Another moment of unbridled excitement and true emotion was when Marion Cotillard won the Oscar for actress in a leading role for her performance in La Vie en Rose. While I may not have pegged her for the win, I cannot say that I am disappointed. This clip from her acceptance sums it up: "Well, I'm speechless now. I — I — well, I — thank you life, thank you love, and it is true, there is some angels in this city. Thank you so, so much."

During a backstage interview with Ms. Cotillard she was noticeably excited and shocked by her win. She comes across as genuine and real, without an ounce of artifice: "It's just joy and so unexpected that it's surreal, but I love it, I love it."

That brings me to Diablo Cody and her well-deserved win for Original Screenplay for Juno. This was a wonderful script that deserved the win, but what surprised me was Ms. Cody, herself. Over the past month or two, I have heard a few interviews with her, and she comes across as being so comfortable with herself and confident in her work that I expected something similar from her speech. I was surprised to see the wall break down and reveal an emotional woman who was genuinely happy and surprised. It was quite a moment, interesting dress aside.

The last speech moment I want to speak of I have already mentioned. It is the win for Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for "Falling Slowly" from Once. Let me say that it is an amazing song on a great soundtrack from a great film. This duo was a delight in the film, and they made the most of their moment. Hansard spoke of the small scale of the film and how proud they were of it, closing by saying, "Make art. Make art." As for Irglova, she was sadly cut off, but through a classy act by host Jon Stewart, she came back out and was bale to deliver her speech, asking for support of independent artists. Her speech included this great line: "...this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are." How true it is.

As for the rest of the telecast, the performances of the five original song nominees were fantastic. Irglova and Hansard's performance of their winning song was very moving; although I think Amy Adams' solo performance of "Happy Working Song" from Enchanted was the most, uh, enchanting. The song from August Rush was also a moving performance.