http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29355221/
But for lines that epitomized the feel-good nature of the 81st Academy Awards,
one could do no better than 43-year-old Indian composer A.R. Rahman, who won
Oscars for both original soundtrack and original song from “Slumdog
Millionaire.”
“All my life, I had a choice of hate and love,” Rahman said.
“I chose love, and I’m here.”
A feel-good Oscar ceremony for recession era
Telecast was in stark contrast to last year’s cynical, dark nominated films
Gary Hershorn / Reuters
Director Danny Boyle celebrates with actors Azharuddin Ismail, left, and Ayush
Mahesh after "Slumdog Millionaire" won the Oscar for best picture during the
81st Academy Awards in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 22.
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Academy Awards video
'Slumdog' becomes Oscar's best in show
Feb. 23: It was a big night for the relatively small-budget movie "Slumdog
Millionaire," which received eight Oscar wins Sunday. NBC's Chris Jansing
reports.
Scoop on Hollywood’s big night
Oscar fashion hits and misses
Oscar's biggest snub
‘Slumdog’ rules Hollywood’s big night
Heath Ledger wins posthumous Oscar
Boyle: ‘Slumdog’ win is ‘incredible’
‘Slumdog’ is top dog at Oscars
Roker on the red carpet
Red-carpet report
updated 5:08 p.m. ET Feb. 23, 2009
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Maybe it was the adorable smile on that “Slumdog Millionaire” kid in his
pint-sized tuxedo.
Or best director winner Danny Boyle bouncing in silly tribute to Tigger of
“Winnie the Pooh.”
The grinning, top-hatted dad of best actress winner Kate Winslet, whistling
like a champion to get his daughter’s attention.
Or an entire crowd standing together in remembrance of Heath Ledger.
This year’s Oscar telecast was striking for its many feel-good themes and
moments — and perhaps exactly what we needed from a recession-era awards show.
Certainly, it was a notable contrast to last year, when darkness and cynicism
ruled the nominated films, capped by best picture winner “No Country for Old
Men,” about a homicidal sociopath. The collective subject matter was so bleak
that host Jon Stewart was inspired to say of “Juno,” the one comedy: “Thank
goodness for teen pregnancy!”
This year’s host, Hugh Jackman, had no such trouble. He presided over a show
filled with Cinderella themes both fictional and real-life. And none was more
poignant than that of the night’s big winner, “Slumdog Millionaire,” with its
story of love triumphing over desperate poverty, criminality and pure evil.
Lost on no one at Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre, of course, was the Cinderella-like
story of the movie itself, which nearly became a victim of the tanking economy
and was headed for a direct-to-DVD release before News Corp.’s Fox Searchlight
stepped in to distribute it.
And there were the many personal stories of those involved in the film. As the
cast stood onstage after winning the best picture award, the cameras focused
briefly on a beatifically smiling Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, one of the
children who’d been whisked to the Oscars from a desperately poor neighborhood
on the outskirts of Mumbai, where he lives in a lean-to made of plastic
tarpaulins and blankets. One can only imagine how the moment must have felt for
his friends and family back home.
It fell to Simon Beaufoy, who won for the film’s adapted screenplay, to make
the link between our troubled times and the film’s appeal.
“It’s come out at a time when the value of money, which has been raised to this
extraordinary height, is suddenly being shown to be a kind of very shallow
thing,” Beaufoy said. “The financial markets are crashing around the world, and
a film comes out which is ostensibly about being a millionaire. Actually ...
it’s a film that says there’s more important things than money: love, faith and
family.”
Teary audience
It was a different family — that of the late Heath Ledger — that brought tears
to many eyes in the most emotional moment of the ceremony, no less affecting
because it was expected: Ledger’s posthumous Oscar for his diabolical Joker in
“The Dark Knight.”
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Slideshow
Academy Awards: The big winners
Kate Winslet and Sean Penn claimed honors, but “Slumdog Millionaire” was the
story of the night.
more photosThe entire theater rose along with Ledger’s relatives to pay tribute
to this deeply talented actor who died last year at age 28, of an accidental
prescription drug overdose. They heard his father express how much Ledger would
have wanted to be there.
“This award tonight would have humbly validated Heath’s quiet determination to
be truly accepted by all you here tonight, his peers within an industry he so
loved,” said Kim Ledger, Heath Ledger’s father.
The moment was lacking only one thing: A look back at Ledger’s stunning work as
the Joker. The new format for the acting awards, with five former winners
paying tribute to nominees in short speeches, may have added some touching
moments — Shirley MacLaine telling Anne Hathaway that she had a great future
was one of them — but it took away the film clips, an omission some found
glaring.
“You’ve got all these wonderful images — so let’s see this stuff on screen!”
said Jonathan Kuntz, a historian at UCLA’s film school. “They could have done a
better job selling their films by actually showing them. Not everyone has seen
these movies.”
The ratings support that view — bigger and more mainstream movies always draw
higher Oscar ratings, and though viewership was up by more than 4 million this
year, at 36.3 million, there are still only two Oscar telecasts on record with
fewer viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Last year, when “No Country For Old Men” won best picture, the telecast was
seen by 32 million people, the lowest on record. The 2003 telecast, with
“Chicago” as the best picture winner, was seen by 33 million.
Sweet moments
But back to the sweet moments, which came in some unexpected places. Certainly
there was no Cinderella story in “The Reader,” the tale of an unrepentant Nazi
guard played by Kate Winslet.
But Winslet’s win was touching nonetheless — the popular British actress had
been nominated five times previously with no success.
Thanking her parents for their faith in her, she called out, “Dad, whistle or
something ’cause then I’ll know where you are.” And Roger Winslet whistled back
— heartily, for the world to hear.
Unlike the genial Winslet, Sean Penn is known for a somewhat prickly presence.
But in keeping with the night, the best actor winner for “Milk” seemed a
little, well, softer around the edges, virtually apologizing for some of his
trademark brashness.
“I want it to be very clear that I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me,
often,” Penn said, to laughter. He went on to make a passionate plea for
legalization of same-sex marriages.
Penn’s portrayal of slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk was striking partly
because the character was so much sweeter — and full of smiles — than many he’s
played before. His performance was so convincing that it gave Penn’s friend,
Robert DeNiro, one of the night’s best comic lines.
“How did he do it?” DeNiro asked as he introduced Penn in the best actor
category. “How for so many years did Sean Penn get all those jobs playing
straight men?”
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Complete list of Academy Award winners
But for lines that epitomized the feel-good nature of the 81st Academy Awards,
one could do no better than 43-year-old Indian composer A.R. Rahman, who won
Oscars for both original soundtrack and original song from “Slumdog
Millionaire.”
“All my life, I had a choice of hate and love,” Rahman said.
“I chose love, and I’m here.”
