A night for the 'dog'

It was a feel-great night for a feel-good movie.

"Slumdog Millionaire" took home best picture honors at Sunday night's 81st annual Academy Awards--a happy ending widely expected for the crowd-pleasing Cinderella story.

The film earned eight Oscars, including one for director Danny Boyle, for its fast-paced tale of a young man from the slums of Mumbai who competes on India's version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." "Slumdog" was also honored for Simon Beaufoy's adapted screenplay, cinematography, song, original score, film editing and sound mixing.

"When we started out, we had no stars, we had no power or muscle," said producer Christian Colson, adding that what the underdog movie did have was "passion and belief."

Sean Penn, who won best actor for his charismatic performance as slain gay-rights activist Harvey Milk in "Milk," spoke out against Proposition 8, California's recent ban on gay marriage, during his acceptance speech, saying, "We've got to have equal rights for everyone."

This is Penn's second best-actor Oscar. He also won in 2004 for "Mystic River."

And six-time nominee Kate Winslet finally went home with a golden guy, nabbing best actress for "The Reader."

Bad times call for good entertainment, which the Academy Awards aimed to deliver.

First-time Oscar host Hugh Jackman got the recession-busting mood rolling with a musical number that was funny enough to make Billy Crystal envious.

Relying on homemade-looking props and sweatshirt-wearing "Craigslist dancers," a dapper Jackman sailed through a supposedly budget-conscious bit where he recreated "Frost/Nixon" with Anne Hathaway, admitted he hasn't seen "The Reader," and borrowed a few moves from "The Wrestler" before triumphantly declaring, "I'm Wolverine."

Ah, who needs money when you've got the sexiest man alive?

Penelope Cruz scored the first big win of the evening, nabbing best supporting actress for her sexy, tumultuous ex-wife in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona."

"Has anybody ever fainted here? Because I might be the first one," said Cruz after being presented the Oscar by a quintet of past winners.

The most poignant victory of the night was Heath Ledger's posthumous win, which had the audience on his feet. He was the overwhelming favorite for his dazzling turn as the chaos-craving Joker in "The Dark Knight."

Ledger's father, mother and sister accepted for the actor, who died last year of an accidental prescription drug overdose before the Batman film was released.

"Tonight, we are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he had achieved," said his mother, Sally Bell, fighting back tears.

More than ever, the ABC telecast seemed eager to woo the millions of worried viewers at home who are still trying to save enough bucks for a matinee or two.

In clips and skits, there was notable attention paid to the sort of movies ticket buyers embrace (and Oscar usually ignores), including a hilarious short film by Judd Apatow that let the guys from "Pineapple Express" to take in a year's worth of flicks from their couch.

There were hints of the dire economy even in some of the acceptance speeches. When "Wall-E" won for best animated film, director Andrew Stanton cited his robot character who finds the beauty in everything and said, "It's a noble aspiration in times like these."

Two of the top nominated films of the night grabbed some of the early glory.

"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," the technically dazzling fable of a man who ages backward, won for makeup, art direction and visual effects.

"Man on Wire," a look back at Philippe Petit's amazing 1974 quest to do a high-wire walk between the World Trade Center towers, won for best documentary.

Oscar drew gripes this year for snubbing a major Hollywood player, Clint Eastwood of "Gran Torino," and leaving an acclaimed international blockbuster, "The Dark Knight," out of the best picture race.

Although "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" received the most Oscar nominations with 13, the pre-awards buzz was solidly in the "Slumdog" camp, which had 10 nominations.

During ABC's pre-show coverage, all eyes were on super-couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. But for emotional punch, it was hard to top seeing the ecstatic cast of "Slumdog"-- from the youngest kids to stars Dev Patel and Freida Pinto--as they gathered in a joyous bunch on the red carpet.