"Precious" Wins Best Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay Oscars
“Precious” Wins Best Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay Oscars; Ben Stiller Gets Laughs. One of the biggest award winners of the year just added a couple more distinctions to its catalog. “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” won two of the top honors of the 82nd annual Academy Awards, taking home the statuettes for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress. Stand-up comedienne Mo’Nique received the acting award, thanking everyone on the film’s cast and crew, including producers Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry; “Gone with the Wind” actress Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American Oscar winner; her husband, for his support; and the Academy, specifically for showing that “it’s about the performance and not the politics.” Screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher was more emotional in his acceptance speech, saying that the award went out to “all the precious boys and girls everywhere” and “everyone who works on a dream every day.” Following this, co-host Steve Martin broke the tension by claiming credit for Fletcher’s speech. Comic Ben Stiller also provided laughs – when giving out the award for Best Makeup, the “Greenberg” star came on stage sporting the blue skin, yellow eyes and tail of one of the Na’Vi alien race from Best Picture nominee “Avatar.” Director James Cameron was among those laughing the hardest at the getup. “I should’ve just worn my Spock ears,” Stiller said, noting that “Avatar” wasn’t even in the running for the award. His “Star Trek” remark proved appropriate when he opened the envelope to reveal the category winner was J.J. Abrams’ big screen update of the science fiction favorite. But not before an offstage fishing pole snagged his fake tail. This is one of many Oscar gags for Stiller, who last year portrayed a confused, bearded Joaquin Phoenix and in another year, was in the middle of a green screen stunt that didn’t go as planned.
