Jackman to Host Classed-Up Oscars

Funny and un-funny moments abound at ceremony

(NEWSER) - Oscar night was filled with highs and lows, from the predictably inspirational moments when Kate Winslet finally won and Heath Ledger’s family received his posthumous award, to the cheap shot of producers cutting to Angelina Jolie’s face during Jennifer Aniston’s presenter speech. More from the Los Angeles Times. Best:

• Sean Penn opened his acceptance speech by greeting “you Commie, homo-loving sons-of-a-gun.”

No prep time meant too many clips, not enough Stewart

(NEWSER) - The Oscars were mediocre, to say the least, and USA Today TV critic Robert Bianco chalks the "padded bore" up to the writers strike. With the standoff settled just 2 weeks before the big night, the staff putting clever lines in Jon Stewart's mouth was on a tight schedule. The result: Stewart became "an amusing but underemployed bystander," and the broadcast relied heavily on collages of old clips. More»

(NEWSER) - Hugh Jackman’s turn hosting the Oscars reversed a dip in the award show’s sagging ratings, E! Online reports—even if some critics didn’t find much substance. Early Nielsen numbers had 33.6 million viewers for last night’s telecast, up 6% from last year’s Jon Stewart-hosted show—which had the worst numbers on record. “Jackman did his best,” David Hinckley wrote in the New York Daily News. “His mission just wasn’t accomplishable.” More»

He can sing, he can dance, he can act: will that be enough?

(NEWSER) - Hugh Jackman has a big weight on his shoulders tonight: carrying an Academy Awards show that cynics are sure is doomed to be ignored by the public and the acting community alike. But producers remain excited that the singing, dancing, not-just-an-action star will lure viewers, and Jackman tells the Los Angeles Times he's keeping things in perspective. More»

Past winners haven't had big hits in years

(NEWSER) - That gold-plated statuette actors take home Oscar night may as well be a parting gift from Hollywood. Past winners—like Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, and Adrien Brody—have had little luck at the box office in subsequent years, Reuters reports. The problem, says one film critic, is that the winners usually get flooded with lucrative project offers—and end up taking on ill-suited roles. More»