This year’s Oscar, contrary to everyone’s complaining about its boredom, proved to be like the suspense of its Best Picture winner. It started at a moderately slow pace with a cloud of worries hanging above my mind whether this time Academy Awards would make another disappointing blow by rewarding a big-bang epic as the flick started strongly in collecting the prizes. Yet, as the time gradually progressed, fists and clinches were punched, a little defense here and there, disappointment and mild surprises arose, and the ending was relieving.

The Oscars at this year’s 77th Academy Awards went to:

Best Costume Design: The Aviator – Sandy Powell
(I thought that her win in Shakespeare in Love last time would prevent her to champ again this time, but, being a respectable costume designer on her own whose work I often admire, she deserved the award. However, Edna Mode stole the show!)

Best Make-up: Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events – Valli O’Reilly, Bill Corso
(got it right this time, and nice acceptance speech! “Lemony Snicket’s corrupting our youth”?!)

Best Animated Feature: The Incredibles
(Brad Bird went very polite)

Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman – Million Dollar Baby
(was it technical glitch that the camera kept showing Clive Owen’s face when the winner was about to be announced? the first sentimental award of the nite)

Best Art Direction: The Aviator – Dante Ferretti, Francesca LoSchiavo
(as expected, began to suspect strong Italian-connection in every Scorsese’s film)

Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett – The Aviator
(finally! her acceptance speech was plainly ‘standard’, yet it ended with a punch: “Thank you Scorsese, I hope my son will marry your daughter”! nice ad-lib!)

Best Documentary: Born Into Brothels
(worth of applause)

Best Editing: The Aviator – Thelma Schoonmaker
(and Scorsese shed a tear)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Sideways – Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
(they deserve this award than any other nominees, and Payne has all the potential to be a good light-comic actor himself)

Best Visual Effects: Spider-Man 2 – John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, John Frazier
(“thank God no Lord of the Rings this year”?! another nice punch!)

Best Short Film, Live Action: Wasp
(missed)

Best Short Film, Animated: Ryan
(huh?)

Best Cinematography: The Aviator – Robert Richardson
(I began to worry if the film would walk away with the Best Picture award!)

Best Sound: Ray – Greg Orloff, Bob Beemer, Steve Cantamessa, Scott Millan
(thank God for the surprise!)

Best Sound Editing: The Incredibles – Michael Silvers, Randy Thom
(the ‘toon flick deserved more than just one award, and it got the right one)

Best Documentary Short: Mighty Times — The Children’s March
(I was just plain lucky)

Best Original Score: Finding Neverland – Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
(I may have a strong personal relation to the film and the score itself, but such a fleeting, breathtaking beauty of melody and harmony would surely have to be rewarded after all)

Best Original Song: The Motorcyle Diaries – “Al Otro Lado Del Rio” by Jorge Drexler
(surely he was pissed off for not given a chance to perfrom the song himself, and Banderas did not do the job well, yet Drexler got the revenge and he pulled it off just nicely!)

Best Leading Actress: Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby
(Staunton looked calm and still, Moreno was just happy to be nominated, Winslet smiled widely as usual, Bening remained seated, and me? brokenhearted.)

Best Foreign Language Film: The Sea Inside (Spain)
(Alejandro Almenabar! Alejandro Almenabar! finally getting the recognition for his consistenly good works!)

Best Original Screenplay: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth
(he was robbed for Being John Malkovich and Adaptation., Kaufman richly deserved to be applauded with standing ovation!)

Best Leading Actor: Jamie Foxx – Ray
(everyone’s lock)

Best Director: Clint Eastwood – Million Dollar Baby
(what can I say, Marty?)

and finally,

Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby
(just exactly when Babs said, “I’m so happy to give it to you again, Clint”, I screamed hysterically out loud in joy, for finally Oscar got it right this time, for finally Oscar played its suspense element very well until the very end of the whole show!)

There it was, the Oscar ceremony which I never thought Johnny Depp and Sean Penn would attend, which I might have to ban Beyonce for showing-off way too much, which I felt glad for Million Dollar Baby.

Special credit would go to Yo-Yo Ma, the show stealer who gave a hearty, touching performance that would be forever noted as the best ‘In Memoriam’ piece Academy Award has ever made.

So long!