Ellen DeGeneres brought her gently mischievous humour and casual touch to the 79th Oscar awards, managing to reign in one of the most extravagant awards shows in the world.

DeGeneres set a low-key tone as soon as she appeared on stage, with white shoes like the casual sneakers she wears on her daytime talk show.

Her humour shied away from anything cutting, but she did have the odd sharp quip. Early on, she pointed out that of the Americans in the audience were seat-fillers, because "no one can fill in a seat like an American."

DeGeneres perfected her warm, welcoming tone when she hosted the Emmy Awards in November 2001. With America deeply in shock after the 9/11 attacks, she said nothing would annoy the Taliban more than "seeing a gay woman in a suit surrounded by Jews."

She echoed that joke during her Oscars monologue.

"If there weren't blacks, Jews or gays, there would be no Oscars," she said. And after a quick pause, added: "Or anyone named Oscar."

Telling nominees that the night was about them -- and presumably not about her -- she then mocked the elaborate song-and-dance numbers of Billy Crystal, a veteran Oscars host.

Rather than multiple costume changes and imposing set designs, Ellen simply shook a tambourine as a gospel choir sang and rushed through the audience. The song ended in a matter of seconds.

The Oscars kept that brisk pace throughout the night. Even the usual interpretive dances were blessedly subdued and short. And they were stunningly good, too. The dancers should have won a special effects Oscar as they created complex moving shadows behind a screen -- they even did a silhouette of "Snakes on a Plane," the Samuel L. Jackson B-movie.

As for the nominees, they were warned to keep their speeches short and interesting. But it was usually just the former. The most emotional winner seemed to be Jennifer Hudson, but even she couldn't match Halle Berry's near-nervous breakdown or Roberto Benigni's chair-hopping love-fest.

"Oh my God, I have to just take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do. I didn't think I was going to win,'' said Hudson, who many critics said would take the award.

"If my grandmother was here to see me now... She was my biggest inspiration for everything because she was a singer, she had the passion for it, but she never had the chance."

There were still a few surprises to keep viewers guessing. In one of the top moments, Will Ferrell emerged on stage to sing about the saddest thing of all: a comedian hoping for an acting award.

He was joined by Jack Black as they threatened to take action -- specifically, physical violence -- against their more "serious" acting peers.

"Hey Leonardo DiCaprio, you think you can win awards and date supermodels? I'm going to elbow you in the larynx!" Black shouted.

But to a bulky Mark Wahlberg, nominated for a best actor Oscar, they backed off.

"I won't mess with you," said Ferrell. "I think you're kind of badass."