A big bowl of wrong

I've always taken a perverse pride in admitting when I'm wrong, and last night's Academy Awards show was the best I remember, well, in forever.

Generally recognized as a relatively weak year for movies, this year's Oscars were shorter and faster-paced; as Rob Peaslee pointed out, they even cut way down on commercial breaks. And Hugh Jackman was a fine host, like Christopher Walken and others with song and dance in their backgrounds, Jackman is a natural for musical theater.

No surprises among the winners, but having previous winners announce the acting awards was touching and classy. My personal favorite was the screenplay nominations, illustrated with clips while presenters Steve Martin and Tina Fey read from the scripts. Bravo, all around.

Now I just have to find time to see Slumdog Millionaire...