Nominees & Winners
Best Picture honors went to “Slumdog Millionaire” which also received seven other awards. Sean Penn and Kate Winslet took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress.
The 81st Academy Awards
81st Annual Academy Awards – February 22, 2009
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This Year’s Host
This year’s host Hugh Jackman sang and danced his way through the 81st Academy Awards telecast on Sunday, February 22. This was Jackman’s first time center stage at the Oscar show, although he has previously been a presenter.
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News and Events
See a list of stories related to the 81st Academy Awards, including Oscar show preparations, the Oscars Designer Challenge and the Nominees Luncheon.
It was billed as the biggest movie event of the year, and the 81st Academy Awards turned out to be one of the most memorable telecasts in Oscar history. The show’s producers, Laurence Mark and Bill Condon, had promised a different kind of Oscar show, and they kept their word.
First-time host Hugh Jackman opened the show with a song-and-dance medley spoofing the night’s nominated films. It earned a standing ovation, which set the tone for the rest of the show.
The acting awards were presented in memorable fashion as five previous Oscar winners in each category took turns introducing the nominees and commending their work.
Best Picture honors went to “Slumdog Millionaire.” The film received eight Oscars in all, including awards for directing, cinematography and original score. In the acting categories, Sean Penn and Kate Winslet took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress. Penélope Cruz was named Best Supporting Actress, and the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor went to the late Heath Ledger.
Actor, director, writer and producer Jerry Lewis received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Lewis has been the national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) since 1952 and has served as the “number one volunteer” of the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon since 1966, raising more than $2 billion for the cause.
The Awards ceremony was broadcast live on the ABC Television Network and was also televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.
