The biopic of Howard Hughes led
the nominations with 11.
Jamie Foxx picked up best actor for playing
soul star Ray Charles in Ray.
Many expected this to be Scorsese's year -
but he was unsuccessful in the best director
category for the fifth time in his career.
He has never won despite being nominated
for such films as Raging Bull and Goodfellas.
Instead,
Eastwood took his second Oscar for
best director after winning for Unforgiven
in 1993.
"It was a wonderful adventure," Eastwood
said. "To make a picture in 37 days, it takes
a well oiled machine. I am lucky to be here
and lucky to be still working. I've got a lot
of stuff to do yet."
Hilary Swank picked up her second best
actress Oscar for playing a female boxer in
Million Dollar Baby, beating stars including
this," she told the audience. "I'm just a girl
from a trailer park who had a dream."
Morgan Freeman beat actors including
Clive Owen, Jamie Foxx and Alan Alda to
the prize for best supporting actor.
He thanked Eastwood and described
the film as "a labour of love".
This was the fourth nomination of his
career but his first win. Backstage, he said:
"A lot of people say you're due - maybe you
are, maybe you aren't - it's an accolade."
Million Dollar Baby's success was the night's
biggest surprise after The Aviator seemed to
have the advantage until
the end of the ceremony.
Cate Blanchett, who won for playing late
screen legend Katharine Hepburn in
The Aviator, said her award was "an
indescribable surprise and honour".
Of Hepburn, she said: "The longevity of
her career is inspiring to everyone."
Blanchett also paid tribute to the film's
director Martin Scorsese, telling him:
"I hope my son will marry your daughter."
The Aviator's other awards came for
cinematography, film editing, art direction
and costume design.
this year, paid tribute to the "beautiful legacy"
of soul legend Ray Charles, who died last year,
and thanked director Taylor Hackford.
"You took a chance, man," he said. "That love
for Ray Charles was deep down in the earth
somewhere and you opened it up.
"Everybody's drowning in this love. Thank you
for taking a chance and thank you for waiting
15 years to get me to do it."
He broke down in tears when speaking about
being whipped by his grandmother, whom he
described as his first acting teacher, when he
was young.
In other awards, cartoon hit
The Incredibles won best
animated feature and best
sound editing.
Bittersweet comedy
Sideways won best adapted screenplay
while the original screenplay
prize went toEternal Sunshine
of the Spotless Mind.
Born into Brothels, about
the children of
prostitutes in Calcutta, was
named best documentary,
The Sea Inside was named
best foreign language film
and Finding Neverland got
the accolade for
best musical score.
Spider-Man 2 triumphed in
the visual effects category,
Ray won best sound mixing
and Lemony Snicket's A
Series of Unfortunate
Events picked up
best make-up.
Former British TV presenter
Andrea Arnold, who hosted
children's shows Motormouth
and Number 73 in the 1980s,
won best short film
for Wasp.
Comedian Chris Rock, who
hosted the ceremonyfor the
first time, received a standing
ovation before getting the
show under way.
