By Chris Cosci

There was a lot of speculation the week before the Oscars about whether the show would be postponed or not. Everybody had their opinion, and there were a lot of concerns. But Sunday night, the show went on, and it sure did seem to be the right decision. Despite all the rumors and press releases, the Oscars were glitzy and glamorous as always. They told us they were getting rid of the red carpet and toning down the ceremonies. But once the show started, it was obvious that we were in for an Oscar broadcast like all others. But there was one exception: this one was actually entertaining.

After last year's test of endurance, the producers ran a tight ship and cut the running time of the broadcast by forty-five minutes. After another weak hosting job by Whoopi Goldberg last year, the Academy graciously brought back Steve Martin, whose intelligent wit and low-key delivery hit much more often than it missed. And somehow the show even coasted through the low-profile awards without slowing down to a mind-numbing crawl.

Sure, the Academy put together a bunch of time-wasting montages (including dance numbers at the Oscars and past Oscar winners). After all, it was the show's 75th anniversary. But they were quick and barely kept the show off track.

There were some low points. For example, who was behind that horrible, misguided use of Mickey Mouse during the presentation of Best Animated Short Film? First of all, he was animated in a computer-generated, three-dimensional format that made him look like some bad, cyber-Mickey rip-off. And if that wasn't bad enough, the jokes they had him tell were lame and entirely unfunny. Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin looked truly embarrassed at Mickey's weak "Ring" reference. Jennifer Garner, who shared the stage with the cartoon, should have a long talk with her agent.

And if Jennifer Garner is embarrassed, then Sharon Stone should be downright ashamed of herself. Although not present at the show, she did appear in a commercial for AOL, rolling around and moaning in bed, praising the yellow AOL man for his excellent performance. I think her career has officially flat-lined.

On the other hand, surprise winner Adrien Brody proved to be the shining star of the festivities. Brody delivered a graceful and sincere speech, and was justly awarded with a warm reception and widespread support. Brody's speech came in sharp contrast to the ranting of Best Documentary winner Michael Moore. Whereas Moore spat out an abrasive and premeditated diatribe, Brody seemed to speak from his heart and came across as genuine.

Besides his restrained request for peace, Brody shocked presenter Halle Berry with a long kiss and successfully quieted the orchestra when they tried to cut him off. An academy award, a kiss with Halle Berry, and power over the orchestra? This man got it all!

And Brody was just one of the many unpredictable winners last night. Showing a rare moment of hipness, the Best Song award went to Eminem. And fugitive Roman Polanski pulled off a tremendous upset with his win for Best Director. After winning Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, there was a rare moment of suspense when it looked as though The Pianist might actually win Best Picture over the heavy favorite, Chicago. But Chicago prevailed in the end.

Rounding up the night, there was much to enjoy. Chris Cooper, a very deserving winner for Best Supporting Actor, gave a touching speech, ranking him a close second to Adrien Brody for best acceptance speech. Nicole Kidman's teary speech was great, as was the speech given by Catherine Zeta-Jones, who somehow managed to top Uma Thurman's appearance last year in the pregnancy-induced enlargement category.

And for the most part, the fashion was top-class, except for Eminem's co-writer Luis Resto, who apparently thought it was okay to wear a basketball jersey as long as he put a suit jacket over it. Being an individual is one thing; being a distasteful slob is another. Diane Lane, Renee Zellweger, and Nicole Kidman all showed exquisite taste and there was hardly a dud in the bunch. I'm even willing to forgive Sean Connery's Boston Tea Party look because of his incomparable accent when presenting.

After all was said and done, Chicago was predictably the big winner. But thanks to a few jaw-dropping surprises, a great hosting job by Steve Martin, and a relatively brisk pace, the Academy finally gave us a show worth watching until the end.