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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, February 26, 2007

It's about time

 Photo gallery Oscar's fashions photo gallery
 •  Men suit up while women go strapless
 •  For Al Gore, an evening of triumph, laughs
 •  GoldFella

By Brian Hanrahan
Los Angeles Times

BEST DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese for “The Departed.” It was his eighth Oscar nomination and first win.

Associated Press Photos

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EIGHTH TIME’S A CHARM

Scorsese’s Oscar nomination for “The Departed” is his eighth Academy Award nomination. He was previously nominated for:

• “The Aviator” (2004), directing.

•“Gangs of New York” (2002), directing.

• “The Age of Innocence” (1993), writing (adapted).

• “Goodfellas” (1990), directing, writing (adapted).

• “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988), directing.

• “Raging Bull” (1980), directing.

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MARTY & BOBBY

Scorsese has directed Robert De Niro in eight films: “Mean Streets,” “Taxi Driver,” “New York, New York,” “Raging Bull,” “The King of Comedy,” “Goodfellas” “Cape Fear” and “Casino.”

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Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres got a big reaction when she contrasted "American Idol" contestant Jennifer Hudson with Al Gore.

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Cameron Diaz, left, walks offstage with George Miller, who won the Oscar for best animated feature film for “Happy Feet.”

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“Beyond the Break” actors, from left, David Chokachi, Sonya Balmores and Ross Thomas, attended Honolulu’s own red-carpet fete — the Oscar Night party sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Halekulani hotel. The event is a fundraiser for the Hawaii International Film Festival.

ANDREW SHIMABUKU | The Honolulu Advertiser

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THE WINNERS

A complete list of winners at the 79th annual Academy Awards, presented last night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles:

Best motion picture: "The Departed"

Lead actor: Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"

Lead actress: Helen Mirren, "The Queen"

Supporting actor: Alan Arkin, "Little Miss Sunshine"

Supporting actress: Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"

Directing: Martin Scorsese, "The Departed"

Foreign-language film: "The Lives of Others," Germany

Adapted screenplay: William Monahan, "The Departed"

Original screenplay: Michael Arndt, "Little Miss Sunshine"

Animated feature film: "Happy Feet"

Art direction: "Pan's Labyrinth"

Cinematography: "Pan's Labyrinth"

Sound mixing: "Dreamgirls"

Sound editing: "Letters From Iwo Jima"

Original score: "Babel," Gustavo Santaolalla

Original song: "I Need to Wake Up," from "An Inconvenient Truth," Melissa Etheridge

Costume: "Marie Antoinette"

Documentary feature: "An Inconvenient Truth"

Documentary short subject: "The Blood of Yingzhou District"

Film editing: "The Departed"

Makeup: "Pan's Labyrinth"

Animated short film: "The Danish Poet"

Live action short film: "West Bank Story"

Visual effects: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

Jean Hersholt Award (Oscar statuette): Sherry Lansing

Honorary Academy Award (Oscar statuette): Ennio Morricone

— Associated Press

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HOLLYWOOD — Martin Scorsese finally took home Hollywood's greatest prize, winning the Oscar as best director for "The Departed" on Sunday night and then watching from the wings of the Academy Awards moments later as the film was named best picture of the year.

Judging by the crowd's reaction at the Kodak Theatre here, it was a happy ending for the 79th annual Academy Awards show.

Scorsese, who won his first Oscar on his eighth nomination, took the stage to an outpouring of emotion when he picked up his award.

"Could you check the envelope?" he cracked when he picked up the award, his first after being denied in seven previous nominations.

"The Departed," detailing the tense and violent confrontations of a police officer trying to expose the inner workings of an Irish crime syndicate in Boston, was the night's big winner, gathering four Oscars.

It also won for best adapted screenplay, by William Monahan, and for film editing, by Thelma Schoonmaker.

Like Scorsese, Forest Whitaker also earned his first Oscar, winning as best actor and then making one of the night's most dramatic acceptance speeches.

Whitaker appeared winded as he cradled his statuette, telling himself to "take a breath" before he began his speech. He spoke of his childhood in East Texas and the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, saying he wanted to become an actor because of "my desire to connect to everyone" and portray "that light that lives in each of us."

Helen Mirren's Oscar for best actress in "The Queen" had to be one of the least-surprising announcements. But Mirren made one of the more unconventional speeches, thanking a reigning monarch — Queen Elizabeth II, whom Mirren portrayed — for her "courage and consistency" and ending her speech by saying, "Ladies and gentleman, I give you the queen!" while holding her statue aloft. It was her first Oscar on her third nomination.

Veteran actor Alan Arkin also celebrated his first Academy Award on his third nomination; he was named best supporting actor for his role as a cantankerous, drug-addicted grandfather in "Little Miss Sunshine."

Arkin, 72, was nominated in 1969, when he received the nod for his lead role in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter." Teary-eyed as he read his acceptance speech, Arkin said he was "deeply moved by the open-hearted appreciation our small film has received."

Jennifer Hudson turned emotional, too, as she accepted her award as best supporting actress for her role in "Dreamgirls."

"I didn't think I was going to win," she exclaimed before thanking her grandmother for inspiring her.

Going into the show, few pundits seemed to agree on which movie would be named best picture. No film stood out for an overwhelming number of nominations; although "Dreamgirls" led with eight nominations, it was excluded from the contests for best picture and best director. It wound up winning two Oscars, getting the nod for sound mixing in addition to Hudson's award.

Two contenders for best picture were shut out of the major awards. "Babel," nominated for seven awards, won only for best original score. Director Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima" won one Oscar, for sound editing, after being nominated in four categories.

While Mirren's best-actress award put an impressive centerpiece on "The Queen's" mantle, it was the only win for the film that earned six nominations.

And the other best-picture contender — "Little Miss Sunshine" — added the award for best original screenplay, by Michael Arndt, to Arkin's Oscar.

But each film in the best-picture race had believers who painted scenarios under which their favorite would get the prize. Many industry-watchers expected "The Departed" to win support from voters who wanted to honor Scorsese.

The 65-year-old director acknowledged those sentiments in his acceptance speech.

"So many people over the years have wished this for me," Scorsese said. "This is for you."

When the nominations were announced in January, observers noted the international and multicultural reach of films that had been honored.

Show host Ellen DeGeneres pointed out that theme in her opening monologue, saying, "If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars ... or anyone named Oscar."

Indeed, international films ruled the early awards. "Pan's Labyrinth," a fantasy by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro set against the fascist reality of 1944 Spain, took the first two statuettes presented, for art direction and makeup.

The next award, for animated short film, was won by a Canadian-Norwegian production, "The Danish Poet." Although the next two Oscars were given to U.S. productions, each had international themes: "West Bank Story," the winner of best live-action short film, and "Letters From Iwo Jima," which won for sound editing.

"Pan's Labyrinth" won three Oscars, also picking up the statue for cinematography, but didn't win for best foreign-language film. That award went to "The Lives of Others" from Germany.

As the ceremonies unfolded, environmentalism also turned out to be a central focus. "An Inconvenient Truth," which followed former Vice President Al Gore's crusade to raise awareness about global warming, won for best documentary feature. And the winner for best animated feature, "Happy Feet," ostensibly aimed at a children's audience, carried a serious undertone about global warming.

Security was extra heavy during the arrivals because of the presence of Gore, who not only went onstage when "Inconvenient Truth" won but earlier made an onstage pitch with Leonardo DiCaprio for green technologies. The audience showed ample affection for Gore; DeGeneres' monologue got its biggest reaction when she contrasted Hudson, who didn't win enough votes in her "American Idol" bid, with Gore, who got the most votes in the 2000 presidential election but also didn't win the contest.

On a gray afternoon, temperatures threatened to dip below 60, chilling celebrities but not cooling the ardor of the fans who filled the bleachers to witness Hollywood's top glamour event.

"Oh, my God, we're so close — I'm going to call everybody," said Barbara Johnson of Southfield, Mich., as she and her husband, Milton, made their way to second-row seats.

Even on a night with few clear front-runners, academy voters still managed to deliver some surprises. Arkin's victory in the best supporting actor category was one; many people had expected Eddie Murphy, a box-office champion who had never been nominated previously, to win for his turn as a soul singer in "Dreamgirls."

Another upset came when voters gave the award for best original song to "I Need to Wake Up," from "An Inconvenient Truth." Not only was it the first time a song from a documentary won the award, singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge's anthem edged three songs from Hollywood's biggest musical of the year, "Dreamgirls."

The academy also handed out two special awards.

Longtime studio executive Sherry Lansing was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in recognition of her charity work and public service. Lansing, former chairwoman of the Paramount Motion Picture Group, has been active in raising money for cancer research and is a member of the University of California Board of Regents.

Ennio Morricone, 78, who has composed the scores for more than 400 films, received a special award for his "magnificent and multifaceted contributions to the art of film music."

Morricone, who gave his acceptance speech in Italian, is noted for his work in his native country, including "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Cinema Paradiso." But he also worked on Hollywood productions such as "The Untouchables" and "Bugsy." He had been nominated for five Oscars in his career but had not previously taken home a statuette.