By Kim Morgan
Special to MSN Movies

When it came to tone, timing, presentation and theme, this year's Oscars were all over the place. A mess, really. Look at it. A gospel choir? Shadow dancers? Green power? Celine Dion singing Ennio Morricone? Jennifer Hudson anywhere within the vicinity of Peter O'Toole? The show needed one of those signs that Travis Bickle swore he was going to buy in "Taxi Driver": "One of these days I gotta get myself organizized."

But the jumbled feeling wasn't a bad experience entirely. In fact, there was plenty to like and downright love during this year's weirdly muddled telecast. Oscar host Ellen DeGeneres, though beginning the show with an uninspired and overly safe monologue (we get it, Academy: You didn't want another Chris Rock or Jon Stewart), somewhat redeemed herself through the rest of the affair with her casual humor and in-audience joshing. "Babel," "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Queen" all up for major awards, gave international cinema the props it so richly deserves. Icons like Peter O'Toole, Alan Arkin, Clint Eastwood, Ennio Morricone and Martin Scorsese reminded us that, yep, these guys still know what they are doing. Still. And some long overdue wins (Arkin and Scorsese specifically) had us teary-eyed and literally cheering from our couches.

Sure, there was a decided lack of razzamatazz: The show's down-to-earth, de-glammed and for-the-common-people efforts deflated the sizzle and enchantment we expect from the Oscars. But there were still many memorable highs and lows. We're here to celebrate them.

Best Hair
That's easy -- Jack Nicholson. As far as I know, Nicholson's freshly bald noggin hasn't been sheared for his newest role as Mr. Clean. But it's late, I'm not up on Nicholson's latest project and I haven't key-word searched "Nicholson plus Daddy Warbucks" so I could be completely wrong. Whatever the reason, we love the look. It's a lot like Jack: a little scary and oddly sexy. But if we find out Britney Spears had anything to do with this, we're going to be deeply worried about him. (Editor's Note: We later found Jack shaved his dome to play a terminally ill patient in his next film)

Best Musical Number
The moment you think you might be growing tired of Will Ferrell and Jack Black's comic antics, they pull out the show-stopping "The Ballad of the Tragically Un-nominated." Bemoaning the pitfalls of the under-appreciated comic actor, threatening violence to the Best Actor nominees (though not Mark Wahlberg because as Ferrell claimed, he actually might be able to kick his ass) and celebrating the total hotness that is Helen Mirren, the tousled actors, in an ironic twist, actually brought a substantial amount of glamour to the proceedings with their hilarious Broadway-styled number. And John C. Reilly joined them for good measure. Take that, Beyoncé!

Best Humanizing Moment
Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris' warm and witty ode to all the nominees showed that a guy nominated for sound can be just as charming as Peter O'Toole. Well, almost as charming. But Morris' result is sweetly democratic, reminding the viewer that the Academy isn't only about those wearing couture Giorgio Armani or... J.Lo (and why was J.Lo there anyway?)

Worst Humanizing Moment 
A Gospel choir? What was that about? I realize it was supposed to be funny and joyous and ... well ... something, but the audience just looked confused and uncomfortable. Kind of like when Tom Cruise emerged to present Sherry Lansing's Humanitarian Award.

Peter O'Toole Rules
Smoking jacket? Check. Unflappable attitude? No problem. Bad-boy edge and old-school glamour? It's all there. Peter O'Toole is the reason we watch movies.

Funniest Moment
"Ladies and gentleman, Academy Award-winning screenwriter Ben Affleck."

Sorry Justin Timberlake, Someone Else Is Bringing Sexy Back
Look, I know it's entirely obvious to adore George Clooney, but hot damn if that guy didn't bring back the class and glamour of Cary Grant.

Who Dressed These People?
Naomi Watts clearly had "Curious George's" Man in the Yellow Hat pick out her frock, while Gary Glitter advised Jennifer Hudson on her silver, puffy vest thingie. As for Cameron Diaz --the Rocker Slut Babysitter who watched your kids in 1984 resurfaced to dress Cammie in what she would wear to the prom if Whitesnake's David Coverdale was her date.

Greatest Upset, Part 1
"Little Miss Sunshine's" Alan Arkin beats out Eddie Murphy for Best Supporting Actor. And we couldn't be happier. Not only was he terrific and touching in the movie, but for a guy involved in, among other films, "Catch 22," "Little Murders" and "Glengarry Glen Ross," he darn well deserves it. But we kind of feel bad for Eddie. Maybe slipping into that latex fat suit and a dress really wasn't worth it this time around.

Wow, These "Dreamgirls" Make Me Want to Hear The Supremes, James Brown and Smokey Robinson ...
Just so I could remind myself what real Detroit soul and Motown sound like. After enduring the brutal over-the-top wailings of the three nominated songs from the "Dreamgirls" stars Beyoncé Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose, I further understand why the filmmakers issued a public apology to Berry Gordy. Diana Ross, where were you? Here are the keys your car, Miss Ross, feel free to crash ... I mean park ... center stage.

Most Embarrassing Mistakes
Though this year we celebrated international cinema, there were some major gaffes in presenting those names from across the water. First off, Ellen makes it seem that Spain's Penélope Cruz is from Mexico (she later clarifies, but ... oops). Then when the Best Adapted Screenplay awards were announced, "The Departed" is said to be derived from a Japanese movie ("Infernal Affairs" is from Hong Kong!). And George Lucas couldn't even get his own native tongue correct when saying Britain's "Stephen Fears" instead of Stephen Frears. Thank goodness Rinko Kikuchi didn't win for best supporting actress -- you know she would have been called "Ringo."

Biggest Upset, Part 2
"The Lives of Others" winning Best Foreign Language Feature over "Pan's Labyrinth," which had already taken home three awards. Wow. Did not see that coming at all.

It's Nice and All But ...
Look, I like both James Taylor and Randy Newman, but if ever there was a time for Gary Numan to perform a song at the Oscars it would be for the movie "Cars."

Best Speech We Couldn't Understand
Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and famed composer Ennio Morricone's incredibly moving "Thank You" spoken entirely in Italian. Though Clint Eastwood did a nice job translating, it wasn't necessary -- the maestro's passion was as evident and soaring as his gorgeous musical scores. We only wish we could say the same thing for Celine Dion performing his song. No matter, the moment was still magic.

Biggest Upset, Part 3
We never thought we liked Melissa Etheridge that much until she managed to beat out  the three Oscar-nominated sirens, er, songs from "Dreamgirls" for her tune "I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth." It felt like Iceland just won the Summer Olympics.

Most Wonderfully Age-Appropriate Hollywood Couple
Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford in a well-monitored heartbeat (OK, they're not that old). They appear to be quite happy with one another, neither has had any work done (on their faces) and they're clearly able to have conversations about subjects other than "American Idol" or their My Space Page. And Helen Mirren is hot at any age. Jack's gotta be jealous of Taylor's treasure.

Most Moving Speech
Unlike his confused Golden Globe ramble, "The Last King of Scotland's" Forest Whitaker gave a well prepared but inspiring and heart-tugging speech. Not a dry eye. He had us at drive-in theater.

No Recount ... Right? 
Seriously, when Al Gore stood up for his Best Documentary Feature "An Inconvenient Truth," you know he thought about it for a second.

Viva Mexico!
Mexico's massively talented trio Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (who directed Oscar-nominated "Babel"), Guillermo del Toro (who directed Oscar-nominated "Pan's Labyrinth") and Alfonso Cuaron (who directed Oscar-nominated "Children of Men") seemed perfectly fine with the almost insulting tag of "The Three Amigos," though they are quite clearly more than a cutesy catch phrase. Three of the most interesting directing talents in the world, these guys are genuinely, really and honestly all good friends. Proving that you don't have to be cut throat and vicious to succeed in the business (yeah, support and buckets of talent go a long way too), it would appear that Mexico could teach Hollywood a lot.

It's About Frickin' Time
"Thank you! Could you double-check the envelope?" asked Martin Scorsese when he won his long-awaited Best Director Oscar for "The Departed." Yes, do check it. For the innovative, often brilliant and legendary auteur who directed "Mean Streets," "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "The King of Comedy" and "Goodfellas" and the man who has never won an Academy Award, we don't blame him for asking. What a moment! And then to top it with "The Departed" winning Best Picture. Could not have happened to a more deserving man. It was almost so perfect we didn't know what to do. There's nothing to complain about! Nevertheless, congratulations, Marty! You are one of the reasons we started writing about movies in the first place.

What was your favorite and least favorite moment at the Oscars? Write us at heymsn@microsoft.com

In addition to writing for MSN Movies, Kim Morgan is a film writer for the LA Weekly, Fandango and Reel.com. She was a film critic for The Oregonian and has written about movies for various print and Web media. She served as DVD critic on Tech TV's "The Screen Savers" and has appeared as guest film critic on AMC's "The Movie Club with John Ridley" and on E! Entertainment. She writes for her blog Sunsetgun.com.