Big Wins for Slumdog and Milk, Lisa Rinna not so much

Lisa Rinna looks like an owl exploded on her head after clawing her lips until they were all swollen and disfigured.

I think if I had seen this on the red carpet last night, I would have felt the need to have several more glasses of champagne to wipe away that image. Aren't you glad I've passed it on for your viewing pleasure?

Thankfully, I was mingling at a big Oscar party at SoDo Park in south Seattle right up until Hugh Jackman did his opening number. I thought his first performance last night set the perfect tone for the night. I appreciated the different creative decisions that were made this year in regards to presentation and entertainment. Presenting the nominees for best song as a medley was nice and I think the old way of doing it-individually-just spread out the evening unnecessarily so. I also liked the actors and actresses presenting the nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress respectively. It added another personal touch to the evening. Did anyone else think of Battlestar Galactica's reveal of the Final Five at the temple in Season 3 when the five actors stood up against the "pillars" in the background? I could have done without Beyonce's act later in the show, but I enjoyed the choreography at that point. Overall, a definite improvement of the awards show from years past.

As far as results go, I'm happy Slumdog Millionaire did as well as it did. It deserves every one of those awards. While I was rooting for Milk to win best picture, I had a feeling Slumdog would take that one in the end. The acceptance of Heath Ledger's posthumous award for Best Supporting Actor by his family was somber but well-deserved, not just for The Dark Knight, but his career. I suppose there's always a chance he will be recognized for his talent again when Terry Gilliam's, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus comes out-which will officially be Ledger's last film role.

I could not have been happier about Dustin Lance Black's win for his screenplay for Milk and Sean Penn's award for Best Actor. Two great wins that mean a lot for so many people in this country and around the world.