The 80th Annual Academy Awards were presented on Sunday, February 24, 2008 at the Kodak Theatre and televised live on ABC at 5pm PST (8pm EST).

Comedian Jon Stewart was the emcee and did a mostly poor job. I'm not a big fan of Jon Stewart, and his performance tonight didn't raise my opinion of him. He looked like he didn't want to be there, and only one or two of his jokes really hit the right note.

Amy Adams, Kristin Chenowith, and 11-year-old Jamia Simone Nash showed their skills at singing, and unlike some past Oscar performances, they certainly did not seem to be lip-syncing. The fourth musical number was one too many, and its only redeeming feature was that it served as a way for John Travolta to waltz his way to the podium.

I was pleased that The Bourne Ultimatum swept all three categories for which it was nominated! It's the third installment of a series, and it managed to continue the pacing and action of the first two and they even backed off on the shaky-camera thing this time around. Considering the many other sequels that were released in the past year (Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Shrek 3, Die Hard 4, etc.), it's no surprise that The Bourne Ultimatum stands out from the crowd. I was also rooting for Ratatouille to get the Best Animated Picture award, so it's nice to see Pixar rewarded for a great movie that succeeded on all fronts. (I also thought that Ratatouille was going to give Bourne Ultimatum a run for the Sound awards) Pixar's Cars was robbed last year (the inferior Happy Feet won the animated award), so I'm glad to see Ratatouille get the Oscar.

As is a tradition, there were way too many names thanked that no one except the thanker and the thankees will recognize. The best acceptance speeches were those that avoided the laundry list of thank-you's. One of the best was from Markéta Irglová for her win of the Original Song Oscar.

What Could Be Improved?

Looking back on the broadcast the next morning, I am struck by how ineffective the event is at its intended goal. My assumption is that the intended goal is to entertain audiences so that they will watch, so that they can sell commercials and market the celebrities and the movies being recognized in order to build up the "brands" those celebrities and movies represent.

Every telecast goes over its alotted time. This has become a running joke by many of the past emcee's, but every year is the same. The only difference is how long over the scheduled time the event extends. I've also noticed in that past couple of years, that it takes quite some time to get to the final two awards, which are Best Director and Best Picture, but then those two go by very quickly and they pack up and end the broadcast. It's almost as if they know that they overextended their welcome and they're in a rush to get out of there.

What would happen if the movies being recognized by the Academy were to operate like the Academy's primary event telecast? What if you were watching a 3+ hour movie, and then when the final act arrives, it's all buttoned up in 10 minutes and the credits rolled?

Just like last year, I will say again that the Oscars people need to hire the Oscar-worthy editors to figure out how to pace the show appropriately and bring it in on time. No one should mention anyone's name curing an acceptance speech. We don't know these people, so why do we care? Say something original; something that adds to the moment of winning the highest award in your industry, or don't say anything at all after "thank you."

In my opinion, watching the Oscars is primarily about seeing movie stars and remembering the past year in movies. I want to see them having fun, because that would be fun to watch. Billy Crystal succeeded when hosting the ceremony because he had fun with it. Keep the whole works under 3 hours and keep it moving. Time delay it by 30-60 minutes so that you can skip past any of the slow parts in the live event. Most of all, figure out how to make the Oscars telecast as entertaining as the movies and peformances being celebrated.

Winners and Nominees by Category

Forty four movies were nominated in the 15 categories that were announced on January 22, 2008. Below you will find the winners in each category, along with the nominees that didn't get to take home the gold statuette.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Winner - Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
George Clooney in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Winner - Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" (Universal)
Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Winner - Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse)
Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal)
Julie Christie in "Away from Her" (Lionsgate)
Laura Linney in "The Savages" (Fox Searchlight)
Ellen Page in "Juno" (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Winner - Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)
Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee in "American Gangster" (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement" (Focus Features)
Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone" (Miramax)

Best animated feature film of the year

Winner - "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Brad Bird
"Persepolis" (Sony Pictures Classics): Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
"Surf's Up" (Sony Pictures Releasing): Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Achievement in art direction

Winner - "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount): Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
"American Gangster" (Universal): Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
"Atonement" (Focus Features): Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
"The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Achievement in cinematography

Winner - "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Robert Elswit
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.): Roger Deakins
"Atonement" (Focus Features): Seamus McGarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Janusz Kaminski
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Roger Deakins

Achievement in costume design

Winner - "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal) Alexandra Byrne
"Across the Universe" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky
"Atonement" (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran
"La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood

Achievement in directing

Winner - "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Julian Schnabel
"Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Jason Reitman
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Tony Gilroy
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Paul Thomas Anderson

Best documentary feature

Winner - "Taxi to the Dark Side" (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
"No End in Sight" (Magnolia Pictures) A Representational Pictures Production: Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience" (The Documentary Group) A Documentary Group Production: Richard E. Robbins
"Sicko" (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company) A Dog Eat Dog Films Production: Michael Moore and Meghan O'Hara
"War/Dance" (THINKFilm) A Shine Global and Fine Films Production: Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine

Best documentary short subject

Winner - "Freeheld" A Lieutenant Films Production: Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
"La Corona (The Crown)" A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production: Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
"Salim Baba" A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production: Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello
"Sari's Mother" (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production: James Longley

Achievement in film editing

Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment): Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Dylan Tichenor

Best foreign language film of the year

Winner - "The Counterfeiters" Austria
"Beaufort" Israel
"Katyn" Poland
"Mongol" Kazakhstan
"12" Russia

Achievement in makeup

Winner - "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
"Norbit" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount): Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

Winner - "Atonement" (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner" (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics): Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami

Listen and Buy

• Amazon.com (CD & MP3 Download)
• iTunes

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

Winner - "Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush" (Warner Bros.): Nominees to be determined
"So Close" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Listen and Buy

• Amazon.com (CD & MP3 Download)
• iTunes

Best motion picture of the year

Winner - "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production: Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
"Atonement" (Focus Features) A Working Title Production: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
"Juno" (Fox Searchlight) A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production: Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production: Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

Best animated short film

Winner - "Peter & the Wolf" (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman
"I Met the Walrus" A Kids & Explosions Production: Josh Raskin
"Madame Tutli-Putli" (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski "Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)" (Premium Films) A BUF Compagnie Production Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)" (Channel One Russia) A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production Alexander Petrov

Best live action short film

Winner - "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)" (Premium Films) A Karé Production: Philippe Pollet-Villard
"At Night" A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production: Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)" (Sky Cinema Italia) A Frame by Frame Italia Production: Andrea Jublin
"Tanghi Argentini" (Premium Films) An Another Dimension of an Idea Production: Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans
"The Tonto Woman" A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production: Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown

Achievement in sound editing

Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Matthew Wood
"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Achievement in sound mixing

Winner - "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
"3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate): Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

Achievement in visual effects

Winner - "The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

Adapted screenplay

Winner - "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
"Atonement" (Focus Features), Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
"Away from Her" (Lionsgate), Written by Sarah Polley
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

Original screenplay

Winner - "Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Diablo Cody
"Lars and the Real Girl" (MGM), Written by Nancy Oliver
"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Written by Tony Gilroy
"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Brad Bird; Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
"The Savages" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Tamara Jenkins

Related Links

• Oscar.com - The Official Web Site of the Oscars
• The Envelope - Los Angeles Times Coverage
• Road to the Oscars - The Internet Movie Database (IMDb)