Scott Rudin, Freeheld, and other reasons the Oscars were gayer than expected

Despite the fact that there were no gay characters, gay-themed films, or out actors up for major awards at last night's Oscars, the ceremony managed to be surprisingly gay regardless ... and no, I'm not talking about the 347 musical numbers from Enchanted that perforated the evening.

Most notably, the night was capped by a touching moment for gay visibility. Upon accepting the award for Best Picture for No Country for Old Men, producer Scott Rudin made a point of thanking his partner, John Barlow, by name, and referring to him as "honey". Rudin's reputation as a demanding boss is downright legendary, but he is also responsible for bringing films like The Hours, Clueless, In & Out, Wild Tigers I Have Known, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, and more to the screen, and I can't remember another time where the man accepting the award for Best Picture thanked his husband.

Another big moment came when filmmakers Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth accepted their award for Best Documentary short for the film Freeheld. The film tells the story of a terminally ill lesbian's battle to have her pension transferred to her partner, and upon accepting the award the two women made a touching plea for equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Aside from these moments (between these, David Hyde Pierce's Tony speech, Jodie Foster's awards shout-out and Tina Fey's Emmy speech from last year, awards acceptance speeches are the hot vehicle for gay visibility!), the Jon Stewart-led telecast featured a few other queer highlights and a wonderfully irreverent sensibility overall. My other favorite moment was Jon related that backstage, the Best Original Song winners for Once made their Oscar statues kiss and that when one said, "they're both men" the other noted, "this is Hollywood!" From the looks of this pic, the winners in the acting categories had no such qualms.

Anyone else have any favorite moments? Tilda Swinton's hilarious swipe at George Clooney and Gary Busey attacking Jennifer Garner on the red carpet were definitely the highlights for me. And the fact that movies like Fletch and Top Secret were used in Oscar montages?! Awesome.

The full list of winners is after the break...

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role Daniel Day-Lewis There Will Be Blood
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role Marion Cotillard La Vie en Rose
Adapted Screenplay No Country for Old Men
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Tilda Swinton Michael Clayton
Original Screenplay Juno
Achievement in Directing No Country for Old Men
Best Motion Picture of the Year No Country for Old Men
Achievement in Cinematography There Will Be Blood
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year Ratatouille
Best Live Action Short Film Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)
Best Animated Short Film Peter & the Wolf
Achievement in Costume Design Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Achievement in Makeup La Vie en Rose
Best Documentary Short Subject Freeheld
Best Documentary Feature Taxi to the Dark Side
Achievement in Art Direction Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score) Atonement
Achievement in Sound Mixing The Bourne Ultimatum
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) Once
Achievement in Sound Editing The Bourne Ultimatum
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year The Counterfeiters
Achievement in Film Editing The Bourne Ultimatum
Achievement in Visual Effects The Golden Compass