards because of how close the nominees were to each other. While every year it seems that there is a chance anybody can win, the movies from 2006 seemed to add doubt in every one of the nominees’ minds.
2006 was a fantastic year for movies of all genres. There was the crime, mob drama “The Departed,” which was up for five awards including Best Picture and Best Director with Martin Scorsese. There was also the fan favorite “Little Miss Sunshine” which landed 10-year-old Abigail Breslin a nomination for Best Supporting Actress along with three other nominations including Best Picture.
The biggest winners were “The Departed” with four wins including the big one (Best Picture) and “Pan’s Labyrinth,” directed by Latino great Guillermo del Toro, which took home three out of the four it was nominated for.
Royalty took over the Best Actor and Best Actress awards. Forrest Whitaker won for his portrayal of the “Last King of Scotland” while Best Actress was won by Helen Mirren for her performance in “The Queen.”
Aside from the winners and losers, the presenters were quite the treat. From the very start with Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman to Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton, the presenters came through with their best introductions. Jack Black, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly really stole the show with their song, “A Comedian at the Oscars.” Some people wonder why comedies are not recognized at critically acclaimed events like the Oscars, so the three comedians poked fun at that notion.
“Ryan Gosling, you’re all hip and now. But I’m gonna break your hip, right now!” screamed Will Ferrell.
The night culminated with a bald Jack Nicholson coupled with Diane Keaton to present “The Departed,” a movie that Nicholson was a part of.
DeGeneres was phenomenal as host. She showed her comedian background several times throughout the night. Whether she was vacuuming in front of the front row or presenting a script to Best Director Martin Scorsese, she held the audience in laughter all night.
There were also a few honorary awards given out. Ennio Morricone was presented with the Academy’s Honorary Award by Actor/Director Clint Eastwood. He struggled with his acceptance speech because he was unable to speak in English. Eastwood helped translate his speech. Past winners include Peter O’Toole, Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was given to Sherry Lansing and presented by Tom Cruise. This award is given to someone who has given major contributions to humanitarian causes.
The audience also enjoyed listening to each of the songs that were nominated for Best Song. Throughout the evening, each performer came on stage and performed their respective songs. The winner in the category was Melissa Etheridge’s “I Need to Wake Up” which was in the movie “An Inconvenient Truth.”
“An Inconvenient Truth” also won an Oscar for Best Documentary. Al Gore accepted the award for his movie, which explains his ideas on the climate change crisis in America. The actors’ expressed much admiration for the former vice president by virtually begging him to run for office again in 2008. He declined but did express his gratitude for the award and everyone who supports his fight against climate change.
The Oscars are great for the big winners but unfortunately there has to be losers as well. “Dreamgirls” had the most nominations at eight but fell short in six categories. The movie still was able to take home two awards: Achievement in Sound Mixing and Best Supporting Actress for Jennifer Hudson.
“Babel” starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett also had a rough night winning only one Oscar out of their seven nominations. Their win came for Best Original Score, but they were also nominated for Best Director and Best Picture which is quite an accomplishment in itself.
All-in-all, the night was a huge success. It ran an hour over as usual, but it was worth the wait. Everyone who participated in the event did a great job doing what they do best: entertaining. The night was full of surprises portraying all sorts of emotions ranging from ecstasy to sadness and in the end “The Departed” reigned supreme.