To be honest, her umpteenth speech on the topic of winning was dull until she called out to her dad and he whistled to her to let her know where he was. That was cool and unexpected.
The audience-pleasing Aussie kept the crowd at home and in Hollywood entertained with a totally winning display of talent, wit and a sense of fun.
Even though they weren't nominated, these two multitalented stars turned their moments on stage into a capsule performance that delivered plenty of laughs.
Though they weren't nominated, the two young stars of Slumdog Millionaire had a lot to celebrate tonight.
The attention-grabbing subject of the documentary Man on Wire shows just how to keep that attention while balancing the director's Oscar on his noggin.
Who do you call when you want to deliver a splashy extravaganza devoted to the movie musical? That's right, this lady.
These two teamed up for a musical moment that reimagined Frost/Nixon as a hot duet of sexy politics.
She's great in the film and deserved the award, but Cruz went above and beyond by giving a gracious speech that thanked many but didn't seem perfunctory or insincere.
Reminding all of us that audiences didn't just lose a talented actor but a family lost a son brought the kudofest back down to earth. As great as it was to see his work recognized, no award can replace what they lost.
Though Peter Gabriel decided sit this one out, the smooth crooner showed up to perform "Down to Earth" from Wall-E.
Each of the acting awards was given out by a five-pack of previous winners, and the results left us with a bit of a hangover.
Inside the Kodak, this bit—in which the Tropic Thunder star channeled Joaquin Phoenix—killed, but you had to wonder who cared beyond that.
See the red carpet's big moments in our Oscars 2009: Arrivals gallery!