I thought Brody was a class act (asked for and got additional speech time and then made some very heartfelt comments). I loved his kissing Halle Berry! And when he went to leave the stage you could see him connecting with her again and she was smiling and seemed okay with it. And I think he'd have done this no matter what woman presented the award...it's just a bit more romantic and picturesque perhaps when the woman is close to his age and a paragon of beauty, in that Hollywood way. The presenter for these actor/actress awards is nearly always the person (actress/actor) who won the year before.

Moore's words seemed somewhat prepared but I am very glad he spoke them. Especially liked hearing "Shame on you Mr. Bush!" in that dogged way he has! Love him or hate him, the man sticks to his convictions and many Americans admire his work on behalf of the working class.

Susan Sarandon was given the obituary tribute segment, no doubt this was intentional because it is known she would be a star who would speak out against the war if given an appropriate opportunity. As it was she walked onstage smiling and flashing a peace sign for several long seconds.

Steve Martin finished up his hosting stint (I thought he was fantastic and in great form) by saying he hoped the troops would make it home safe and said "this is for you." I also thought that was pretty classy.

A great night, one of the better Oscar ceremonies in recent memory.

Rick, I must disagree that actors are on the whole an unintelligent or uneducated lot. I studied acting myself and have met a large number of professional actors over the years and my overwhelming impression is that actors are highly intelligent people. Particularly if they are character actors who must research roles, or method actors who understand the psychology behind a role. Meryl Streep is one of the smartest women in America according to many; she graduated with honors from both Vassar and the Yale School of Drama. Actors who start out studying theatre are encouraged to emphasize textual analysis; not easy for dumb people. I would agree there are some "movie star" types who are a bit bubble-headed; but even a pretty boy like Keanu Reeves is, despite appearances, a fairly intellectual individual, believe it or not. Acting is not easy; it only looks that way. The worse the actor, the more likely their intelligence is fairly low.