Next year's Oscars and last night's show

All the Oscars for 2008 have been handed out, so what's in store for the future? Kristopher Tapley, who's a keen observer on this subject, already has his charts in place for 2009's contenders and he likes the chances for Clint Eastwood's film on Nelson Mandela and Morgan Freeman's for playing the former South African leader.

However, before we get too far away from this year's Oscars I would like to add my two cents about last night's show, which, to me was one of the best ever. The highlights included Hugh Jackman's opening number, particularly the surprising duet with Ann Hathaway; Tina Fey's hilarious interchange with Steve Martin, the only time in the history of the Oscar telecast that banter between presenters has actually worked (I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they had written this bit themselves); and Judd Apatow's film that reviewed the comedies of 2008. But the best bit was the manner in which the acting awards were announced, with five previous winners of the award in question handing out tributes to each of the nominees. That is a feature I hope becomes a permanent part of all future Oscar shows.