Ledger’s Win Highlights Oscar Night

Heath Ledger’s posthumous Oscar win may have brought the Academy Awards back to life.

Beset by declining viewership in recent years, the buzz over whether or not Ledger would win the Best Supporting Actor award was certainly the only reason we tuned in to what has become a forgettable ceremony.

After being watched by 57 million people in 1998, viewership has slumped dramatically over the past decade. Just 31 million people tuned into last year’s awards show, the lowest number in fourteen years.

It’s been over a year since Ledger died in his Manhattan apartment of an accidental drug overdose, although The Dark Knight – the film for which he won Best Supporting Actor last night – has since shattered box-office records around the world, becoming only the fourth movie ever to gross more than $1 billion.

Expectations for Ledger’s performance as “The Joker” were already high even before his untimely death, but the worldwide publicity surrounding the tragedy (AP voted it the entertainment story of 2008) only upped the ante.

Frankly, that bar was cleared with room to spare.

When The Dark Knight was released last July, Ledger’s performance was universally acclaimed.

It was sinister, sadistic … and sensational – the best Hollywood villain we’ve seen in decades.

Ledger’s family accepted his award on his behalf, although it will eventually be given to his three-year-old daughter, Matilda Rose.

“Tonight we are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he has achieved,” Ledger’s mother said.

In other Oscar news, it was Slumdog Millionaire versus The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, as the two most heavily-nominated films went head-to-head for Academy supremacy.

Slumdog ended up the victor, winning Best Picture and seven other statues.

Here is a recap of the major award winners …

Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor
Sean Penn – Milk

Best Actress
Kate Winslett – The Reader

Best Director
Danny Boyle – Slumdog Millionaire

Best Supporting Actress
Penélope Cruz – Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Supporting Actor
Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight

Best Original Screenplay
Milk

Best Adapted Screenplay
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Feature
WALL-E

Best Art Direction
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Cinematography
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Costume Design
The Duchess

Best Film Editing
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Make-Up
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Original Score
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Sound Mixing
Slumdog Millionaire

Best Sound Editing
The Dark Knight