The Oscars were going to be different this year. Broadway star (and rugged movie superhero) Hugh Jackman was hosting. The Oscars were going to be groundbreaking this year. Multiple actors and actresses were returning to the stage to recognize the nominees in an unprecedented manner. The Oscars were going to be innovative this year. The set was exquisite and the graphics and editing were going to be bold, creative and refreshing.

It all added up to a very, um, choreographed night.

The Academy voters didn't help matters. There were no upsets. All of the projected favorites won except for maybe Mickey Rourke. But Sean Penn winning the award was only a mild surprise. Now if Richard Jenkins would have won, that would have been a shocker!

The Oscars were predictable and mostly boring, but there were a few bright spots throughout the night. Here are the 10 best and 10 worst moments of last night's big show:

THE BEST

10. Heath Ledger deservedly won the award for Best Supporting Actor and deservedly got the best pop of any winner throughout the night. His parents and sister accepted the award. Their speech was heartfelt, low-key and very classy. It was a modest, but touching moment.

9. Either "Slumdog Millionaire" director Danny Boyle drank a six-pack of Red Bull before the show or the guy was really that freaking happy. As his "Slumdog" cohorts took home several golden statues, he beamed and clapped wildly. And when he won for Best Director, he bounced on the stage like Tigger, keeping his promise to his kids. Who could help but love the guy? His demeanor gave the stuffy ceremony a joyful shot in the arm.

8. Sean Penn won Best Actor and he was actually...pleasant?!? As he jokingly accused the Academy of being "commie, homo-loving sons of guns," Penn shed his salty image and gave a memorable acceptance speech. He continued to push gay marriage rights and noted the re-birth of Mickey Rourke's career. He even poked fun at his aforementioned salty image by saying, "I do know how hard I make it to appreciate me." Just ask the paparazzi about that one.

7. Kate Winslet finally won an Oscar. Finally. She talked about how it was her dream come true, how the Oscar used to be a shampoo bottle and the Kodak Theatre was her bathroom. In the midst of her overwhelming cheer, she thanked her parents who were in the audience. Unfortunately, she couldn't find them. That is, until her dad let out a profound whistle from the balcony. Very cute. She ended by telling Meryl Streep to "suck this one up." Awesome. Meryl shouldn't feel too bad, though. I'm sure she'll be nominated again next year.

6. Steve Martin and Tina Fey livened things up by being goofy as they announced the nominees for Best Original and Best Adapted Screenplays. They made fun of Scientology by discussing the Alien King Rondelay and their made-up religion. Then Martin said possibly the funniest line of the night. He was reading the scripted material leading in to the award for Best Adapted Screenplay when he noticed Fey staring at him in adoration. In a flash, he paused. "Don't fall in love with me," he said with his trademark arrogance. Classic.

5. The middle of the show was really dragging on until James Franco and Seth Rogen reprised their roles in "Pineapple Express" for a Judd Apatow short. As Saul and Dale, the two watched bootleg copies of many of the nominated films. At one point, they even watched Franco's homosexual kiss in "Milk," which motivated Saul to put his arm around Dale. They also provided the random name-drop of the night: Janusz Kaminski, a two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer. Needless to say, the yawns stopped for about three or four minutes.

4. Jackman's opening number was actually pretty good, poking fun at all of the Best Picture nominees. In the impressive sing-and-dance, he asked why comic book movies never get recognition, utilized funny faceless cutouts to mimic "Benjamin Button" and forced Anne Hathaway to join him on stage (Hathaway played Nixon while Jackman played Frost). The best part was Jackman admitting he hadn't seen "The Reader" while futuristic action dancers enveloped the background. After the performance, he sat on Frank Langella's lap and had a little more fun. "Oh, Frank. I knew you did theatre, but this is too much." Overall, Jackman was a great host who focused on enthusiasm and showmanship.

3. Dustin Lance Black spoke from the heart after he won the award for Best Original Screenplay. He talked about discovering the story of Harvey Milk as a teen raised in a conservative home. Milk gave him hope that he may one day be married as a gay man. He then addressed all the gay and lesbian kids, telling them that they were "beautiful, wonderful creatures of value.'' He didn't preach. He didn't blame. He was simply honest.

2. Ben Stiller has given us many hilarious moments at awards shows (remember when he played Tom Cruise stunt double Tom Crooze at the MTV Movie Awards?), but this one may top them all. Stiller imitated Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman," equipped with the shades, bushy beard and chewing gum. He wandered around the stage while Natalie Portman announced the nominees for Best Cinematography and stuck the gum on the podium. The imitation was outstanding. Some of the audience members laughed and some weren't comfortable because they care about Phoenix. Either way, it was great television.

1. "Man on Wire" wins Best Documentary. Ho hum. Wait! Who is this eccentric fella running to the stage? The film's subject, high-wire artist Philippe Petit, performed a magic coin trick and then balanced the Oscar on his chin. I bet if we gave him all of the Oscars, he would have done more tricks! Maybe he should host next year...

THE WORST

10. Where in the heck was Jack Nicholson?!?! Look, I know he hasn't been nominated since 2002, but you CAN'T have the Oscars without old Jack. Seriously, were the Lakers playing at the Staples Center last night? I'll get to the bottom of this...

9. The person that paired Jack Black and Jennifer Aniston as presenters should be fired. The two looked extremely awkward together. Black needs to present with other hooligans like Will Ferrell or John C. Reilly because the only people that Aniston can set up are Monica and Chandler. The camera crew made it worse, cutting to Brangelina twice. Once is fine, but twice is just tasteless.

8. I'll admit I know little about fashion. I constantly wear hooded sweatshirts, flip-flops and even the occasional jersey. But even I know that Jessica Biel's dress looked horrible last night. And it takes A LOT to make Biel look bad. It looked like someone left a huge bib over one half of her torso. For shame, Prada. For shame.

7. With a few exceptions, the second and third hour were absolutely boring. Aside from the delightful "Man on Wire" banter, the acceptance speeches were all glorified thank-yous. No one had a special message and every attempt at humor was pitiful. One Japanese winner ended his speech by saying "Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto." Styx? Boy, this isn't VH1! Get off the stage!

6. The theme of the night, I guess, was film production. All of the awards were presented through a format explaining how movies are made. I feel as if I can now graduate (with honors) from most of the world's film schools, but I wasn't remotely entertained the whole spiel.

5. Was it just me or did the performance of John Legend with "Slumdog" music-master A.R. Rahman seem terribly thrown together? I know M.I.A. just had a baby so she couldn't make it, but I think they could have done better than that. Or not performed at all.

4. I only cringed and looked away twice the entire night. This was one of those times. Five former winners came out to recognize the nominees for Best Actor. Alan Arkin was set to acknowledge Philip Seymour Hoffman for his portrayal in "Doubt." The first words out of Arkin's mouth: "Seymour Philip Hoffman." Oh no *cringe*. Arkin made sure that he addressed him as Philip throughout the rest of the speech. I felt bad for Arkin because I'm sure he was nervous, but that's something no one should screw up.

3. Full of rhythmic pep, Jackman announced that the musical was back! Then he took part in a miserable mash of musical snippets that included Beyonce and "High School Musical" stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. It was like "Cabaret" and the Royal Rumble. It was like Broadway with ADHD. It would have been gold on a cruise ship, but it came off like tungsten in Hollywood.

2. When Jackman's opening number was over, the giant screen lit up behind him. I think. It was hard to tell what was going on because the translucent curtains were still closed. Then there was sound. And the curtains were still closed! Finally, after an audible order from a crew member *cringe*, the curtains opened and the screen was totally visible. Way to kick off the night, guys!

1. The "In Memoriam" portion of the show is supposed to focus on those revered members of Hollywood who have passed on. This year, the focus shifted between tiny screens and Queen Latifah. I actually don't know which cinema stalwarts died this year because the camera was too far from the little screens and moving in a way that would give John Glenn motion sickness. Even worse, there was no audio from any of the film clips because Queen Latifah was singing "I'll Be Seeing You" and therefore taking away from honoring those who passed. If there is one part of the show that doesn't need to be changed, it's "In Memoriam." Now the producers have to live with disrespecting Paul Newman.

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