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‘The King’s Speech’ was the big winner at the 2011 Oscars, winning four awards including Best Actor for Colin Firth along with Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Original Screenplay and the most coveted prize of the night, Best Picture.
The film tied for most Oscar awards with fellow Best Picture nominee Inception which took home Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
Much to the surprise of no one, Natalie Portman took the stage to graciously accept the award for Best Actress for her performance as the insane ballet dancer Nina Sayers in ‘Black Swan’.
Elsewhere, Christian Bale won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ‘The Fighter’ with the actor delivering a heartfelt and funny speech giving credit to Dicky Eklund, the real-life boxer his role was based on.

The King's Speech.

‘The King’s Speech’ continued its winning momentum going into the 83rd annual Academy Awards, taking home the big prize of best picture, while its star Colin Firth received the Oscar for best actor; ‘Black Swan’ star Natalie Portman snagged the award for best actress.
Tom Hooper, the director of ‘The King’s Speech,’ pulled off a surprising win over ‘The Social Network’ director David Fincher. ‘Speech,’ which led the number of nominations with 12, received a total of four Oscars, including best original screenplay. ‘The Fighter’ co-stars Melissa Leo and Christian Bale were among the early winners, receiving Oscars for best supporting actress and best supporting actor.
In a self-deprecating and emotional speech, Firth joked: “I have a feeling my career has just peaked.” With his typical British reserve, he said he was “experiencing stirrings” that were “threatening to turn into dance moves.”
Firth thanked his wife, Livia, for the award and “everything good in my life,” while the pregnant Portman thanked: “my love,” her fiancee and ‘Black Swan’ choreographer Benjamin Millipied for giving “me my most important role of my life.”
Leo got the night off to a raucous beginning, when she dropped the F-bomb during her speech.
This morning, she told ‘Good Morning America,’ “I learned my lesson loud and clear. I’ve always had a filthy mouth and there’s a time and a place and I do know that and network television is not a good time or place for that language.”
When Bale accepted his award, he told the audience: “I’m not going to drop the F-bomb, like she did. I’ve done that plenty before.”

Brand Winners:
1) Justin Timberlake.
The Social Network put Timberlake on the map as an actor. To capture the moment, he made a brilliant move in taking his mom to the Oscars. When you’re proud of something new, you show your mom and by doing it he showed us all that acting is his new focus and passion. It was reminiscent of the debut of two members of Hollywood royalty, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, who brought their moms as their dates when they were first nominated in 1998.
2) Reese Witherspoon.
Witherspoon was a stand out for dressing up like a Hollywood legend of ole in a season when many women appeared to be in a cleavage competition. She gets an A for brand consistency with her unfaltering allegiance to her style – traditional, conservative, and reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour.
3) Matthew McConaughey.
While walking the red carpet with his partner, Camila Alves, McConaughey was interviewed by E!’s Ryan Seacrest, who asked what he has been doing recently. McConaughey responded: “Well, we took two years off to start a family.” In that moment he transformed himself into the modern family superhero and bid a final goodbye to the carefree bachelor image that preceded this chapter.
4) Natalie Portman.
Portman handled herself with her trademark confidence and grace while she accepted the award for Best Actress for her role in Black Swan. Her speech revealed a combination of nerves, pride and poise.  As always, she carried herself with the demeanor of a woman serious about her craft rather than as a sexy starlet, making her a model for her peers.
5) Aaron Sorkin.
Sorkin took home the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network and his speech could have been a blueprint for future winners. A great writer and known for understanding his audience, he confirmed what we already suspected – that he has unlimited potential. He gracefully managed to stay entertaining while reciting a long list of personal thank-yous. His finale, a shout-out to his daughter, gave us a sense of his softer side.
Brand Losers:
1) Gwyneth Paltrow.
On the red carpet, Paltrow nailed it by charming each of the interviewers with her confident yet appropriately humble style. She also revealed that she hadn’t slept in a week with pre performance jitters and once she took the stage, it was evident why. She was more like a second rate karaoke singer than a rock star. The Oscar winner turned singer is reminiscent of Michael Jordan’s switch to baseball.
2) Marisa Tomei.
Recently out of the spotlight, this was Tomei’s chance to shine. Instead she dimmed the lights, appearing in a matronly dress that she could wear just as easily 20 years from now. Her gown served as a reminder of just how long ago she won best supporting actress for My Cousin Vinny.
3) Tim Gunn.
The designer turned Project Runway star was so uncomfortable in his role as interviewer for ABC’s pre-show, it was hard to believe this was the same guy that had earned his keep next to the take-no-prisoners Heidi Klum. At one point it looked like he might bow at Gwyneth’s feet after interviewing her. He should stick to his strengths and leave the leave hosting to the pros.
4) Melissa Leo.
The Fighter co-star won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar, which was the culmination of her more than 27 year career. We sat waiting for her speech, the one we assumed she had been preparing since she first started acting in 1984. When she spoke, it was a stream of consciousness that revealed nothing of her except an inexcusable lack of preparation and a penchant for the F word. She ruined her moment.