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The 81st Annual Academy Awards are history now and Slumdog Millionaire was the big winner taking home 8 Oscars, including best picture.  Kate Winslet finally won her first Oscar for best actress while Sean Penn edged out Mickey Rourke for best actor.  Heath Ledger and Penelope Cruz won in their respective supporting acting categories.  There was one surprise: Departures, from Japan, winning best foreign film over favorites Waltz with Bashir, from Israel,  and The Class, from France.  See a full list of winners by clicking here.

The revamping of the Oscar telecast was, from our perspective, a success.  We enjoyed the redesigned stage, the presentation of awards in groups, and the new way the acting nominations were presented. Having previous winners come out and introduce each of the nominees proved to be an inspired move, as each nominee recieved recognition for their honored performance.  Plus, it was wonderful to see all those stars on stage.   More Oscar analysis to follow.