Academy Finally Honors Scorsese

LOS ANGELES -- The mob epic "The Departed" topped the 79th annual Academy Awards Sunday night in Los Angeles, winning four Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director for Martin Scorsese.

Scorsese couldn't help but allude to his previous six Oscar losses -- five of them coming for Best Director.

"Could you double-check the envelope?" a jovial Scorsese asked presenters Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

Scorsese also alluded to the trio during his acceptance speech.

"I'm overwhelmed with this honor from the Academy and also the honor of being presented by three of my old friends. We go back 37 years," said Scorsese. "I'm so moved. I'm so moved."

Scorsese's win was immediately followed by the film's Best Picture announcement, by actress Diane Keaton and "Departed" star Jack Nicholson.

"To be here where Martin Scorsese won his Oscar is such a joy, such a joy," said "The Departed's" producer Graham King.

"The Departed" also earned Oscars for William Monahan for Best Adapted Screenplay and longtime Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker for Best Editing.

The Academy also crowned Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker with Best Actress and Best Actor Oscars, respectively for "The Queen" and "The Last King of Scotland."

Mirren paid respect to Queen Elizabeth II and her tenure of 50-plus years.

"She's had her feet planted firmly on the ground, her hat on her head, her handbag on her arm and she's weathered many, many storms," Mirren said. "I salute her courage and consistency, and I thank her because if it wasn't for her, I most certainly wouldn't be here."

Then, Mirren, hoisting her Oscar above her head, proclaimed, "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the queen."

Whitaker, who has been literally speechless at previous award podiums, made sure he was prepared for the Oscars by toting along some heartfelt notes.

"When I was a kid the only way I saw movies was from the back seat of my family's car at the drive-in movie. It wasn't my reality to think I would be acting in movies, so receiving this honor tonight tells me it's possible," an emotional Whitaker said. "It is possible for a kid from east Texas, raised in south-central L.A. and Carson, who believes in his dreams, commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them and to have them happen."

Former top 10 "American Idol" finalist Jennifer Hudson took the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal as '60s girl group singer Effie White in the Broadway-turned-movie musical "Dreamgirls."

"Oh my God, I have to just take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do. I didn't think I was going to win," a tearful Hudson said.

And while Hudson was expected to win in her category, veteran actor Alan Arkin pulled an upset win for playing the curmudgeonly Grandpa in the quirky road-trip comedy "Little Miss Sunshine." It was his first Oscar win in three tries.

"Acting for me has always been and will always be a team sport," Arkin said.

Arkin appeared humble at receiving the honor, as he read his thank-yous from a note while at the podium.

"I'm deeply moved by the openhearted appreciation our small film has received, which in these fragmented times speaks so openly of the possibility of innocence," Arkin said.

The film also earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Michael Arndt.

Former Vice President Al Gore took the stage with "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim to accept the Oscar for Best Documentary feature. Although the filmmaker techinically received the Oscar, Guggenheim gave Gore the podium after his short acceptance speech.

"My fellow Americans -- people all over the world -- we need to solve the climate crisis," Gore said. "It's not a political issue, it's a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started with the possible exception of the will to act. That's a renewable resource. Let's renew it."

The "My fellow Americans" riff was a play on a gag earlier in the night, when, onstage together, Best Actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio urged Gore to announce another run for president.

"I guess with a billion people watching, it's as good a time as any. So my fellow Americans, I'm going to take this opportunity here and now to formally announce my intentions ..." But then, the orchestra jumped in and drowned out the remainder of Gore's "announcement."

"Happy Feet" took the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, and "Pan's Labyrinth" won three statuettes, for Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Best Art Direction. The film, however, was upset in the Best Foreign Film race by Germany's "The Lives of Others."

In the musical categories, "Babel" took the Oscar for Best Original Score, while "Dreamgirls," which had three nominations for Best Original Song, was ousted by Melissa Etheridge for her song "I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth."

Clint Eastwood was on stage to honor composer Ennio Morricone for film legend's Academy's Lifetime Achievement Oscar.

Actor Tom Cruise was on-hand at the ceremonies to present former Paramount Pictures chief Sherry Lansing with Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award -- a statuette -- for her dedication to causes outside the film industry.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres celebrated diversity to open the show.

"What a wonderful night. Such diversity in the room -- in a year when there's been so many negative things said about people's race, religion and sexual orientation. So let me put this out there: If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there wouldn't be any Oscars," DeGeneres joked. "Or anyone named Oscar when you think about that."

Keeping the mood light throughout the night, DeGeneres frequently pranced among the audience members, stopping to talk with such film legends as Eastwood. She even asked Steven Spielberg to snap a digital photo of her and the legendary actor-director for her MySpace page, and Spielberg happily obliged.