And the Oscar goes to...

Last night's Academy Awards show was an unusually subdued affair, with little in the way of surprises in either the ceremony itself or in the awards that were handed out. Nonetheless, the whole show still managed to last over three and a half hours, prompting co-host Steve Martin to comment that the evening had gone on so long that Avatar was now set in the past.

I liked that line, but the Academy didn't seem to like Avatar, choosing instead to honour the Iraq war-themed Hurt Locker with the bulk of the awards in a move that didn't really surprise me. The big-grossing, audience-friendly films rarely pick up the gongs, and any movie that shows US servicemen in a positive light is always going to find favour with the Academy. That said, I'm sure James Cameron is more than consoled by being able to sleep on his bed of money every night.

The highlight of the night for me came right at the start though, when the wonderful Christoph Waltz was handed the best supporting actor Oscar for his role in Inglourious Basterds, an award that was (sort of) predicted on these very pages back in January. Steve Martin commented that Waltz's character was a Nazi obsessed with finding Jews, and then with open arms gestured towards the audience, proclaiming 'the mother lode.' Cue uncomfortable laughter and much uneasy squirming in seats. Glorious.

Oh, before I go, an Oscar tip for next year; Tina Fey to host. You read it here first.