"It's not a shampoo bottle anymore!"

The 81st annual Academy Awards turned out to be a big night for Kate Winslet and Slumdog Millionaire. I was really pulling for Kate and was so excited when she finally won best leading actress for her role in "The Reader." This was Kate's sixth Oscar nomination, which makes her the youngest actress to receive this many nominations in history. Who knows, maybe she will catch up to Meryl Streep one day. Her other Oscar nominations include:

1) Sense and Sensibility (1996)
2) Titanic (1998)
3) Iris (2002)
4) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2005)
5) Little Children (2007)
6) The Reader (2009)

Kate has been given the nickname as "the queen of this years awards season." Not only did she win an Oscar for her role in "The Reader," but she also won best actress at the BAFTAS, The Screen Actors Guild Awards, The Golden Globes (she won best supporting actress for "The Reader" and best leading actress for "Revolutionary Road,") and had numerous other nominations and wins. I do think she and Leonardo DiCaprio were snubbed at the Oscars for not receiving Oscar nods for their roles of Frank and April Wheeler in "Revolutionary Road." Although it is a very solemn movie, it is very well acted.

The underdog, "Slumdog Millionaire," took home eight Oscars including:
1) Best Picture
2) Best Director
3) Best Adapted Screenplay
4) Best Original Score
5) Best Original Song
6) Best Film Editing
7) Best Cinematography
8) Best Sound Mixing

I haven't seen "Slumdog Millionaire" yet, but I have heard nothing but good things about it. I was really excited for Danny Boyle and the cast because this was such a big win for them. It is always nice to see the underdog prevail. The other big winners of the night were:

Sean Penn for "MILK" (best actor in a leading role)
Penelope Cruise for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (best supporting actress)
Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight" (best supporting actor)

Heath's win was of course bitter sweet, but his family gave a very nice acceptance speech on his behalf. Overall, I really enjoyed watching the Oscars this year. Oscar Sunday has been a favorite of mine ever since I was little. It is always such a glamorous evening and reminds everyone of the magic of the movies.