2009 Academy Awards

The 2009 Academy Awards took place on Sunday February 22 in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony this year was a little different in more ways than one. First, actor Hugh Jackman was selected to be this year's host. His selection for the job seemed to signify a change in direction for the Oscar ceremony, which had a record low audience of 32 million viewers last year. Jackman, who has prior experience hosting award shows, brought his singing and dancing talents to the stage.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/4784073/Oscars-2009-Academy-hopes-revamped-show-will-boost-ratings.html

Going into the show, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the nominees. "The Dark Knight," a major blockbuster from last year, did not recieve any major nominations beside best supporting actor for Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker. The film overall, recieved eight nominations, but they were for technical achievements such as cinematography and editing. This had many critics up in arms, criticizing the awards for not giving mainstream films such as "TDK" more recogition. Another controversy surrounding "TDK" was when Heath Ledger, who died just days before last year's ceremony, won the award Best Supporting Actor. Initially, it was unknown who would accept his award. His family would go on to accept the award.
http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00022245.html

As for the winners, "Slumdog Millionaire" would win eight of its 13 nominations including best director, and best picture. Sean Penn won best actor for his portrayal of openly gay politican Harvey Milk in "Milk." Penelope Cruz won best actress, becoming the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award, for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1503188/2009_academy_awards_in_review_slumdog.html?cat=40
Overall, I felt that this year's awards were pretty good. The show seemed to be entertaining, without feeling overloaded, or lacking. The hiring of Hugh Jackman as host was shocking to me initially, but his performance proved that not all Oscar hosts have to be comedians. The lack of recogition for "The Dark Knight" was sort of upsetting. I wish more mainstream films such as "TDK" would get more credit, but I realize that the Academy has a history of snubbing blockbusters. Not to insult films such as "Slumdog Millionaire," but realistically, who is going to see this film? "The Dark Knight" made $1 billion at the box office, and has been re-released on two occasions. "Slumdog Millionaire" has been in select cities for a couple of months, and is just now getting a shot in wide release. I'm not trying to diss the film, it's just that I thought that a film that has helped the movie industry get back on track would recieve more credit. The movie industry as a whole has been in a slump. Up until the release of "TDK," there had been declining numbers in movie audiences. Films such "TDK" and "WALL-E" changed that by becoming blockbusters in their own right.