Slumdog Millionaire has scooped the pool at this year's Oscar Awards, securing 8 prizes, including Best Picture and Best Director awards. There were no major surprises in the awards handed out this year.

Australian actor Hugh Jackman was the first non-comedian to host the Oscars in more than two decades. He opened the Academy Awards telecast on Sunday with a musical tribute spoofing this year's film nominees.

But the biggest winner of the night was the rags-to-riches romance, Slumdog Millionaire. It clinched 8 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Many children who acted in the film were chosen from poor neighborhoods in Mumbai. Their performance was one of the most memorable parts of this film about a poor Indian boy who competes for love and money on a TV game show. And the awards were like a fairy-tale experience for these children.

After 5 losses, Kate Winslet finally won her first Best Actress Award. She played a former Nazi prison guard who involves herself in a love affair with a teenage boy in The Reader.

And veteran Sean Penn earned his second Oscar for Best Actor, portraying slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk in the biography film Milk.

Early honors went to Penelope Cruz. She became the first Spanish actress to win an Academy Award for her supporting role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Heath Ledger was posthumously named Best Supporting Actor for his villainous role as The Joker in Batman movie The Dark Knight.

In the night's one big surprise, Japanese movie Departures beat the favorite, Israeli film Waltz With Bashir for Best Foreign Language Film.