Third time lucky: Meryl Streep accepts the Best Actress Award for The Iron Lady, it's been thirty three years since her first win -The Artist is named Best Picture as it beats Scorcese's Hugo
-Also picks up gongs for Best Score, Directing and Costume Design
-Dujardin makes history by claiming top award for uttering just two words
-Hugo ties with silent hit by securing five awards, but no big ones
-Christopher Plummer becomes oldest winner at 82 for Beginners
-Streep gets top honour for The Iron Lady 29 years after last win
Thirty three years after she grasped her first gold statuette, Meryl Street has secured her hat-trick of Academy Awards.
It came on a night that saw a film with just two singular words in its script sweep the board, as The Artist was named Best Picture, Jean Dujardin Best Actor and the Best Directing gong went to Michel Hazanavicius.
With awards for best score and best costume design, too, it was undoubtedly the Franco-American film's night...but it was a historical evening in more ways than one, as Christopher Plummer became the Academy's oldest winner after winning the Supporting Actor laurels for, ironically enough, Beginners.
Leading lady through the decades: Meryl with Dustin Hoffman in 1979 as they celebrate her supporting actress win for Kramer Vs. Kramer and in 1982, where she wore gold in a foreshadowing of tonight's outfit for the ceremony that saw her honoured for Sophie's Choice, Meryl was pregnant with daughter Mary - now 28 But not even their success could distract from Meryl's towering achievement.
Aptly, the Golden Lady of Hollywood earned her third honour for her performance of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady... she won a supporting actress gong in 1979 and the top award in 1982 for Kramer Vs Kramer and Sophie's Choice respectively.
Dressed in precious metal, Meryl thanked her husband first after saying that she imagined all of America was willing her not to win again.
With the emotion clearly effecting her, Meryl admitted that she 'sees my life before my eyes,' and insisted that her friends are what she holds dear from her career, more than the prizes it brings.
'So thank-you to my friends. The ones that are departed and the ones that are here. Thank-you.'
A new friend would surely be The Artist's Jean Dujardin, the first man to win an Oscar by uttering two words - and who had the Gallic temerity to beat All American boys, favourite George Clooney and his dear friend Brad Pitt.
One man and his dog: Jean Dujardin and Uggie celebrate after he beats Clooney and Pitt to Best Actor, then The Artist trounces both their films He bounded to the stage, shaking his fist and beaming from ear-to-ear.
'I love your country,' he declared and then goes on to thank Hazanavicius, Berenice Bejo, and his wife in the audience.
Dujardin, aptly, repeats his entire script from the film - 'thank' and 'you' - before finishing by saying: 'If George Valentin could speak, he would say: Merci! Formidable!'
It got even better for Jean... and of course, Uggie the dog (arguably the real star of the show) as The Artist received the gong for Best Picture.
Passing the baton: Last year's best actor Colin Firth and actress Natalie Portman presented awards to their successors Meryl Streep and Jean Dujardin 
At the heart of the action: Tom Cruise presented the award for Best Picture while Christian Bale delighted Octavia Spencer by giving her Best Supporting Actress... and this kiss
Octavia Spencer was one of the first big winners at tonight's Academy Awards, and if she was a predictable choice for Best Supporting Actress... she was also a popular one.
Billy Crystal's staid intro veered from mocking the recession to an awkwardly awful song and dance number: 'Nothing can take the sting out of the economic crisis like watching millionaires give each other gold statues,' Crystal quipped oddly before launches into the ditty that honoured the front-runners - notably George Clooney in the acting category, director Martin Scorcese and of course, The Artist.
But before the boys club got to pat themselves on the back, there was a predictable yet joyfully received win for Octavia Spencer, who scooped Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Help.
Popular choice: Octavia Spencer accepts the Oscar for best actor in a supporting role for The Help during the 84th Academy Awards 
Resounding applause: Octavia received a standing ovation from her peers including Brad Pitt and Angelina JolieResplendent in white sequins Octavia held her hand to her mouth as the emotion seemed to overcome her all at once and the theatre of peers jumped to their feet.
Horribly, after this wonderful moment, Crystal said he performance made him want to hug the first black woman he found which 'from Beverly Hills is a 45 minute drive.'
The dubious gag was met with a weak laugh, but actress's heartfelt speech moved everyone in the audience - particularly a beaming Angelina Jolie.
Spencer wept throughout her breathless speech, in which she apologised, between laughing and crying.
Black and white: Monochrome was the hot theme of the night as presenters Angelina Jolie and Milla Jovovich proved
Funny girls: Bridesmaids stars Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy raise a chuckle when they get to present 'Thank you, academy, for putting me with the hottest guy in the room,' Spencer said, referring to last year’s supporting-actor winner Christian Bale, who presented her Oscar.
Before taking the stage, Spencer got kisses from The Help co-stars Viola Davis, a best-actress nominee, and Jessica Chastain, a fellow supporting nominee.
'I share this with everybody,' Spencer said.
The legendary Christoper Plummer matched Octavia in the Best Supporting Actor category.
'Where have you been all my life?' Christopher Plummer is the oldest ever Academy Award winner at 82, he scooped the Best Support Actor gong for Beginners
Presenting duos: Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jnr and Ben Stiller with Emma Stone Plummer is the oldest acting winner ever at 82.
'You’re only two years older than me, darling, where have you been all my life?' the Plummer said as he held aloft the statuette handed out at the 84th Academy Awards. He joked that he has spent his life rehearsing his acceptance speech. 'I'm so proud to be in your company,' he said to his fellow nominees.
He also caused the audience to well up by thanking his wife 'for coming to my rescue every day of my life.'
Touching display of friendship, new and old: Sandra Bullock wiped her friend George Clooney's face before the ceremony got under way and Octavia Spencer thanked the Academy for giving her Christian Bale as a presenter 
Old and new: Former Melissa Leo and Bret McKenzie can now bond over being Academy Award winners Earlier, a nervous George Clooney was reassured by his friend, Sandra Bullock.
The motherly actress, who referenced her German heritage to great comic effect as she presented the award for best foreign language film, tenderly wiped the actor's face as they chatted before the ceremony began.
His friends Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt seemed more relaxed, they mingled with fellow stars excitedly - chatting particularly at length with Meryl Streep.
Golden couple: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were on sparkling form 
Humans are so passe: Uggie the god from The Artist and Kermit and Miss Piggy earned huge cheers
First British triumph at the Oscars came when The Iron Lady won for best make-up design.
British prosthetic artist Mark Coulier who spent three hours each day transforming Meryl Streep into an older Margaret Thatcher shared the Oscar with hair deisgner J. Roy Helland who has worked with Meryl for over thirty years.. The film was backed by Britain's Film4 production company.
Martin Scorcese's Hugo also got off to a running start with a win in the Art Direction category.
Dante Ferretti said: 'Thank you to the Academy for this prestigious award... but the most of all my very special thank you to a eccezionale director who guide us though this wonderful journey: Martin Scorsese. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Grazie, Martin.
Thespians are us: Brad and Angelina enjoy a tete-a-tete with Meryl Streep The laurels for Cinematography went again to the critically acclaimed children's film, but The Artist began its assault with a gong for Costume Design.
Mark Bridges accepted the award and said: 'Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company for getting it out to the world. I want to thank my wonderful crew and…you know, I was just a kid from Niagara Falls who dreamed, ate, and slept movies and so I want to thank the Academy for this honor and for making a lifelong dream come true.'
Homage to the silver screen: Tonight's show was themed around cinema's golden age, when you watched films on a big screen... 'my i-pad' Crystal quipped Crystal had fun with Brangelina and Clooney, jokingly running a commentary on the thoughts in their heads Crystal imagined that Pitt was worrying about parent teacher meetings and that George was panicking: 'Billy didn't tell me that kiss was being filmed.'
Bret McKenzie won the award for best original song with Man or Muppet from The Muppets, after a hilarious skit from Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis.
Rango won for best animated feature film.
Quite an honour: Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis prepare to h Galifianakis prepare to present the Oscar Best Original Song to Flight of the Conchords star Bret McKenzie 'Please welcome the original girl with the dragon tattoo,' Billy Crystal said, waving one arm to introduce Angelina Jolie.
With her lips painted red and her dress slit provocatively, she handed The Descendants with the prize for best adapted screenplay. Director and co-writer Alexander Payne has brought his mother to the ceremony and, on her insistence, he dedicates the prize to her.
Original screenplay, which goes to Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris.
'The Academy accepts this award on his behalf,' smiles Jolie.
Old friends: Octavia Spencer (L) and The Help director Tate Taylor (2nd L) watch as best actress nominee Viola Davis (C) jokes with Taylor's girlfriend Stacy Keibler (R) Big hitter Michael Douglas is wheeled out to present the first big award of the night, Best Director.
The winner is Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist. '
I am the happiest director in the world right now,' he says, before going on to thank a long list of people. 'I want to thank Uggie the dog,' before adding in a typical Gallic humourous aside: 'Uggie doesn't care. He doesn't understand maybe. He's not that good.'
source: dailymail
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