'Slumdog' dominates at the Oscars

The only surprises at the 81st Academy Awards had nothing to do with who got the awards.

As the Academy promised, the program was retooled. The coolest change was how the acting awards were presented. Instead of a series of clips and the immediate past winner giving out the Oscar, five past winners paid homage to the five nominees, then welcomed the newest winner into their prestigious club.

When it came to actual winners, I was never surprised. I was disappointed, though, in one category: supporting actress. I've seen every nominated role in this category, and Penelope Cruz's performance was the weakest of the five - and in the weakest movie, no less.

Anywho, here's the rundown in the top categories:

BEST ACTOR
Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn, "Milk" (Winner)
Brad Pitt, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Penn and Rourke split the awards this season, Penn took home the SAG award, and the race, as I said, was decided. Penn was awesome in this. You forget you're watching him while watching this movie.

BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie, "Changeling"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Meryl Streep, "Doubt"
Kate Winslet, "The Reader" (Winner)
I was happy for Kate when she won, admired her work this year in Revolutionary Road and The Reader. But after watching all of the films nominated in this category, my heart wanted Anne Hathaway to win. She delivered the most devastating performance.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, "Doubt"
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (Winner)
Viola Davis, "Doubt"
Taraji P. Henson, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Marisa Tomei, "The Wrestler"
Point is, everyone in this category but the winner brought their A game to their nominated performances. Watch Cruz in Volver and you'll see the difference. Her role was borderline cartoonish here, and I never felt connected to her caricature. Davis was on fire, blew Meryl Streep away in the one scene they share. Henson was the heart of her film. Adams was essentially a lead player in the powerhouse Doubt. And Tomei was brilliant in The Wrestler.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin, "Milk"
Robert Downey Jr., "Tropic Thunder"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Doubt"
Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" (Winner)
Michael Shannon, "Revolutionary Road"
Hands down, the best man won.

BEST PICTURE
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"Milk"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Winner)
Going into this, I knew there was no way Slumdog would not win. It took home every other major prize this year. But Deep down, I was hoping it would get derailed by Benjamin Button, the grandest of the nominees this year. The year's real "best picture" (Dark Knight) wasn't even nominated.