11:29AM, Feb 24, 2009
It was the biggest Oscar night for the Brits in over twelve years at 2009's Academy Awards.
And thanks to the miracle of the blog, we bring you a moment-to-moment account of the glitzy movie ceremony. From Winslet's win to Slumdog's slamdunk, and the shock of Mickey Rourke being pipped to the post by Sean Penn, here is all the excitement of the Oscars as it unfolded.
Click Here For As It Happened Part One
04:52 - The Big One. Best Picture of the Year.
Slumdog Millionaire has done it! A real fairytale ending to this magical, musical, sometimes grim, and inspirational modern day fairytale.
Getting everyone up on the stage, producer Christian Colson thanked them all for producing such a triumph against the odds.
Slumdog's eight Oscars equals Gandhi's haul back in 1983. And a quarter of a century from now we predict Slumdog Millionaire will be regarded as a classic of gritty-yet-feelgood filmmaking.
04:44 - BIG UPSET OF THE NIGHT!
Hollywood could have provided their own Tinseltown ending by awarding Mickey Rourke Best Actor Oscar for The Wrestler.
But, the Academy clearly felt that Sean Penn was the year's finest actor, naming him Best Actor 2009 for Milk. This is Penn's second Best Actor Oscar after 2004's Mystic River. Must have been a tough call and Penn is superb as murdered gay icon Harvey Milk. So even though Rourke ultimately got bottled by Milk, let's not overlook Penn's achievement.
04:40 - Now onto the actors.
And five previous winners, Michael Douglas, Anthony Hopkins, Sir Ben Kingsley, Robert De Niro, and Adrien Brody discuss and introduce the actors.
04.32 - Kate Winslet does indeed winnit!
Hugging hubby Sam Mendes and smacking one on the lips of The Reader director Stephen Daldry, she was breathless as she accepted the award. "I feel fortune to have made it all the way from (Reading) to here." Thanking everyone in her career plus her Reader collaborators, calling them an "unbroken chain of support", Winslet managed to hold back the tears that she shed at the Golden Globes. "Thank you so much, my God!" cried out Kate after thanking her fellow nominees.
It's Brits all right on the night.
04.29 - The biggie is coming. Best Actress. Will Kate winnit?
04.20 - Danny Boyle wins Best Director! Yes, we're excited. Yes, he's great, thanking the Academy, and the cermony itself, calling the show "bloody wonderful". Longinus - the uncredited choreographer of the film's final dance number - got a special mention, plus the city of Mumbai, and Winnie the Pooh. Boyle looked overwhelmed, a little nervous, and every inch the Mancunian star he is. And he has officially become the English Scorsese. We coined it here.
04.08 - Best Foreign Film goes to the Japanese film Departures. Two Japanese directors have emerged victorious tonight. And an Indian composer. And Brits galore. The question is, will the Americans get a look-in?
04:03 - Slumdog Millionaire is becoming film of the night and composer A.R. Rahman the man of the hour. He also picks up Best Song, making it six gold men for Danny Boyle's movie.
03:57 - Slumdog Millionaire picks up its fifth Oscar - this time for A.R Rahman's thrilling, pounding and flavourful score.
Could this become the most successful Brit film of all time at the Oscars?
03:42 - Eddie Murphy, who if rumour is to be believed stormed out of the awards two years ago after not winning for Dreamgirls, presents the Jean Hersholt award to Jerry Lewis.
Lewis looked good for his 82 years, the funnyman humbly received the award from his peers with real grace. And he does a lot of good work for charity (but doesn't like to talk about that, mate).
03.30 - Richard King picks up The Dark Knight's second Oscar, for Best Sound Effects Editing. Like everyone else on the planet, we think the Bat-flick should have been nominated in other, major categories.
But Slumdog Millionaire picks up yet another award for Sound Mixing. But, paws for one moment - Slumdog also picks up Best Film Editing, making it four Oscars for this shaggy dog story. Can it stay on target and pick up that all-important Best Film?
03:16 - The Brits make it a hat-trick of wins with James Marsh and Simon Chinn winning Best Documentary. Their Man on Wire is the you-just-couldn't-make-it-up-story of Philippe Petit, a man who walked a tightrope betwen the towers of the World Trade Center. He performed this feat in 1974, and his heart must have been firmly lodged at the back of his mouth. Much like Kate Winslet now we imagine.
Petit was also on stage, balancing the 8.5lbs statue on his chin. Therefore, he also wins Best Show-off of the Night award.
03:03 - Back to the five previous winners introducing the five nominees. And it's Best Supporting Actor: an Oscar whose outcome is known for sad reasons. Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was tipped for Oscar glory from the moment The Dark Knight was first screened. Chilling, blackly comic and utterly malevolent, for all Bat-fans this was the Joker.
Kevin Kline discussed Heath Ledger's "menacing, mercurial, droll and diabolical" performance. Ledger's family received the award, his father thanking the academy for recognising his son's amazing work, and Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan for allowing Ledger to run riot with the Joker character.
Ledger's sister Kate accepted the Oscar on behalf of his daughter Matilda.
02.54 - Hugh Jackman and Beyonce knock out a medley of classic songs. They are joined by High School Musical's Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, plus Mamma Mia's Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper. We think a Beyonce dance number should become an Oscar fixture. Just a suggestion...
02.48 - Jochen Alexander Freydank wins Best Live Action short.
Looking like a cross between Anthony Minghella and Joe Pantoliano he is winning in all ways, and we now want to see his short movie Spielzeugland (Toyland).
02:40 - Jennifer Aniston looked comfortable presenting Best Animated Feature with Jack Black. If rumour is to be believed, this is the first time she has shared the same room with ex-hubby Brad Pitt in four years. Either she's over the break-up or deserves Best Actress more than anyone else tonight.
02:31 - Hugh is back onstage. It must be said he's not onscreen as much as previous Oscar hosts. Although we dare say he needed a breather after that hectic opener.
Ben Stiller gets laughs doing a pretty spot-on look of the recently gone-bonkers Joaquin Phoenix. But, the biggest smile on our faces comes from the fact that the Brits are on another Oscar! Anthony Dodd Mantle wins best cinematography for his vibrant, colourful visuals on Danny Boyle's Brit-Bollywood banquet.
02:26 - The Academy shows savvy by hiring in tweenie friendly faces to get in the next generation of viewers.
Talking about the movies' love of love story are two yoof hearthrobs, Robert Pattinson of Twilight and Mamma Mia's Amanda Seyfried.
02.20 - 50 minutes in and we're almost seven awards down. At this rate we'll be telling our cab drivers to come a couple of hours early.
After a few years of low ratings, the Academy has certainly made this a pacier affair. Looks like we're only going to be spending quality time with the major nominees.
02:14 - This is shaping up to be a particularly global Oscars. So far we've have a Spanish actress, an English writer, and a Japanese director stepping up to the podium. Indeed, if it wasn't the many references to the American recession, viewers could be forgiven for thinking they are watching a particularly glitzy BAFTAs.
Click Here For As It Happened Part One
