Oscar Night

They came, they saw, they conquered.

On a night when over-rated thriller "No Country for Old Men" won the best picture Oscar at the 80th Academy Awards, Europeans swept all the acting honors.

"No Country for Old Men" may have been the biggest winner with four Oscars but the big story was the wins by the Europeans. As expected Spain’s Javier Bardem won for “Best Supporting Actor” for his role as a psychopathic hitman in "No Country for Old Men", and Ireland's Daniel Day-Lewis won “Best Actor” for "There Will Be Blood”.

The evening's surprises was by the ladies. Britain's Tilda Swinton, who played a scheming corporate legal chief in "Michael Clayton", got the nod for “Best Supporting Actress” in a minor upset. But the big one was France's Marion Cotillard winning “Best Actress” for "La Vie En Rose" as tragic chanteuse Edith Piaf. She is the first Frenchwoman to win the best actress Oscar since 1960 and only the second time in history that the best actress award had gone to a performance in a non-English speaking role. A non-English speaking role winning for best actress? Now that’s a surprise.

The wins brighten what was a pretty boring show. Thank god for Jon Stewart; hate to think how bad it could be without him