Orange County Register/MCTThe 79th annual Academy Awards was a night full of first timers.
Ellen Degeneres hosted for her first time, and she did a decent job holding her ground among past greats. Her jokes weren’t as potent and lasting as Billy Crystal’s nor were they as offensive as Chris Rock’s, but they certainly got the job done.
Martin Scorsese was another first timer as he took his first best achievement in directing award for “The Departed” after seven previous losses. There to pass along the torch to him were George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola.
Here is a quick overview of the night’s big winners.
Best Picture – “The Departed”
Best Actor – Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland”
Best Supporting Actor – Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine”
Best Actress – Helen Mirren, “The Queen”
Best Supporting Actress – Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”
Achievement in Directing – Martin Scorsese, “The Departed”
Best Original Screenplay – Michael Arndt, “Little Miss Sunshine”
Best Adapted Screenplay – William Monahan, “The Departed”
Achievement in Cinematography – Guillermo Navarro, “Pan’s Labyrinth”
Best Film Editing – Thelma Schoonmaker, “The Departed”
Achievement in Sound Editing – Alan Robert Murray, “Letters from Iwo Jima”
Best Foreign-Language Film – “The Lives of Others”
Best Animated Feature Film – “Happy Feet”
Best Original Score – Gustavo Santaolalla, “Babel”
Best Visual Effects – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”
