74th Academy Award® Results

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Welcome to Digital Hit Entertainment's coverage of the 74th Annual Academy Awards®.

Scroll down to read our commentary after the results listed below.

Live from the backstage pressroom, here's our commentary on Hollywood's big night:

After Donald Sutherland and Glenn Close introduced the various nominees and presenters, the night started with Tom Cruise coming out on stage and talking about how certain movies would trigger memories. He then mentioned the events of 9/11. He said he was asked by other actors if we should continue after such tragic events. He said he told them that people needed those memories more than ever.

They then showed a small film by Errol Morris that asked people like Laura Bush and Iggy Pop what movies meant to them.

Then, spoofing Moulin Rouge, host Whoopi Goldberg descended from the ceiling. She said she was the original sexy beast. She said that the negative campaigning was nuts. She said that all the mudslinging going on made all the nominees look black. She then welcomed people to the new Kodak Theatre. She also said that the security was tighter than some of the audience's faces. She then pointed out that they had seated the Smith's together. Will, Jada and Maggie.

The first presenter of the night was Benicio Del Toro, who was there to present Best Supporting Actress. And the Oscar® went to Jennifer Connelly.

Next up was Academy President Frank Pierson, who welcomed all to the 74th Annual Academy Awards®.

Next on stage was Will Smith. He quoted David Mamet, who explained that the film editor was the best friend of the audience. He then introduced the nominees for Best Film Editing. And the Oscar goes to Pietro Scalia for Black Hawk Down.

Moving right along, Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon quoted Buck Henry on movie makeup. "Without movie makeup, actors would look like people in documentaries." The winner of the Oscar® for Best Makeup was Peter Owen and Richard Taylor for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Whoopi then wanted to remember those who are no longer with us. Those who have gone up there...shooting in Canada. She then introduced the clip for the Best Picture nominee In the Bedroom.

The next presenter was Oscar® nominee Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, who introduced a clip of them showing how costumes make the actor. They then presented to Academy Award for Costume Design to Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie for Moulin Rouge.

Whoopi Goldberg then said that we have more reasons than ever to love New York. She then introduced the quintessential New Yorker, Woody Allen. He thanked them for his standing ovation. "It makes up for the strip search." In view of the terrible tragedy in New York, the Academy wanted to show a film segment about New York and asked Woody to introduce it.

Next up was Jodie Foster, who was there to present the Oscar® for cinematography. And the Oscar® goes to Andrew Lesnie for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

We were visited backstage by Woody Allen. He said that he wanted to do something for New York after 9/11 and came to LA because the Academy gave him the chance on a silver platter. He said he didn't write his comments down, but practised them in the shower. He thought the Academy had made a nice gesture by honoring the plethora of films made in New York.

Whoopi then introduced the clip for Gosford Park.

Helen Hunt was up next. She introduced a series of clips from various documentaries. That was followed by the next presenter, Samuel L. Jackson. He was there to honor the documentary feature. The winner was Murder on a Sunday Morning. He also presented the Oscar® for Documentary Short Subject. The winner was Thoth.

Cameron Diaz was the next presenter, giving the Oscar® for Art Direction to Catherine Martin and Brigitte Broch for Moulin Rouge.

After Charlize Theron introduced some of the winners from the scientific awards, Whoopi Goldberg mentioned how happy she was that there was now an animation award. She then introduced Nathan Lane, who lent his voice to The Lion King. He presented the first Animated Feature Oscar® to producer Aron Warner for the box office hit Shrek.

Nominee Halle Berry was up next. Her category was Achievement in Sound. And the Oscar® went to Mike Minkler, Myron Nettinga and Chris Munro for Black Hawk Down. She also presented the Academy Award® for Sound Editing to George Watters II and Christopher Boyes for Pearl Harbor.

Moving right along, last year's Supporting Actress Marcia Gay Harden came out to present the Oscar® for Supporting Actor. And the Oscar® goes to Jim Broadbent for Iris. His win elicted a whoop for him backstage from Catherine Martin, who worked with him on Moulin Rouge.

Whoopi, sporting bare feet, then introduced the clip for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, by saying they had cut out the black hobbits or blobbits.

Maggie Smith and Ian McKellen then introduced a special performance by the Cirque du Soleil.

Spiderman co-stars Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire then presented the Visual Effects Oscar® to The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Love Story co-stars Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal came out to pay tribute to their director, Arthur Hiller. He was there to receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He thanked his mother and father, and said it was weird to win an award for something he was brought up to do.

Sir Ben Kingsley was up next to introduce John Williams, who played a tribute to movie scores.

Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant then announced the winner of Best Original Score. And the Oscar® goes to Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

The next presenter was nominee Denzel Washington. He was there to present the honorary Oscar® to Sidney Poitier. As Denzel said, he was the first solo, above the title, African American movie star. After a moving filmed tribute, Sidney came out to accept his award. His acceptance speech was very moving and we'll try and get a full transcript of it up soon. Though many had thanked Sidney for paving the way for African-Americans in films, Sidney thanked those were brave enough to cast him in difficult times.

Wrapping a cloth around the Oscar®, Whoopi Goldberg said John Ashcroft had asked her to do it. She then introduced Aussie actors Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts. They presented the best live action short Oscar® to the accountant's Ray McKinnon and Lisa Blount. The Best Animated Short Oscar® went to Ralph Eggleston's For the Birds.

Josh Hartnett was up next. He introduced the nominated song performances. First up was Sting, for Kate & Leopold's "Until..." He was followed by Enya, singing "May It Be" from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Next up was John Goodman and Randy Newman, singing "If I Didn't Have You" from Monsters, Inc.. Faith Hill sang next, performing "There You'll Be" from Pearl Harbor. Finally, Paul McCartney sang "Vanilla Sky" from Vanilla Sky.

Jennifer Lopez was out next to present the Oscar® for Best Original Song. And the Oscar® goes to Randy Newman. Randy has been described as the Susan Lucci of the Oscars® as he's been nominated so many times before without winning. He was surprised and thrilled.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Ethan Hawke were up next to present the screenplay awards. First up was Best Adapted Screenplay. And the Oscar® goes to Akiva Goldsman for A Beautiful Mind. Akiva was giddy and shaking as he read his thank you notes. The next Oscar® was for Best Original Screenplay, and that one went to Julian Fellowes for Gosford Park. He said Robert Altman had given him the biggest break since Lana Turner walked into Schwab's.

Sharon Stone and John Travolta came out next. They were there to present the Oscar® for Best Foreign Language Film. Travolta joked that all the languages represented were the official language of Los Angeles. And the winner is Bosnia's No Man's Land.

Kevin Spacey then took the stage for the memorial section. He said that they usually pause at this time to pay tribute to those in the film community who have passed. This year, he asked the audience to rise for a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims of 9/11. They then showed clips from those in the film community who had died, including Spacey's friend and mentor, Jack Lemmon.

Whoopi then introduced the clip for Moulin Rouge. She said it was a swirling panorama apparently made without a director, a nod to the fact that Baz Luhrmann did not get a nomination for Best Director.

Barbra Streisand was up next to present a special Oscar® to Robert Redford. The award was given to pay tribute to his work as an actor, director, producer and creator of the Sundance Film Festival.

Now it's time for Best Actress. Russell Crowe came out to present the award to Halle Berry. Berry was crying, the press room let out a big yell. She initially seemed unable to talk through the tears. She dedicated the moment to Dorothy Dandridge, Diahann Carroll and other African-American actresses of the past and Jada Pinkett-Smith and other African-American actresses of the present and future for being able to walk through the door that she had now opened. She also thanked role model Oprah Winfrey and mentor Warren Beatty.

When Whoopi Goldberg came back from the commercial break, she said how proud she was that Halle Berry had kicked down the color door for actresses. She also said she was proud of Redford and the films that did well in her 'hood, like The Way We Was, The Stang and Bitch Cassidy. She then introduced the clip for A Beautiful Mind.

Julia Roberts was the next presenter, doing the Best Actor honors. And the Oscar® goes to Denzel Washington. Robert Redford paused in the press room. "Denzel's a friend and on the board of Sundance, so I gotta listen to this." Denzel said he'd been following Poitier for 40 years..."and on the year they give it to me they give it to him too!"

Time for Best Director and the presenter is Mel Gibson, a winner in that category himself. And the Oscar® goes to...Ron Howard for A Beautiful Mind. Ron Said he'd played this moment in his head a thousand times over the years. He paid thanks for so many years spent in this business. He also thanked his friend and business partner, Brian Grazer and his cast members Jennifer Connelly and Russell Crowe.

And now it's time for Tom Hanks to present Best Picture. And the Oscar® goes to A Beautiful Mind. Brian Grazer said he felt the story was personal to him and that winning an award for it was a miracle. He said he couldn't find a closer friend or better partner than Ron Howard. He also thanked the "profound" Russell Crowe and the "sublime" Jennifer Connelly.

Well, that's it for the 74th Annual Academy Awards. Don't forget to take a peek at our red carpet photos or quotable quotes.

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