‘The Artist' is top dog at Oscars

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“The Artist” became the first silent movie to win the Academy Award for best picture since 1928's “Wings,” but that didn't stop people from shouting its praises Sunday.

The black-and-white, comic drama won five Oscars: picture, director, costume design, original score and actor for Jean Dujardin.

“I love your country!” Dujardin shouted accepting his trophy. “Merci beaucoup, I love you!”

“I want to thank Billy Wilder,” said directing winner Michel Hazanavicius, “and I want to thank Billy Wilder, and I want to thank Billy Wilder!”

It was share-the-wealth time at the 84th Academy Awards Sunday night, with no single movie totally dominating the awards. In fact, Martin Scorsese's 3D epic fantasy “Hugo” matched “The Artist” with five Oscars for art direction, sound mixing, cinematography, sound editing and visual effects.

Seventeen-time nominee Meryl Streep won her third Oscar as Margaret Thatcher in the bio-drama “The Iron Lady,” beating heavy best actress favorite Viola Davis in “The Help.”

“Oh, my God! Come on!” Streep shouted. “When they called my name I could feel half of America going ‘Oh, come on! Why her? Again?' But ... whatever!”

Heavily favored Octavia Spencer handily won supporting actress for her role as a 1960s maid in “The Help.”

“Thank you for putting me with the hottest guy in the room!” she said, holding the golden statue she received from presenter Christian Bale.

Another heavy favorite, 82-year-old Christopher Plummer, won best supporting actor for his role as an aging gay man in “Beginners.”

“You're only two years older than me, darling. Where have you been all my life?” Plummer said to his Oscar.

As expected by most Oscar-watchers, Gore Verbinski's comedy “Rango” won the animated feature Oscar.

“Someone asked me if this film was for kids, and I don't know,” he said. “But it was certainly created by a bunch of grown-ups acting like children.”

In another expected win, best song winner Bret McKenzie, who created “Man or Muppet,” described working with “Muppets” superstar Kermit the Frog.

“Once you get to know him, he's just a regular frog!” he said.

Alexander Payne won the adapted screenplay Oscar for “The Descendants” and said, “So Mom, this one's for you. Thank you for letting me skip nursery school so we could go to the movies.”

The biggest no-show of the night was Woody Allen, who won best original screenplay for “Midnight in Paris.” That was not much of a surprise, though, as he does not traditionally attend.

The show moved along at a fairly brisk clip, with Billy Crystal coming back as host for the ninth time following Eddie Murphy's reported ouster from the job.

The show began on a wavering note with Crystal's expected opening montage of film clips with him digitally inserted into the action. The usually crisp and punchy segment came off as hackneyed and old-news, exactly the opposite of what the Academy bosses wanted last year with the disastrous pairing of hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco to appeal to a “younger demographic.”

Apparently, the producers opted to appeal to the AARP crowd again with veteran Crystal, who made frequent jokes based on the mature Academy audience base.

“The movies have always been there for us,” Crystal said, “A place to go laugh, to cry, to question, to text. So tonight, enjoy yourselves. Nothing can take the sting out of the economic crisis like watching millionaires give each other gold statues!”

At about the halfway point in the show, Crystal commented on the age of the Academy Awards: “84 and timeless! But the show isn't.”

Yet, the Oscars show found plenty of time to fritter away on dulling segments, particularly the lame bit in which “SCTV” veterans played a black-and-white focus group giving feedback during a test screening of “The Wizard of Oz.” (“I didn't care for the rainbow song,” Fred Willard says. Shoot us now!)

The night's most awkward pairing had to be Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow as she attempted to read nominees while Downey pretended to be making a documentary called “The Presenter.”

“This is disrespectful and disruptive!” Paltrow said.

She left out “strained and not funny.”

The spectacular trapeze acts and amazing aerial stunts performed by Cirque du Soleil during the telecast might have been breathtaking to see live in the theater. But on TV? Not that amazing in the confines of a regular theatrical stage.

And what exactly does Cirque du Soleil have to do with the production of movies?

Here's a concept: Make sure production numbers have something to do with movies.