"No Country" Top Winner At Oscars
The Coen brothers' dark thriller, "No Country For Old Men," earned the most trophies at the 80th Annual Academy Awards Sunday night, winning in four out of the eight categories in which it was nominated, including best picture, best director, and best adapted screenplay.
Accepting the directing honor alongside his brother, Ethan, Joel Coen recalled how they got their start in a career that has seen them advance from oddballs with a devoted cult following to broader audiences. He noted they have been making films since childhood, including one at the Minneapolis airport called "Henry Kissinger: Man on the Go."
"What we do now doesn't feel that much different from what we were doing then," Joel Coen said. "We're very thankful to all of you out there for continuing to let us play in our corner of the sandbox."
80th Annual Academy Awards Winners List
Photos: Oscar Red Carpet
With a domestic box office take of $64 million, "No Country" is the biggest box office hit for the Coens, whose tales often are an acquired taste appealing to narrow crowds. Their films include the modest hits "Fargo" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and such lesser-known yarns as "The Hudsucker Proxy" and "The Man Who Wasn't There."
"There Will Be Blood," which also had eight nominations, took home only two awards, while "Michael Clayton" and "Atonement" each were awarded a single Oscar, even though they both started out the evening with seven nominations.
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It was "The Bourne Ultimatum," starring Matt Damon, that had the second highest amount of wins, sweeping in all three nominated categories. The third installment of the spy thriller won best editing, best sound editing, and best sound mixing.
Photos: Oscar Sees Red
Spanish actor Javier Bardem was one of four Europeans who won the top acting prizes.
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Bardem took home the best supporting actor trophy for his role as the oddly-coiffed serial killer in "No Country for Old Men."
Photos: Oscar Star Meetings
Photos: Oscar Entrances
As expected, actor Daniel Day-Lewis, born in London, but now an Irish citizen, won best actor for his powerful performance as a ruthless oilman in "There Will Be Blood," which also won best cinematography.
"That's the closest I'll ever come to getting a knighthood, so thank you," he quipped as he accepted his award from Helen Mirren, who won best actress last year for her turn as Queen Elizabeth I.
It was the second Oscar for Day-Lewis, who won in the same category for 1989's "My Left Foot."
In what may be seen as an upset by those predicting a win for Amy Ryan or Ruby Dee, Tilda Swinton took home the sole award for "Michael Clayton," winning best supporting actress for her role as a corporate lawyer with questionable ethics.
Photos: Oscar Winners Circle
"I have an American agent who is the spitting image of this," said Swinton, fondly looking at her Oscar statuette.
"Really, truly, the same shape head, and it has to be said, the buttocks. And I'm giving this to him, because there's no way I'd be in America at all, ever, on a plane if it wasn't for him," said the actress who, like Day-Lewis, hails from the U.K.
French actress Marion Cotillard won for her tour de force performance as legendary singer Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose."
"Thank you life, thank you love and - it is true, there (are) some angels in this city. Thank you so, so much," Cotillard said tearfully as she accepted her best actress trophy, the first ever for a French-language performance.
Cotillard beat out Julie Christie, who was expected to win her second Oscar for her portrayal of a woman succumbing to Alzheimer's in "Away From Her."
Best original screenplay winner, Diablo Cody, also got teary-eyed during her acceptance speech for "Juno."
"Most of all I want to thank my family for loving me exactly the way I am," said Cody, a former exotic dancer.
The lone Oscar for "Atonement" went to Dario Marianelli, who composed the brilliant typewriter-inspired score for the tragic romance.
The awards show, held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, began with a fanfare and an effects-laden opening segment showing key characters and creatures from Hollywood's past lining Hollywood Boulevard.
It was followed by a 10-minute monologue by host Jon Stewart, who kicked off the festivities saying, "These past three-and-a-half months have been very tough. This town, torn apart by a bitter writers' strike. But I'm happy to say the fight is over. So tonight, welcome to the makeup sex."
Stewart kept things moving throughout the evening, with the sly, tongue-in-cheek style that has made Comedy Central's, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" so popular.
"Oscar is 80 this year," he quipped. "Which makes him now the automatic front-runner for the Republican nomination."
"Get Smart" co-stars Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway were on hand to introduce the best animated feature, which was awarded to "Ratatouille."
It was the second Oscar win in the category for director Brad Bird.
Bird thanked his junior-high school guidance counselor, who expressed repeated skepticism over his desire to become a filmmaker.
"It went on like this until we were sick of each other," said Bird, who also won the animation Oscar for 2004's "The Incredibles" and shared a nomination for original screenplay for "Ratatouille," a $200 million blockbuster. "I only realized just recently that he gave me the perfect training for the movie business."
Saying she was "unbelievably nervous," "Grey's Anatomy" star Katherine Heigl announced the award for achievement in make-up, which went to "La Vie En Rose."
"What are we doing here? This is mad," Hansard said, recounting the low-budget history of "Once." "It took us three weeks to make. We made it for a hundred-grand. We never thought we'd come into a room like this and be in front of all you people."
Among industry insiders, there was no way a rainy day was going to dampen spirits for Hollywood's biggest night, which was serving double duty as a ceremony honoring the year's best in film and a celebration for a town relieved that the crushing writers' strike had ended.
The rain, often heavy, arrived hours before the stars did, drenching fans on Hollywood Boulevard. But the red carpet remained dry under a tent, as did the bleachers, where people lucky enough to win tickets by lottery sat waiting to cheer on their favorite stars.
Photos: Oscar Moments
George Clooney, nominated for best actor for "Michael Clayton," didn't disappoint, arriving 90 minutes before the show with girlfriend Sarah Larson and stopping along the bleachers to shake the hands of several screaming female fans. Tom Wilkinson, nominated for supporting actor for "Michael Clayton," stopped briefly to wave and flash a shy smile.
"The thought of being able to see celebrities and being part of the action you see on TV and you're there watching it. It's something you don't do in everyday life. It's almost like it's not real," said Lynn Lilje, who traveled from Vancouver to sit in the bleachers.
Clooney said it only took him 20 minutes to get red-carpet-ready Sunday night, which might explain his early arrival.
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"Guys have it easy. It's not fair," Clooney said. "Slap on a tux and walk away."