The Academy Awards were back with a vengeance this weekend, reinventing the award show that had been losing ratings for the past few years. With Hugh Jackman hosting and reformatting the setup, the award show had new life breathed into it. While some of the winners were not so surprising, there were plenty of moments to keep the audiences glued to their sets all nights long.

1. The Academy brings the funny

From the opening musical number to Ben Stiller impersonating Joaquin Phoenix, the night was filled with plenty of events to tickle our funny bone. Other favorites included the Academy not being afraid to poke fun at themselves and how most of the American public probably didn't see a lot of the movies that were nominated…not that it will change any time soon.

2. Welcoming in members to the club

To shake up the way the awards were presented this year, the acting nominees were honored by having past winners reflect on the actors on their awards. Some were touching, some were funny and all were worth it. The only downside to it all was the amount of time we all had to anxiously wait to hear who won.

3. The kids are in town

In order to pull younger viewers to show, Miley Cyrus, Robert Pattinson and "High School Musical" stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens. Efron and Hudgens performed in a musical number with Jackman and Beyoncé while Pattinson presented and an award. However, a hilarious highlight was when Cyrus was walking the red carpet and said during an interview that she hoped to return next year for her performance in "Hannah Montana: The Movie." Good luck with that one.

4. With time to talk, winners speak elegantly

This year was filled with great, emotional speeches from almost everyone who stepped on that stage. From Sean Penn to Kate Winslet to the Japanese guy who said "Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto," there were plenty of moments to touch the audience's heart.

5. "Slumdog" wins it all (almost)

Most critics had predicted "Slumdog Millionaire" winning Best Picture, but some people were still worried that "MILK" would end up being one of the surprise wins (see: Penélope Cruz). However, they ended up winning all but one of the awards they were nominated for, allowing all of those adorable little Indian children a chance to stand on the stage at the Academy Awards, something that is even more once-in-a-lifetime for these kids.