81st Annual Academy Awards

Before I'm swayed by the opinions of others, I want to document what I thought...
1. Hugh Jackman is fantastic. He had enough enthusiasm and charisma to make me forget the awkward moments.
2. The way the acting awards were presented was charming, heartwarming, and disarming. The women honored the other women with more warmth than the men, I thought. The women, for the most part, spoke directly to the women, which is what brought it so much heart. It was quite spectacular.
3. There were several awkward moments for me...Bill Maher and Ben Stiller come to mind. I want to forget them and just feel positive about the event.
4. The musical number with Beyonce felt uncomfortable to me. I wonder if there were some sound problems that came through in general? I liked Beyonce and of course Hugh Jackman, but I didn't get how each song was melding into another - it felt disjointed. It could have been a stunning number with the talent presented, but for some reason it didn't come off for me.
5. I liked Sean Penn's speech. Except I didn't understand the reference to Mickey Rourke especially.
6. The over-abundance of one-shouldered dresses was obvious and therefore BORE-ING. I can't say I liked any of the dresses more than another because they were the same, same, same. That's my recollection anyway.

I don't normally watch the Oscars; I got out of the habit some time ago. It was a bloated, boring mess that didn't affect my life one way or the other. But, this year, the circumstances were right (finishing laundry and nothing else on TV) so I watched it all. I'm glad I did.

UPDATE I: I looked at pictures and decided I like the look of:
Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, and Penelope Cruz. Also, Kate Winslet, Alicia Keys, and of course, Hugh Jackman. Lots of couples dressed in black.

UPDATE II: I've read some commenters on the TV Guide website who complained about everything, particularly Sean Penn's acceptance speech. It occurs to me that if Sean Penn's political opinions are unwanted in a movie award event, then the opinion of those commenters about the movie awards event is also unwanted. Why don't those negative commenters see how hypocritical they are when they complain about everyone else?

UPDATE III: I forgot that Tina Fey and Steve Martin were so funny. They were.