Slumdog sweeps the Oscars

Posted Tuesday, February 24, 2009, at 11:13 AM

Slumdog Millionaire, a story of a young Mumbai teen who gets the chance to be a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" When the teen is arrested for suspicion of cheating, events from his life history are revealed which explains how he is able to answer the questions.

On Oscar Night, Slumdog took home eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Song for "Jai Ho" (In translation, the title means "Praise", "Hail", "Hallelujah", "Victory", or "Vive") and Best Director for Danny Boyle. Ironically, enough Slumdog didn't receive any acting nominations, a first for the Academy Awards.

It's been a while since one film made an impact on award season like the impact made by Slumdog Millionaire in 2009.

Prior to the Oscars the accolades for this film have included wins for Best Picture at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and the BAFTA awards, (the UK's equivalent to the Oscars).

In fact, it was a worldly affair at this year's Oscars. Great Britain's Kate Winslet took home Best Actress for her role in "The Reader", Spain's Penelope Cruz took home Best Supporting Actress for "Vicky Christina Barcelona" and the late Heath Ledger, a native of Perth, Australia, took home Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Dark Knight. (On a side note, I think it was awesome that Robert Downey, Jr. was nominated for his role in Tropic Thunder)

Sean Penn, who previously won in 2004 for his role in "Mystic River" directed by Clint Eastwood, took home Best Actor for his role in "Milk." Personally, I would have loved to see Mickey Rourke take home the honor for his role in "The Wrestler". A role that earned him a Golden Globe and a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television) award for Best Actor.

I was curious why Hugh Jackman was asked to host because Jon Stewart was so great last year, I couldn't believe he wasn't asked this year. In an interview, with "Slumdog" star Dev Patel, he said "It's a shame that such a movie is out and there is no Oscar ceremony this year to recognize it, because I'm not hosting."

What will 2009 bring for the movies, well big buzz for the Transformers sequel, Star Trek, Terminator Salvation starring Christian Bale, the next Harry Potter film: Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince and Oscar host Jackman starring in the first of the X-Men Origin films as Jackman reprises his role of Wolverine.

If you didn't see the Oscars, or fell asleep during the Oscars here's a full recap of who won the major categories:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Directing: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Foreign Language Film: Departures (Japan)

Best Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman

Best Original Song: ''Jai Ho,'' Slumdog Millionaire

Best Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Editing: The Dark Knight

Best Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button