By Noah Redfield

Perhaps Hollywood is just as leftist as Fox News claims, because if there is one word to sum up the proceedings, it is “change.” Producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark pulled out all the stops in order to make the evening as entertaining as they possibly could, regardless of the predictable winners, and the gamble seems to have paid off. Let the 13 percent increase in ratings speak for itself.

Hugh Jackman kicked off the ceremony with a strangely catty opening number which satirized not only the outright disappearance of the economy but the nominees themselves, such as “The Reader” sneaking into the Best Picture category as opposed to something people went to see, like “The Dark Knight.” It was as desperate as it was campy, resembling the hallucinations of a dying Judy Garland as she violently passed away into the afterlife. The musical number has divided media watchdogs and critics but I for one thoroughly enjoyed myself, although the extended tribute to the comeback of musicals was a bit much, especially since the musical has been back for several years. The contributions from a drumline and the leading fetuses from the “High School Musical” franchise didn’t help.

But I digress. The second biggest change of the night involved the acting categories. Rather than having one former winner serve as presenter, they had five, and rather than just announce the nominees, each had to say something nice about a nominee, thus creating the impression that being nominated for an Oscar actually means something.

And so, the big winners of the night were Penelope Cruz, Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger and Sean Penn-who surprisingly defeated the predicted Mickey Rourke for Best Actor. In addition, “Slumdog Millionaire” more or less annihilated its competition by winning a total of eight Oscars, much to the shock and awe of its deeply humbled director, Danny Boyle.

The evening was also fully loaded with montages for every genre short of the western and the erotic thriller. In past years, these clip shows have often dragged the show down to a snail’s pace but they managed to keep the pace up without feeling half-assed. Meanwhile, Jerry Lewis received this year’s honorary Oscar, “the Gene Hersholt Humanitarian award” for his 50 years of raising money for muscular dystrophy. Lewis kept his speech concise and classy, which is an anomaly for Oscar winners, honorary or otherwise. Other highlights included Steve Martin, who proved he can still be funny when he feels like it, and Philippe Petit, the subject of Best Documentary “Man on Wire,” regaling viewers with a brief but memorable magic trick.

So what does any of this actually mean? While the increase in ratings wasn’t much to write home about (31 million to 36 million), it was still an increase nonetheless, and this is without the support of a single blockbuster fighting for Best in Show. If the “Slumdog” sweep will be remembered for anything, it will be as a sign of Hollywood’s path towards globalization, embracing Bollywood and British cinema alike. The dual wins for “Milk” were reminiscent of 1967 when the crime drama “In the Heat of the Night” took home 5 awards, in both cases a clear and blatant call for social reform whether for the rights of homosexuals or African-Americans. Finally, it will be the year when a rising talent officially immortalized himself as one of cinema’s fallen icons. I’m sure Heath was watching the ceremony somewhere, having a beer and a smoke with Peter Finch.

For those of you still upset that your favorites lost, relax. No matter what the Academy tells us about rewarding the excellence of the art of cinema, it’s all B.S. when you take a good look at the politics of the whole thing. One doesn’t need to have their opinions validated by the Hollywood bourgeoisie who rarely acknowledge excellence when they see it. Just remember that “Citizen Kane,” which is arguably the most important film ever made, didn’t win Best Picture. Remember that Stanley Kubrick, the Shakespeare of cinema, never won an Oscar for directing. Remember that actors as brilliant and respected as Gary Oldman and Christian Bale have yet to secure a nomination. These complaints barely scratch the surface of their lousy track record; therefore, why take them seriously at all? I watch the Oscars every year for the spectacle, for Hollywood’s desperate attempt to define themselves. That’s why they have yet to lose this viewer.