By Neil Davey
Oscar triumph for Dame Helen
With all the predictability of English sporting defeats, Dame Helen Mirren triumphed at the Oscars last night. Bookmakers had already paid out on Dame Helen winning the Best Actress title which, at odds, of 1-33, had become the biggest certainty in Academy Award history. Mirren called the prize the ‘biggest and best gold star’ she’d ever received. Which probably annoyed everyone involved in the BAFTAs.
The other ‘obvious’ awards — based on other ceremonies around LA and the world — also went as predicted, with Forest Whitaker taking the Best Actor gong and Dreamgirls’ Jennifer Hudson taking the Best Supporting Actress prize. However, Alan Arkin took the Best Supporting Actor prize over the hotly tipped Eddie Murphy. There was also relief at last for Martin Scorsese. Often regarded as the greatest living director, it was sixth time lucky for Scorsese as he finally took the trophy for The Departed. ‘Could you double check the envelope?’ he joked, as he received a long overdue standing ovation. It became a double celebration for Scorsese when The Departed won Best Picture.
There was also good news for Al Gore, whose powerful film An Inconvenient Truth won Best Documentary. Gore’s nomination also led to one of host Ellen DeGeneres’ best comments of the evening. ‘There's no rhyme or reason to who's going to win,’ said DeGeneres. ‘Jennifer Hudson was on American Idol, America didn't vote for her, and she's here with an Oscar nomination. That's amazing. ‘And then, Al Gore is here, America did vote for him, and then ... very complicated.’
• More reports: BBC | Guardian | Reuters | Times Online | Entertainment Weekly
• Visit the Official Site for the full list of winners