The Daily Gamecock

Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: The Mix

Media Credit: Amy Sancetta, The Associated Press Writers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, left, accept the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for their work on "No Country for Old Men" at the 80th Academy Awards.

Media Credit: Mark J. Terrill, The Associated Press Ethan Coen, right, and Joel Coen, center, pose together at the Governors Ball following the 80th Academy Awards.

The biggest suspense surrounding the 80th annual Academy Awards was not about what film or actor was going to win, but about whether the show was even going to occur.

With the writers' strike shutting down television for three months and claiming the Golden Globes ceremony in its wake, many were fearful this would be a year without Oscars. With only three weeks left to prepare a script after the strike was resolved earlier this month, you would have expected the Oscars to feel a little less than stellar.

Host Jon Stewart did a fabulous job however, acting much more relaxed and playful than the first time he hosted two years ago.

The big story of the night would be "No Country for Old Men," winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture, the most of the night. Directors Joel and Ethan Coen won three of the film's four Oscars, for Adapted Screenplay, Director and Picture (an honor they shared with producer Scott Rudin). They join the esteemed company of such legends as Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather: Part II") and James Cameron ("Titanic") for having won three Oscars in a single night.

In a series of several surprises, none of the winners in the acting categories would be Americans: Spaniard Javier Bardem won Best Supporting Actor for his menacing turn in "No Country," French actress Marion Cotillard won Best Actress for "La Vie en Rose" - the very first French-speaking performance to win - and Brits Daniel Day-Lewis and Tilda Swinton won Best Actor for "There Will Be Blood" and Best Supporting Actress for "Michael Clayton," respectively.

Diablo Cody, the stripper-turned-screenwriter, won Best Original Screenplay for her teen pregnancy comedy "Juno." Director Brad Bird gleefully accepted his second Academy Award for Animated Feature for Pixar's "Ratatouille."

"The Bourne Ultimatum" won all three of the awards it was nominated for-Best Film Editing, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing. One of the best moments of the night came in the category of Best Original Song, where Irish songwriters Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won for their song "Falling Slowly" from the small Irish film "Once," beating out three songs from Disney's "Enchanted."

After Hansard delivered his half of the acceptance speech, the orchestra played off Irglova before she had a chance to speak. Following the commercial break, Jon Stewart pulled her back from behind the stage to say whatever she wanted. Her beautiful speech best summed up everything the night was about in simply saying, "It's possible."

The theme of the night seemed to be a celebration of the past. Montages featuring the acceptance speeches of famous winners were shown before announcing the winners of the acting and directing categories. The Oscars also provided a montage of the first 79 Best Picture winners in commemoration of its 80th anniversary.

In all, it was a night of glamour and celebration, and a perfect way to top off a year of fabulous movies.

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