81st Academy Awards: Different look and feel - but still the same spectacle

If you're watching the Oscars tonight, like I am, you've probably noticed the producers of this year's Awards have tried pretty hard to shake up the format as much as they possibly can, hoping for a boost in ratings.

The stage and interior design looks significantly different than it has in years past, presenters are staying on stage to announce multiple awards, and host Hugh Jackman opened the ceremony with a musical number rather than a monologue.

The stylistic changes don't really do much for me - I typically watch regardless of who is hosting or how the ceremony is put together - but I really can't see how the different look and feel is much more than window dressing for the undecided. The Oscars have been and always will be a awards ceremony.

And awards ceremonies are pretty predictable televised spectacles - there's only so much that can be tweaked or changed to make them new and exciting.

In fact, this year, the awards are worse in one noticeable respect - the sound isn't very good, particularly the audience applause, which doesn't sound like it's being faithfully transmitted to my television's speakers.

Anyway, here's a tally of the winners so far...

• Achievement in Costume Design: Michael O'Connor, for The Duchess
• Best Animated Feature Film: Wall-E
• Achievement in Makeup: Greg Cannom, for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Achievement in Visual Effects: Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron, for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Achievement in Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt (set decoration: Victor J. Zolfo) for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
• Best Animated Short Film: La Maison en Petits Cubes
• Best Live Action Short Film: Spielzeugland
• Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, for Slumdog Millionaire
• Achievement in Sound Editing: Richard King for The Dark Knight
• Achievement in Sound Mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty, for Slumdog Millionaire
• Achievement in Film Editing: Chris Dickens, for Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Foriegn Language Film: Departures (from Japan)
• Achievement In Music Written For Motion Pictures (Original Song): "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire, music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Gulzar
• Achievement In Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle, for Slumdog Millionaire
• Achievement In Music Written For Motion Pictures (Original Score): A.R. Rahman, for Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Documentary Short: Smile Pinki
• Best Documentary Feature: Man on Wire
• Best Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, for Milk
• Achievement In Directing: Danny Boyle, for Slumdog Millionaire
• Best Actress (Leading Role): Kate Winslet, for The Reader
• Best Actor (Leading Role): Sean Penn, for Milk
• Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

There weren't too many surprises this year. Slumdog Millionaire did really well, Heath Ledger was posthumuosly honored for his role in The Dark Knight, and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button received a plethora of honors, including achivement in makeup and visual effects.

It was nice to have brief scenes of upcoming films play over the credits. Hopefully they'll continue that tradition in future years.