Photo by Steve Granitz/Wireimage

It was a surprise that Meryl Streep trumped Viola Davis for the best-actress Oscar -- but it was no shock. The "Doubt" co-stars were neck-and-neck the entire season. Rooney Mara winning: That would have been freaky.

On Sunday night, the major races had been called, the supporting categories had gone as predicted, and at the 11th hour Streep beat Davis. On Feb. 28, latimes.com's Steven Zeitchik used the upset to spin conspiracy theories about the race under the headline "What Was Behind Meryl Streep's Upset Win?"

Photo by AMPAS/ABC

Amid hullabaloo about Angeline Jolie's leg, the high-flying exploits of Circus du Soleil, and Octavia Spencer's tearful trip to the podium was a speech that actually has some import beyond the rarified world of Tinsel Town. When Iranian director Asghar Farhadi accepted the best foreign language award for "A Separation," -- which, by the way, is a masterpiece — he inserted himself in an increasingly rancorous geo-political debate. From a hand-written note, the director read the following:

Sunday night's Academy Awards will be remembered as the night Angelina Jolie's leg became a star of its own. Less than 24 hours after the ceremony, Angie's right gam is all the rage.

For those who missed the Billy Crystal-hosted event, Jolie caused a ruckus by wearing a black dress with a thigh-high slit. Her right leg was on display whenever she walked or posed (which was often -- just check out this collection of photos from BuzzFeed).

The leg's big moment came when Jolie presented for best adapted screenplay. Angelina stuck out her leg in a flaunty pose. The move was then mocked by writer Jim Rash who, along with Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon, won an Oscar for his work on "The Descendants."

But Rash's joke was just the beginning. Angelina's right leg is now the meme that won't die. Its been digitally edited onto the Statue of Liberty, and into scenes that include The Last Supper, Darth Vader, Betty White, Abbey Road, Jeremy Lin, and, by the time you read this, about a million other

Credit: O Magazine/AP Photo

Oprah Winfrey received plenty of comparisons to an Oscar statuette when she wore a gold Theia gown to the Academy Awards. But that isn't the only striking thing about the dress.

Oprah must like the fit of the scoop-necked, sequined number because she's worn it twice now. Before she donned it on Sunday night to accept the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, she was photographed in it for the September 2011 issue of "O, The Oprah Magazine." Perhaps she liked the way it looked on the cover so much that she decided to make a second appearance in it. She even kept her hair and accessories similar, aside from the addition of the shining Oscar statuette.

It was clearly comfortable enough for a long night. After the show, Oprah joined Jimmy Kimmel for spoofs and interviews on his post-Oscar special. Maybe we'll see it show up soon on her Favorite Things list.

Check out some of the most popular Oscar moments:

Kwala Mandel is an editor for Yahoo! who works on special projects ranging from the

WireImageMeryl Streep picked up her third Oscar at the Academy Awards ceremony for her starring role in "The Iron Lady."

The celebrated performer has received no fewer than 17 Oscar nominations, but she hasn't actually won a gold statuette in three decades. News of the star's Oscar win had fans heading to the Web to search out "meryl streep oscars" to find out just which were her Oscar-winning roles.

The celebrated thespian first picked up an Oscar for best-supporting actress in the wrenching family drama, "Kramer vs. Kramer," in 1979. And the accolades only grew.

Streep's ability to pick up an accent, evident in her role as the British prime minister, was first showcased in the movie that won her much acclaim closer to the start of her career: "Sophie's Choice." The 1982 film, based on the book by William Styron, tells of the character of a Polish Holocaust survivor, played by Streep. For her haunting performance, she received the Academy Award for best actress.

Since then, Streep has walked

Photo: Warner Bros PicturesThe Hogwarts student body flunked out at the Oscars again. There was a rabid group of fans that fought to get Alan Rickman a best-supporting actor nomination. They failed. Daniel Radcliffe, the boy we saw grow up into a man right on the screen, never even got nominated. The pride of British acting -- Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, John Hurt, Helena Bonham Carter, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Jason Isaacs, and on and on -- all snubbed.

And what about best adapted screenplay, anybody? Not. Forget about even making the top 10, er, 9 nominees for best picture. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"? Really?

It's easy to think of the Oscars as just an evening of self-congratulatory fluff. But every once in a while, the Academy pays attention to a film with the power to really change lives. Pakistan's "Saving Face," this year's winner for Best Documentary Short, is one of those rare achievements.

The 40-minute documentary focuses on the senseless acid attacks against women in Pakistan. Each year, more than a hundred women have acid thrown in their faces, ruining their lives and causing both physical and emotional devastation. The film, which will air on HBO on March 8, focuses on two of these women, as well as plastic surgeon Mohammad Jawad who returns to his homeland to help the victims in their recovery.

After the film's victory at the Oscars, a first for Pakistan, co-director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, 33, gave a stirring speech in which she dedicated the film to "all the women in Pakistan who are working for change." She continued, "Don't give up on your dreams." Sandra Bullock appeared to

Portman accepting her Oscar in 2011 (L) and presenting on Sunday (R)

Natalie Portman made a resplendent return to the Academy Awards on Sunday one year after she triumphed with her Best Actress win for her searing performance in Black Swan.

PHOTOS: Natalie and all the stars party after the Oscars 2012

Back in February 2011, the star, now 30, was pregnant and engaged to her Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied.

PHOTOS: Natalie's gorgeous pregnancy

The handsome Frenchman, 34, was once again Portman's date at the 2012 bash as she presented the Best Actor award to The Artist's Jean Dujardin, and the happy parents to son Aleph, 7 months, were more affectionate than ever. (Portman wore a vintage red chiffon silk Christian Dior Couture gown with velvet polka-dot detail.) What was new this year, besides Portman's slim-again post-baby bod? Both Portman and Millepied -- famously private about their relationship and son -- were wearing unexplained new rings on their wedding fingers.

Portman wears an unexplained new ring at this year's Oscar ceremony (R)

Photo: Kevin Mazur/VF12/WireImage

Compared with pics from the 2011 Oscars, Portman's dazzling