The writers were back, the dresses were glamourous, the speeches were candid and montages and movie tributes reigned at last night’s 80th Annual Academy Awards.

Jon Stewart hosted Hollywood’s biggest night and produced some early hilarity by poking fun at this year’s heavy themed best-picture nominees.

“Tonight we look beyond the dark days and focus on happier fare: this year’s slate of Oscar-nominated psychopathic killer movies. Does this town need a hug?? Stewart quipped.

“All I can say is thank God for teen pregnancy.”

Juno, the teen pregnancy flick Stewart joked about, would however lose out to the psychopathic killer crime thriller, “No Country for Old Men” in almost all of its nominated categories.

The favourited frontrunner lived up to expectations and took home trophies for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem.

Directing duo Joel and Ethan Coen accepted the Best Director honour and credited their childhood experiences for preparing them to win Oscar gold.

“What we do now doesn’t feel that much different from what we were doing then,” Joel Coen said. “We’re very thankful to all of you out there for continuing to let us play in our corner of the sandbox.”

Spain’s Javier Bardem provided a moving moment during his acceptance speech when he thanked his mother in Spanish.

Bardem wasn’t the only international export to rule this year. All four lead actor awards went to Europeans as France’s Marion Cotillard won Best Actress for La Vie en Rose, Britain’s Daniel Day-Lewis accepted the Best Actor for There Will Be Blood and Tilda Swinton won Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton.

It may have been a good night for European natives, but all Canadian nominees went home empty-handed. Juno’s Ellen Page did get an emotional nod from stripper-turned-screenwriter Diablo Cody who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Other big winners included The Bourne Ultimatum, which bagged three Oscars for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing, There Will Be Blood, picked up Best Cinematography, La Vie en Rose won Best Makeup, Ratatouille was named Best Animated Film and the Oscar for Best Original Song went to “Falling Slowly” from the Irish film Once.

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