81st Academy Awards | |
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Official poster
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Date | February 22, 2009 |
Site |
Kodak Theatre Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States |
Hosted by | Hugh Jackman |
Preshow host(s) |
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Produced by |
Bill Condon Laurence Mark |
Directed by | Roger Goodman |
Highlights | |
Best Picture | Slumdog Millionaire |
Most awards | Slumdog Millionaire (8) |
Most nominations | The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (13) |
TV in the United States | |
Network | ABC |
Duration | 3 hours, 30 minutes |
Ratings | 36.94 million 20.88% (Nielsen ratings) |
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2008 and took place on February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 24 categories. The ceremony was televised in the United States by ABC, and produced by Bill Condon and Laurence Mark. Actor Hugh Jackman hosted the show for the first time. Two weeks earlier in a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California held on February 7, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Jessica Biel.
Slumdog Millionaire won eight awards, the most of the evening, including Best Picture and Best Director for Danny Boyle. Other winners were The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with three awards, The Dark Knight and Milk with two awards, and Departures, The Duchess, La Maison en Petits Cubes, Man on Wire, The Reader, Smile Pinki, Toyland, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and WALL-E with one. The telecast garnered almost 37 million viewers in the United States.