NO COUNTRY FOR TRANSFORMERS, AND SOMEBODY GIVE ETHAN COEN A HUG

"Wow! That guy is sooooo arrogant!"

Thus quipped Oscar host Jon Stewart at last night's ceremony, in the funniest reaction to the show's best moment: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's heartfelt and humble shock at winning Original Song for their gem "Falling Slowly." One might have expected the song, being the clear best out of the lackluster nominees, to be instantly disqualified. Even better: a classy Stewart inviting Irglova back on stage after the commercial break to give her speech which was drowned out originally. Wow indeed.

All in all, last night's Academy Awards made for superb entertainment. A mighty reason rests on the shoulders of Stewart who, back after a one year hiatus, appeared much more relaxed and confident. And funnier! The jokes during his opening monologue more often than not hit the comic bull's eye (In particular, his observation regarding this year's democratic candidates that in films where there's a black or female president "an asteroid is about to hit the Statue of Liberty"), were clever and cheerfully mocked the self importance of the evening without being disrespectful. Even better, the relatively brisk pace kept the show's length to just under three and a half hours, which still felt two hours shorter than sitting through "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

Predictably, the Academy spread the wealth. "No Country for Old Men," the night's big winner, came away with four Oscars, including three for the Coen brothers (Picture, direction and adapted screenplay), although under the circumstances why so glum, Ethan? Their potential fourth, for editing, was surprisingly but deservedly dished out to Christopher Rouse for "Bourne Ultimatum." In another big surprise, "Bourne Ultimatum" actually walked away with three Oscars, sweeping the sound categories as well and putting the kibosh on "Transformers," which was even denied the Visual Effects trophy (That honor went to "The Golden Compass"), which I thought was a shoo in. "No Country's" other victory, Javier Bardem's expected win for Supporting Actor, provided another highlight of the evening, particularly when Bardem thanked his mum in his native Spanish (Which eventually provided Stewart with yet another priceless joke).

Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece "There Will be Blood" walked away with just two awards--Daniel Day Lewis for Lead Actor (Who gave a gracious acceptance speech, particularly giving a kind shout out to screen son Dillon Freasier) and Robert Elswit for Cinematography. However, "Blood" was denied in the Art Direction race, which went to Dante Ferretti for "Sweeney Todd." If it's any consolation to PT, he can now make a movie inferior to his best work, say a remake of a Hong Kong film, and the Academy will honor him out of sympathy.

While the male acting categories were givens, the actress awards were anything but. Tilda Swinton picked up a surprise Supporting Actress award for "Michael Clayton," insuring that the great Cate Blanchett went home a two time loser (Even Blanchett's titanic acting range was the subject of another hilarious Stewart observation). This did provide the horribly dressed Swinton
a few good hearted quips at George Clooney's expense. And in one of my personal favorite moments of the show, Marion Cotillard deservedly picked up Lead Actress for her astonishing performance in "La Vie En Rose," which also picked up the Make Up award.

"Juno" made due with just one award, Diablo Cody for original screenplay. While Cody's stripper past didn't escape Stewart's monologue, nor did the teen pregnancy storyline as ironically providing uplift in a year of dark dramas, her emotional acceptance speech was yet another highlight of the evening. Like the win by Hansard and Irglova, Cody's victory was indicative of unlikely, creative underdogs injecting fresh life into the staid industry.

"Atonement" likewise had to settle for one crummy award, for Original score. One bright note: sole acting nominee Saoirse Ronan, just 13, has more sophisticated fashion sense than Tilda Swinton and Diablo Cody.

In another memorable Oscar moment, the lifetime achievement award went to 98 year old art director Robert Boyle, who despite his age appeared more enthusiastic than either of the Coen Brothers.

There were more surprises, especially "Taxi to the Dark Side" winning documentary feature over "No End in Sight." The surprises kept a keen interest in the awards show, which was overall energetic, appropriately glamorous, and offered little in the way of dull moments (Provided you went to the bathroom during the performances of those oscar nominated songs from "Enchanted"). Here's hoping the Academy invites Jon Stewart again next year, and the year after that.