I'd like to thank The Academy

For tightening up the ceremony a bit and leaving a lot of the fluff out this year. There was still fluff to be had of course - they could have done away with the video yearbook and the presenter "banter" and I would even be in favor of skipping the opening song and dance number (though admittedly, Hugh Jackman was charming). But by and large, the show ran less like a forced march and more like a Sunday stroll...which I swear is a compliment.

So, my rundown of the good and the bad.

The bad:

The incredibly tacky cuts (not one but TWO) to Angelina and Brad while Jennifer Aniston was presenting.

Too many awards for Slumdog Millionaire. I haven't seen the movie but I feel pretty safe in saying that no movie can live up to the hype that this one is receiving by winning nearly every award it was up for. When will the Academy realize that over-praise can really hurt a perfectly fine film?

Inviting the Tween Stars. It is unthinkable to have to suffer through both Miley Cyrus and Vanessa Hudgens at the Oscars! And neither one of them rose to the occasion with their attire either. Miley's dress looked like it was made entirely of sea shells and barnacles. Vanessa was trying too hard to dress grown up and ended up just looking ridiculous.

Beyonce was awfully proud of herself considering she wore the world's tackiest sofa to the event.

Heidi Klum wore origami.

Jessica Biel's dress...was just ridiculous and her hair and make-up might have been left over from whatever she did the day before.

Sarah Jessica Parker looked like one of those cakes that you make in the Pampered Chef Measure and Mix Bowl and then stick a Barbie in the top of - her torso appeared to be carved out of shiny plastic and was entirely too boob-centric. I don't think Matthew Broderick thought any more of it than I did.

There was nothing really wrong with Penelope Cruz's dress except that I feel like she's worn it to the Oscars before. She's very fond of the ruffles this one.

Melissa Leo's dress was an ugly color, an ugly style, in an ugly fabric and an ugly fit.

Leslie Mann should be told that you can definitely overdo metallic, and when you do, you end up looking like C3PO's sexpot girlfriend.

Amanda Seyfried brought a giant bow as her date.

Reese Witherspoon either gets things very right or very wrong, there doesn't seem to be much grey area for her. Last night she got things very, very wrong.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of it (if I find one, I'll definitely add it to the post) but Philip Seymore Hoffman, who almost always looks homeless, wore a stocking cap. To the Oscars. Where he was nominated.

Nicole Kidman's dress had feathers...I don't approve of feathers.

Heather, I know you liked this one, but I have to knock Kate Winslet's dress. It was pretty from the back but from the front I thought it was boring. She can rock the hell out of the simultaneously sexy and classy look, I'm not sure why she would wear something that bordered so thoroughly on mother-of-the-bride-itude.

The good:

I enjoyed the acting award presentations last night a lot. I hope they stick with that format from here on out, it's more interesting and it seems better suited to the old addage "it's an honor just being nominated."

Hugh Jackman is a GREAT host.

Heath Ledger won.

Meryl Streep brought her daughter to the ceremony as she usually does and the two of them did earth tones up with a shit-load of class. (That's her daughter to the left of her in the brown strapless dress.)

Tilda Swinton came and dressed in something weird and unflattering just as I know I can always count on her to do, but this year she put on makeup and damn it if I didn't just freaking love her for it!

Amy Adams is a lovely woman but she's pale. P-A-L-E pale. Unfortunately she usually dresses in such a way that just emphasizes the paleness. Last night she wore the perfect color red for her complexion. Her hair was perfect, her makeup was perfect and her jewelry was perfect. I thought she was a total knock-out.

Alicia Keyes wore a nice dress in a beautiful color but her eye makeup scared the bejesus out of me.

Anne Hathaway tends to get a lot of credit for her style though it seems to me she gets it wrong at least as often as she gets it right. Last night, she did get it right.

Marissa Tomei wore the biggest, grandest, most theatrical dress of the night and I really loved it. I thought she pulled it off and looked like a million bucks.

Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis both looked amazing. Great dresses, great makeup, GREAT hair, beautiful women.

The best dress of the night for me, belonged to Natalie Portman. The color and cut were perfect on her and she kept accessories to a minimum (less IS more).