ellen and melissa put gay back into the oscars this year

Nowhere as gay as the last but the 79th Annual Academy Awards is for the first time hosted by an openly gay host Ellen DeGeneres and lesbian singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge's who won Best Song for her global warming anthem, ''I Need to Wake Up,'' highlighted not only the environmental issue but also same-sex marriages.


Although the Oscars this year was nowhere as gay as the last, comedian and chat show host Ellen DeGeneres made history as its first openly gay host in its 79-year history and is only the second woman to host the event solo, with Whoopi Goldberg being the first in 2002.

The 49-year-old, who currently hosts an award-winning weekday talk show, came out 10 years ago in her sitcom Ellen and became the first openly gay lead character on a US prime-time television.

That year, she appeared on the cover of TIME magazine with the simple but groundbreaking headline: “Yep, I’m Gay.”Despite being known for her trademark tailored suit style, she revealed that Oscar producers and designers had tried to get her in a dress for the big event.

"There was some pressure with people wanting me to wear a gown. That's understandable; it's a glamorous night. But a gown is just not what I'm most comfortable in. It's not what works best for me," she said.

Drawing on the ethnic diversity of acting nominees, among them five blacks, two Latinas and an Asian, DeGeneres did not miss the chance to remind viewers worldwide of the inequality some people face.

"What a wonderful night, such diversity in the room, in a year when there's been so many negative things said about people's race, religion and sexual orientation. And I want to put this out there: If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars. Or anyone named Oscar, when you think about that."


Here are the winners in full:
Actress in a Leading Role
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Actor in a Leading Role
Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Actress in a supporting role
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
The Departed
Writing (Original Screenplay)
Little Miss Sunshine
Directing
The Departed
Best Picture
The Departed
Documentary feature
An Inconvenient Truth
Documentary short subject
The Blood of Yingzhou District
Art Direction
Pan's Labyrinth
Music
Babel
Sound Mixing
Dreamgirls
Music (Song)
An Inconvenient Truth
Sound EditingLetters from Iwo Jima
Foreign Language Film
The Lives of Others
Film Editing
The Departed
Visual Effects
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Animated Feature
Happy Feet
Short Film
West Bank Story
Short Film (Animated)
The Danish PoetCostume
Design
Marie Antoinette
Makeup
Pan's Labyrith

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