Surprise Wins at the 79th Annual Academy Awards

In what seemed to be a night full of ups and downs for many Oscar nominees, one thing was for certain - the night was action packed full of surprises! There were many surprise winners in this year's 79^th Annual Academy Awards . The surprise wins, all of which were greatly deserved, indeed took many aback, especially when those that won were seen as the underdogs of the category.

Alan Arkin, who was known as the kooky, yet caring and loving grandpa in "Little Miss Sunshine", snagged a golden Oscar for his performance as an actor in a supporting role. Running against other actors such as Mark Wahlberg for his performance in "The Departed", was a major defeat. Alan Arkin, who has been nominated three times for an Oscar in his acting career, finally clinched a win tonight, which has seemed to consecrated long going acting career.

Watch iFilms Interview with Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin:

Another surprise win of the night went to Jennifer Hudson, for her role as Effie White in "Dreamgirls". Jennifer, a former "American Idol" contestant, took home a Golden Globe earlier this year for her performance in this role. Jennifer, who was up against other top nod nominees such as the classic Cate Blanchett ( "Notes on a Scandel"), and newcomer, Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") was indeed a well deserved win tonight.. There is no denying that with such a surprise win, Jennifer Hudson is indeed a star on the rise that needs to be watched!

One of the most humble winners of the night was Forest Whitaker, who won as best actor for his role as President Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland". Forrest knocked out other competitors including Peter O'Toole, Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith, and Ryan Gosling for the Academy Award. Forest, who took home the Academy award tonight, was the fourth African- American to take home an Oscar for actor in a leading role. This is not only an honor for Forest, but he has indeed opened the door even further for future African-American winners in such a role. Forest, who said tonight that, " I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I thought something magical was going to happen", indeed brought home an Oscar that was not only a surprise for many, but was well deserved.

View Forest Whitaker in his role as Idi Amin here:

Perhaps the most surprising win of the night, was for Martin Scorsese, who won for best achievement in directing for his movie, "The Departed", which snagged 3 major Oscars tonight. Scorsese, who has been nominated a total of 8 times throughout the years (six separate nominations for directing, and two for screenplay) had finally won the unattainable award that he has long sought for. After receiving a standing ovation for his very first Oscar win ( for "Best Director"), Martin proceeded to relish the moment with another major win - consequently known as the biggest win of the night- for "Best Motion Picture of the Year".

Knowing that such celebrities, be it the newcomers, such as Jennifer Hudson, or new winners, like Martin Scorsese, can dominate the Oscars is a breath of fresh air to many of those that follow the Academy Awards. With new movies on the rise, 2007 is indeed a year to look out for new Oscar winners. Will this year's winners be repeat winners next year? Surprise winnings are sure to unfold as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences looks forward to the 80^th Annual Academy Awards next year.