On Sunday night, the Academy Awards did things a little differently.

Instead of having the actor who won last year announce this year’s award for a member of the opposite sex, they had five former winners up on stage.

Each actor or actress spoke eloquently about a nominee and their incredible performance. The sentiments were beautiful and so obviously touched each nominee.

But I don’t think it was just the words that produced tears in every actress’ eyes. It was also the person who was speaking them.

Hearing such high praise from an actor who has already reached that pinnacle in his or her career makes the words more meaningful then anyone of us could imagine. For a younger actor, like Anne Hathaway, you’re being complimented by a mentor such as Shirley MacLaine.

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Pussycat Dolls Get Claws into Slumdog Song [People]
Sam Lufti Denies Threatening Violence Against Britney Spears [US]
Heath Ledger’s Family Accepts Oscar for Matilda [Star]
Ashley Greene Says ‘New Moon’ Script Tops ‘Twilight’ [MTV]
Jonas Brothers ‘Will Never Split’ [Showbiz Spy]

By Alisha, InstantCast assistant editor

Slumdog Millionaire Sweeps Oscar Awards [People]
Heath Ledger’s Family: “We Feel Wonderful” He Won an Oscar [US]
Best & Worst of 2009 Oscar Awards [Star]
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Stars Marvel At Their ‘Unbelievable’ Oscar Journey [MTV]
Winslet: ‘I Feel Like an Unlikely Hero’ [Showbiz Spy]

By Alisha, InstantCast assistant editor

Winslet has never won an Oscar, despite her five previous nomination. That said, she’s won tons of awards in the past few months at the Golden Globes & SAG awards…so who knows what will happen at the Oscars! She’s up against Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Melissa Leo for best actress. The competition is fierce! Guess we’ll just have to sit tight until Sunday night!

Click here to apply to act with Angelina Jolie on InstantCast!

By Isabelle Dungan, InstantCast Editor

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Jay-Z Speaks Out about Rihanna/Chris Brown Situation [Star]

By Alisha, InstantCast assistant editor

Just Jared has snagged the first promo photos of Hugh Jackman, who’ll be hosting the Academy Awards on February 22nd! This photo is awesomely dramatic… it’s definitely getting me psyched for the Oscars!

That reminds me… I have a lot of movie-watching to do beforehand. Milk and The Reader are still on my list! What Oscar-nominated films are still on your list?

By Alisha, InstantCast assistant editor

Sam Lutfi Sues Britney Spears and Her Parents [People]
Jessica Biel Hosts Tech Oscars [Star]
Bikini Girl, Idol Judge Face Off Again [US]
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Robert Pattinson Ruffles Feathers With Ohio Role [Showbiz Spy]

By Alisha, InstantCast assistant editor

Meet Taraji P. Henson, one of the two African-American actresses to be nominated for a 2009 Academy Award!

Taraji’s been around show business for a while– you might recognize her from her roles in Hustle and Flow, Smokin’ Aces, and Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys, as well as her guest appearances on Boston Legal and Eli Stone.

But she’s now earned national praise for her role as Brad Pitt’s adoptive mother Queenie in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button! Her scene-stealing performance was emotional and genuine, and she absolutely deserves the nomination.

Here’s a few fun facts about Taraji:

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Oscar nominations are out today! ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ led the pack with an incredible 13 nominations, including Best Picture! Here’s the full list of nominees.

BEST PICTURE

‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
‘Frost/Nixon’ (Universal)
‘Milk’ (Focus Features)
‘The Reader’ (The Weinstein Company)
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ACTOR

Richard Jenkins in ‘The Visitor’ (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in ‘Frost/Nixon’ (Universal)
Sean Penn in ‘Milk’ (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in ‘The Wrestler’ (Fox Searchlight)

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway in ‘Rachel Getting Married’ (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in ‘Changeling’ (Universal)
Melissa Leo in ‘Frozen River’ (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in ‘Doubt’ (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in ‘The Reader’ (The Weinstein Company)

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ACADEMY AWARDS - Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence in the film industry. The 1st ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood. The private dinner was hosted by Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. DeMille, with less than 250 people attending! The awards were publicly broadcast by radio and TV after 1953.

By Alisha, InstantCast assistant editor

Jennifer Aniston & Courteney Cox Spend Christmas Eve Together [US Weekly]
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See How Stars Celebrate the Holidays! [Star]
Oscar Roundup: “Benjamin Button” and “Revolutionary Road” [EW]
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By Alisha, InstantCast staff writer