The BAFTA Awards were held last night in London, and many of the predicted nominees won – namely, Slumdog Millionaire, Heath Ledger and Kate Winslet. The two big surprises were for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress – those went to Mickey Rourke and Penelope Cruz, respectively. Here’s a brief run-down of the major award winners:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director: Danny Boyle
Best Actress: Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Best Actor: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh (In Bruges)

I threw in the In Bruges win as a shout-out to all of the Celebitches who loved that movie. I haven’t seen the awards show yet, but from the reports I’m reading, it sounds like a relatively low-key event. Slumdog director Danny Boyle was subdued in his victory, probably now an absolute shoo-in for the Oscar. Reuters is reporting that the one real controversy of the night was Mickey Rourke’s profanity-laced acceptance speech. As he was thanking The Wrestler’s director Darren Aronofsky, Rourke said that he “f–ked up” his career for 15 years, which he did.

Low-budget Indian drama “Slumdog Millionaire” swept the BAFTA film awards Sunday winning best film, director and five other categories, giving it another boost ahead of the Oscars later this month.

Slumdog director Danny Boyle gave a restrained acceptance speech, but earlier defended his film on the red carpet against criticism in India to the movie’s name, which some slum dwellers find offensive, its depiction of the lives of impoverished Indians and the treatment of the cast.

He told Reuters the children in the film had been paid well and that the makers of the movie went to great lengths to make sure they would be well cared for after the film was forgotten.

“We also put in place an educational plan for the children which we are sticking to and we will be there for them long after the fuss has died down,” Boyle said ahead of the awards.

Kate Winslet, a double Golden Globe winner, won the leading actress award for her role as a former concentration camp guard in “The Reader.”

“I want to thank my mum and dad, who I won’t look at otherwise I will burst into tears,” she said at London’s Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

Mickey Rourke gave an expletive-filled acceptance speech while picking up his award for leading actor for his portrayal of a lonely, washed-up professional athlete in “The Wrestler” trying to make his sporting comeback in a role that parallels the actor’s own troubled life.

“Thank you to BAFTA, to Optimum Pictures to Fox Searchlight, Darren Aronofsky, he gave me a second chance after f–king up my career for 15 years,” Rourke said. “It’s such a pleasure to be back here out of the darkness.”

[Brad] Pitt lost two nominations — leading actor for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and supporting actor for his role in the Coen brothers’ comedy “Burn After Reading.”

The film had tied with Slumdog for 11 nominations, but won only three BAFTAs, for production design, make-up and hair as well as special visual effects.

Supporting actress went to Penelope Cruz for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” while the supporting actor award went to the late Heath Ledger for “The Dark Knight,” in which he played Batman’s nemesis Joker.

From Reuters

Brangelina showed up, but walked away losers three times over – because of Brad’s two nominations. Angelina Jolie seriously needs a new stylist. Her dress was one the worst dresses I have ever laid eyes on. I’m seeing that Winslet and Jolie were allegedly seated very close to each other in the hopes of some sort of “smack down” happening mid-ceremony. As if. Winslet’s pretty hardcore, but if Jolie wanted to give her a smackdown, Jolie would have already. I’m looking forward to seeing the ceremony when it comes on E!

Note by Celebitchy: I kind of like Angelina Jolie’s dress, especially when you compare it to the monochrome loose gowns she’s been wearing lately.

Shown on the red carpet are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Thandie Newton, Emma Watson, Daniel Craig and Satsuki Mitchell, Kate Winslet, Sharon Stone, Mickey Rourke, Goldie Hawn, Penelope Cruz, Christian Slater and Tamara Mellon, and Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan.