The other Oscars

Wolverine did a song-and-dance. Veteran Oscar winners such as Sophia Loren,Anthony Hopkins and Eva Marie Saint were on hand to dole out awards....

Wolverine did a song-and-dance. Veteran Oscar winners such as Sophia Loren,Anthony Hopkins and Eva Marie Saint were on hand to dole out awards.

Producers tried to shake up the 81st Academy Awards in a bid to boost sagging ratings,but none of it could cover up the fact that there were few,if any,surprises among the winners at the Kodak Theatre.

So what was left for viewers on Sunday evening? Rare moments of emotion that broke through a night of often-canned acceptance speeches.

You Commie,homo-loving sons of guns, said Sean Penn as he thanked the academy for giving him the lead actor Oscar for his touching performance as slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk in Milk. Penn also joked that he was especially touched,considering how hard he sometimes makes it for the public to appreciate him.

But as his wife,Robin Wright Penn,cried in the front row,Penn turned serious as he chastised those who voted for the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 in California and said,Weve got to have equal rights for everyone.

When Kate Winslet finally won her Oscar it was her sixth try for lead actress as an ex-Nazi prison guard in The Reader,she told the audience shes been dreaming of this moment for years.

I think I was 8 years old staring into the bathroom mirror,and this was a shampoo bottle. Well,this is not a shampoo bottle.

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Winslet called out for her dad so shed know where he was in the audience when he answered back with a piercing whistle,she waved and told him she loved him. Referring to the films late producers Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack,she looked up at heavens,grabbed her Oscar,and said,Anthony and Sydney,this is for both of you.

The ceremony took a poignant turn when the Heath Ledger won supporting actor for his dark,disturbing performance as the Joker in the Batman film The Dark Knight. Ledger is only the second performer to win a posthumous Oscar. Peter Finch was the first,for best actor for 1976s Network.

Ledgers father,mother and sister received a standing ovation as they made their way to the stage to accept the award. This is ever so humbling, his father Kim said. He thanked everyone who gave Ledger creative licence to develop and explore this crazy Joker character. Ledgers sister Kate said,We proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful daughter Matilda.

A clearly nervous Penelope Cruz elicited laughs from the crowd when she won for supporting actress in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Has anyone ever fainted here? the Spanish actress asked.