First-time winners bag Oscars acting awards

Finally – the most coveted man in the "reel" world lands in the hands of four golden actors and actresses in the recently-concluded 82^nd Annual Academy Awards.

Four first-time winners took home the acting awards: Jeff Bridges as best actor in Crazy Heart, Sandra Bullock as best actress in Blind Side, Christoph Waltz as best supporting actor in Inglourious Basterds, and Mo’Nique as best supporting actress in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire.

At last!

This year’s Oscars paid witness to the highlight of beloved Hollywood veteran Jeff Bridges’s career, whose four-time nomination spanned 38 years without winning. Bridges, who played a washed-up country singer trying to clean up his act in Crazy Heart, bested fellow nominees George Clooney (Up in the Air), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), and Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) in the said category.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad, for turning me on to such a groovy profession," said Bridges in homage to his late parents, actor Lloyd Bridges and poet Dorothy Bridges. The seventy-something actor’s victory was also met with much confidence from netizens, particularly Facebook users. One Nancie Ellen Marie Bates said, "[Bridges] deserved this for a long time."

Worst & best actress of the year

Industry darling and first-time Oscar nominee Sandra Bullock surprised everyone with her best actress win, beating Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire), and Oscar record-holder Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) to the prize. Bullock portrayed a well-off suburban mom who takes in homeless future NFL star Michael Oher in The Blind Side.

On a different note, some netizens in social networking sites like Facebook doubted that Bullock’s caliber as an actress measures up to that of her contenders.

Leo Gonzalez said that "[Bullock’s win] and the Ben Stiller moment were the lowest points of this year’s ceremony," while one Thomas Stephen Quang pointed out that Bullock "is the least deserving among the group."

Diversity remains to be a good thing, though, as there are believers as much as there are haters. Christina Karassowitsch said, "I'm so glad Sandy won. …To my mind she's the best. And she finally got recognized for her awesome work!" Yahoo Movies also credit the award to have wrapped up one rollercoaster year for the Canadian actress, who had box office smashes with Blind Side and The Proposal and a flop with All About Steve, for which Razzies named her "worst actress" a night before the Oscars.

"Did I really earn this or did I just wear you all down?" Bullock humbly addressed the crowd, praising the other nominees afterwards including Meryl Streep, who she joked, is "such a good kisser."

Mo’Nique’s ‘precious’ moment

Mo’Nique, who portrayed an abusive, devastating mother to a pregnant teenage daughter, got a standing ovation as she defeated Penelope Cruz (Nine), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart), and Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air). In her speech, Mo’Nique commended the Academy "for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics." Some fans expressed dismay over the remark.

“I thought her 'it's about the performance, not the politics' comment to be a little self righteous”, said Nos35, in a message thread from the Oscars site.

‘Glorious [basterd]’

Austrian actor and Hollywood newcomer Christoph Waltz’s performance of a sinister Nazi officer with a penchant for seeking out Jews in hiding won him the best supporting actor award over Matt Damon (Invictus), Woody Harrelson (The Messenger), Christopher Plummer (The Last Station), and Stanley Tucci (Lovely Bones). Though once a veteran stage and TV actor in Europe, Waltz had been a virtual unknown in Hollywood before Quentin Tarantino got him for the part.

"Quentin with his unorthodox methods of navigation, this fearless explorer, took this ship across and brought it in with flying colors, and that's why I'm here," Waltz said in praise of the famous director.

Fans from the Oscars's official Facebook page also applaud Waltz for a "well-deserved win." One Steven Escolar expressed astonishment over his performance, "[Waltz is] the best actor of the year! ...He killed it in four languages!"

A tug-of-war between believers and naysayers continues to perplex anyone who follows the Oscars, but one thing remains to be unchanged: The Academy has spoken.

Photo screencap taken from ArtisanNewsService.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites