Academy Awards by Claudia Sonea

I hope you all watched the glamorous Academy Awards on Sunday. In spite of all the reddish you could see among the stars there was a standout appearance of Marion Cotillard, who conquered not only all the attention on the red carpet by being different, but also for her portrayal of legendary chanteuse Edith Piaf in "La Vie en Rose" the Oscar for best actress. Like a real star she spread rays of light throughout the evening with her body-hugging, mermaid-style dress (Jean Paul Gaultier gown, full-length white and gold) boundless energy and a farewell song backstage (gave a short rendition of the famous Piaf number "Padam Padam," prompting loud applause from reporters). After receiving the Oscar and going backstage she told the press that her heart went boom. Boom and it had all the reasons being the first French performer since 1960 (Simone Signoret won the best actress Oscar for her leading role in "Room at the Top") to win an Oscar in the best actress category. Cotillard raised her profile in Hollywood overnight after the victory, earned from her first Oscar nomination and succeeded to conquer audiences and critics at home and abroad with her physical transformation in the film that traces the life of Piaf, who achieved international fame after being raised by her grandmother in a brothel but saw her life cut short by drug and alcohol abuse. She also took home the French film industry's coveted Cesar award for best actress for "La Mome," (as the Piaf biopic is called in her homeland) a British BAFTA and a Golden Globe for her role. The actresses nominated at the category the best actress category, were Cotillard, Julie Christie ("Away From Her"), newcomer Ellen Page ("Juno"), Laura Linney ("The Savages") and Cate Blanchett ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age"). But there were plenty of other surprises, have you seen them?

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080225/en_nm/oscars_cotillard_dc;_ylt=At9Yrp3XiYef1eHgVi._oiqs0NUE

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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