'The Hurt Locker,' Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges, Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique were the top prize-winners at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards at the Kodak Theatre Sunday night. Read on for the show recap!
Nominated for a total of nine awards, 'The Hurt Locker' ignited the excitement with six wins including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. Kathryn Bigelow made history by being the first woman to earn the Best Director statuette, besting ex-husband James Cameron, and she told the audience, "There's no other way to describe it -- it's the moment of a lifetime," dedicating her win, "To the men and women all over the world who wear a uniform: They are there for us, and we're there for them."
The Oscar gold was evenly distributed this year, marking the first time the Academy has nominated ten Best Picture nominees since 1943. 'Avatar,' 'Up' and 'Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire' also walked away with multiple wins. They were nominated alongside fellow Best Picture nominees 'The Blind Side,' 'District 9,' 'An Education,' 'Inglourious Basterds,' 'A Serious Man' and 'Up in the Air.'
See the complete list of the night's winners!
Bullock won her first Academy Award as Best Actress for her portrayal as a tough mom who takes a troubled soul under her wing in 'The Blind Side.' "Did I really earn this, or did I just wear you all down?" she joked, taking time to commend fellow nominees Meryl Streep, Gabourey Sidibe, Helen Mirren and Carey Mulligan. She thanked the Tuohy family, the inspiration for the film, and "The moms that take care of the babies and the children no matter where they come from." At the end of her speech, the newly minted Oscar winner thanked her mother Helga, who told her, "To be an artist, you had to practice every day," and, "for reminding her daughters that there's no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else. We are all deserving of love."
Bridges also won his first Oscar -- after five nominations -- for his role as country crooner Bad Blake in 'Crazy Heart,' besting George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman and Jeremy Renner. "Thank you mom and dad for turning me on to such a groovy profession," said the star, holding his statuette up in the air and channeling a bit of the "Dude" within. "I feel an extension of them; this is honoring them as much as it is honoring me." Jeff also thanked his co-stars and co-workers in addition to his kids and wife of 33 years, Susan, saying, "I wouldn't be up here without you."
Mo'Nique claimed the Best Supporting Actress statuette for her powerful turn in 'Precious.' "I would like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance, and not the politics," she proclaimed, throwing praise to 'Gone with the Wind' actress Hattie McDaniel (the first black performer to win an Academy Award), Oprah and Tyler Perry. She added, "Sometimes you have to forego what's popular in order to do what's right." Mo'Nique was nominated alongside Penelope Cruz, Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Waltz was named Best Supporting Actor for his villainous turn in 'Inglourious Basterds,' besting Matt Damon, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Christopher Plummer. "Oscar and Penelope, that's an uber-Bingo," he said, referencing presenter Cruz and his character's poor grasp of American colloquialisms. Thanking director Quentin Tarantino's "unorthodox methods of navigation" as well as his fellow cast members, he declared, "Everybody helped me find a place."
Other major awards of the night went to 'Up' for Best Animated Feature and Original Score; Best Documentary went to 'The Cove'; Argentina's 'El Secreto de Sus Ojos' was named Best Foreign Film; 'Precious' earned Best Adapted Screenplay; 'The Hurt Locker' also defused Best Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing; "The Weary Kind" from 'Crazy Heart strummed up Best Original Song; 'Star Trek' beamed up the Best Makeup award; Best Costume Design went to 'The Young Victoria'; and 'Avatar' mined Best Cinematography, Visual Effects and Art Direction statuettes.
This year's show producers strived hard to bring freshness to the strict award show format, lifting the curtain with an introduction to the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees; Neil Patrick Harris then unexpectedly appeared with a lavish song-and-dance number to present co-hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. The pair demonstrated a solid chemistry, and after effectively roasting the nominees in the audience, kept the proceedings moving briskly with clever, well-timed and topical jokes and sight gags.
A top highlight of the show was an emotional tribute to the late filmmaker John Hughes, presented by former Brat Packers (and related company) Molly Ringwald, Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, Macauley Culkin, Jon Cryer, Judd Nelson and Anthony Michael Hall, who sent their regards to the Hughes family in the audience.
Other memorable moments included Ben Stiller in a tux and blue 'Avatar' 'Na'vi makeup (complete with swinging tail) to present the award for Best Makeup; Martin and Baldwin watching the show backstage in a Snuggie, and their spoof of 'Paranormal Activity' to introduce a tribute to the Horror genre; the insightful anecdotes delivered by former co-stars of the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees before their big awards; and James Taylor performed the Beatles' "In My Life" in memory of stars lost this past year such as Patrick Swayze, David Carradine, Dom DeLuise, Ron Silver, Brittany Murphy, Michael Jackson, Natasha Richardson and Karl Malden.
Star presenters included Tom Hanks, John Travolta, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Forest Whitaker, Sean Penn, Demi Moore, Barbra Streisand, Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Miley Cyrus, Michelle Pfeiffer, Julianne Moore, Tim Robbins, Colin Farrell, Keanu Reeves, Bradley Cooper, Gerard Butler, Chris Pine, Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Zoe Saldana, Jake Gyllenhaal, Charlize Theron, Queen Latifah, Robin Williams, Sigourney Weaver, Zac Efron, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Ryan Reynolds and Sarah Jessica Parker.