Oscars winners - Live Updates

So the day's finally here and now is the show - and the time to see who Oscar's awarded to.

So far, the awards are going Hugo's way. Stay tuned to get comments on the show as it goes on - and on Billy Crystal as and when - plus other presenters.

Billy Crystal's opening skit was great - taking in The Artist as its starting point, then shoehorning in a little Justin Bieber to try and grab the "18-24" demo as they say before taking in a clip of Billy Crystal eating a little pie courtesy of the Help - but then seguewaying brilliantly into that scene from Bridesmaids. You can't get any better than that. A clever trademark singing monologue from Crystal also sets the tone too.

Tom Hanks, Cameron Diaz and J-Lo have given good presenting turns - the latter two looking dazzling in creams. Clearly this year's Oscars are a little more glam than normal...Sandra Bullock goes bilingual to present Best foreign language film and Christian Bale goes menacing for the best supporting actress gong. Octavia Spencer however, needs help being ousted from her chair to pick her award up - it's nice to see there's still some humility in the Oscars.

Kermit and Miss Piggy introduce the Cirque du soleil - and Billy Crystal jokes about pulling a hamstring. I do hope that's a reference to the jugglers - not Miss Piggy who he may have hit on....

Awesome to see Rango finally got some Oscar love. Even if for Chris Rock to say : "If you're a black man, you can play a donkey or a zebra!"

From Rango director Gore Verbinski: "Thank you so much, this is crazy. Someone asked me if this film is for kids, and I don't know, but it was certainly created by a bunch of grown ups acting like children. We just had the best time - thank you to Johnny Depp and the cast and crew for coming out and playing. Thank you to my beautiful wife and family who inspire me every day with their smiles and laughter."

Nice clip from Billy Crystal and Melissa McCarthy "Why don't we make this an undressing room....?"
Emma Stone and Ben Stiller present an FX award - and there's a lot of love for one of the presenters - hint, it's the one with the red hair...

But it's a bad day for WETA - their brilliant work on Apes loses out to Hugo. All I can say is Boooo.

However, that downer is rewarded by a best supporting Oscar for Christopher Plummer who gets a standing ovation...At 82, he's the oldest actor to ever win an Oscar as well - such a good film and out on DVD this next month in New Zealand. It's also only his second ever nomination too. Good vibes all around - even if he does get to talk longer than everyone else. Still, it's rude to cut him off, right?

And Christopher Plummer has the best line of the night so far -"You're only two years older than me, baby, where have you been all my life?" Superb and a reminder of how dreams can come true.

Finally, some glory for the New Zealand Oscar contingent, though as Bret McKenzie wins for his brilliant Muppet song...an in a sweet touch, thanks his parents as well as a throw out to Kermit - "Like many people in the movies, Kermit is much shorter in real life"

His full speech -
"Wow. Thank you, Academy. I grew up in New Zealand watching the Muppets on TV, and never dreamed I'd get to work with them. I was genuinely starstruck when I first met Kermit, but he's just a normal frog and like many stars, much shorter in person. I'd like to thank everyone on the production, Disney for making movies with songs in them, my wife and kids, my parents for never telling me to get a real job, and Jim Henson and team for creating The Muppets in the first place. Thank you!"
Ha, ha - all of New Zealand is celebrating this.

"Please welcome the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Angelina Jolie."...nice one Billy Crystal.
Woody Allen is the only no show of the night to collect his award...

Speech from the French contingent after they win The Best Directing Award for the Artist:

"Yes! Thank you very much! I have an Oscar. I forgot my speech. I am the happiest director in the world right now - thank you for that. Thank you the Academy, thank all of you. I want to thank my producer, the Weinstein Company, the cast, all of you. I want to thank all the crew, Uggie the Dog. I think he doesn't care - I'm not sure he understands what I say - he's not that good. I want to thank the crazy person who put money in that movie. Also, I want to thank the movie, because since this movie is made its life is full of grace and it brings to us joy and happiness. Thank you for giving it to me, thank you very much!"

The In Memoriam strand was a well done piece too - the full list for those interested were:
Jane Russell, Annie Girardot, John Calley, Polly Platt, Ken Russell, Donald Peterman, Farley Granger, Whitney Houston, Bingham Ray, Tak Miyagishima, Bert Schneider, Michael Cacoyannis, James Rodnunsky, Peter E Berger, Jack J Hayes, Peter Falk, Cliff Robertson, Laura Ziskin, Sidney Lumet, Sue Mengers, Steve Jobs, Geroge Kuchar, Hal Kanter, Theadora Van Runkle, Tim Hetherington, Gene Cantamessa, Gary Winick, Bill Varney, Jackie Cooper, Gilbert Cates, Richard Leacock, James M Roberts, Marion Dougherty, Ben Gazzara, Elizabeth Taylor.

Here's what best actor Jean Dujardin had to say on his best actor win:
"Wow. Thank you! Wahey! I love your country. Thank you to the Academie. It's funny because in 1929 it wasn't Billy Crystal but Douglas Fairbanks who hosted the first Oscar ceremony. Tickets cost $5 and it lasted 15 minutes. Times have changed. Thank you, Douglas Fairbanks! So many of you here tonight have inspired me. Thank you Michel, for this incredible gift. Thank you, my wonderful partner Berenice Bejo. Thank you my wife, I love you. And if George Valentin could speak he'd say WAOW VICTOIRE GENIAL MERCI! Thank you, I love you!"

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night is Meryl Streep getting gold for The Iron Lady - she's had 17 noms before and won twice before but this was generally thought to be going to The Help's Viola Davis - still it's nice to see there's a surprise or two around...

Here's her acceptance speech in full:
"Oh my god. Oh COME ON! [of the standing ovation] Thank you so much. When they called my name I had this feeling I could hear half of America going, 'Oh her AGAIN!' But, whatever. First I'm going to have to thank Dom, because if you thank your husband at the end they play you out, and I want him to know that everything I value most in our lives, you've given us. And also my other partner - 37 years ago I met the hair and make-up artist Roy Helland and we've worked together ever since, every single movie since Sophie's Choice. I just want to thank Roy, but also I understand I'll never be up here again, I really want to thank all my colleagues, all my friends. I look out here and I see my life before my eyes, my old friends and my new friends. This is such a great honour, but what counts most for me is the friendship, the love and the sheer joy of making movies together. Departed or here, thank you for this inexplicably wonderful career. Thank you!"

And in a concluding move which will surprise no-one, The Artist wins big best picture award.
Collecting is Thomas Langmann, the producer and here's his speech:

"I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to the members of the Academy, not only because we've received the award that any filmmaker dreams to achieve, but because this gives me the chance to pay tribute to an Academy member, Claude Berri, who I admire so much. I remember thinking could I ever work with such a director. Tonight I do because I worked with Michel Hazanavicius and I am glad to be his producer."
"I want to say a very important thing. I want to say hi to my kids, and it is 6am in Paris so you should go to bed in 30 seconds. I want to say thank you to my wife Berenice Bejo, because you inspired the movie, you're the soul of the movie, and thank you for being in my life. And I want to thank three persons. I want to thank Billy Wilder, and Billy Wilder, and Billy Wilder."

Thank you and good night!


Full list of Oscar 2012 winners -

Best cinematography - Hugo
Best art direction - Hugo
Best costume design - The Artist
Best make up - The Iron Lady
Best foreign language film - A Separation
Best supporting actress - Octavia Spencer
Best film editing - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best sound mixing - Hugo
Best sound editing - Hugo
Best Documentary Feature - Undefeated
Best Animated feature - Rango
Best Visual Effects - Hugo
Best Supporting Actor - Christopher Plummer
Best Original Score - The Artist
Best Song - Man or Muppet - Bret McKenzie
Best Adapted Screenplay - The Descendants
Best Screenplay - Midnight In Paris
Best Short Film (Live Action) winner -- "The Shore"
Best Documentary Feature - Saving Face
Best Animated Short - The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Best director - Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Best actor - Jean Dujardin
Best actress - Meryl Streep
Best Picture - The Artist.