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'The Departed' producer Graham King (L), actor Leonardo DiCaprio (C) and writer Felix Chong pose at the 79th Annual Academy Awards Governors Ball in Hollywood, California February 25, 2007. The movie won the Oscar for Best Film. Reuters Photo/Mario Anzuoni

LOS ANGELES - If anyone needed definitive proof that Hollywood has gone international, the Academy Awards provided it.

Never in the ceremony's 79 years have so many artists from other lands been among the nominees.

The contenders for best actress provided the prime example: three Brits, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet; one Spaniard, Penelope Cruz; and a lone American, Meryl Streep, in one of her less challenging roles.

Beyond the foreign proliferation, there was another significant trend: not one of the five nominees for best picture was filmed in Hollywood. Much of the creative strength of today's motion pictures is coming from abroad.

From their beginning in 1929, the Academy Awards were strictly a hometown affair. Hollywood ruled the movie world for decades, and the Oscars reflected that supremacy. Rarely did a foreign movie or actor break the monopoly.

In 1933, Charles Laughton surprised the locals by winning best actor for his lusty performance in the England-made "The Private Life of Henry VIII." The British were again coming in 1948 with Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" taking the picture and actor awards.

Sophia Loren made a bit of history in 1961 as best actress in "Two Women." Her dialogue was entirely in Italian.

However, not until the 21st century did Hollywood's grip on the Oscars truly begin to loosen. Films from Asia, Africa and Europe drew acclaim, while American studios seemed locked into sequels, remakes and formula fare.

The foreign invasion was apparent Sunday night.

While directing, best picture and most acting awards went to Americans, international artists had a strong presence in many categories. Mirren led the way with her win for best actress.

Italian composer Ennio Morricone drew a standing ovation with the presentation of an honorary award for his robust scores in Italian and U.S. pictures. Morricone responded with a speech in his native tongue, translated by Clint Eastwood. Later at the Governor's Ball, Eastwood said although he had a TelePrompTer, he ad libbed most of the speech. The veteran of spaghetti westerns explained, "I can speak Italian."

Ellen DeGeneres' clever comedy was welcome after the rancor of the emcees in the two previous years. Although her humor isn't boffo, she knows how to stroke an audience and can evoke laughter in any situation. Especially enjoyable were her conversations with people in the audience like Eastwood and Martin Scorsese.

The director's award to Scorsese drew loud applause and a standing ovation, perhaps partly in recognition that he had won the big prize after six nominations. Alas, poor Peter O'Toole, nominated for best actor. He will have to file away his acceptance speech after eight tries.

There is no way to relieve the boredom of the lesser award categories. But this year's show indicated that the Academy is striving to enliven the awards. Some clever bits: revival singers marching down the aisles with DeGeneres pounding a tambourine; a choir that imitated sound effects matching action scenes on a screen; gymnasts behind a screen who climbed on one another to make scenes in silhouette.

The orchestra was queued to curb the scourge of endless acceptance speeches. When the speaker started to exceed a time limit, a piano started playing. If the speaker persisted, the full orchestra drowned the remarks.

For many decades the Governor's Ball has been a staid affair in hotel ball rooms with men in tuxedos or even tails and women in formal wear. Patrons who paid $750 a ticket to attend this year's ball may have been shocked when they entered the ballroom atop the Hollywood and Highland complex.

Instead of the customary rows of tables, ultra suede was everywhere, five truck trailers full of it. Chairs, lounges, ottomans, even daybeds. The place resembled the lounge at an exclusive men's club.

The switch of furniture is part of the Academy's campaign to modernize. The theory is that people like to interact and in the past their conversation was limited to those at their own table.

The new elegance may have improved conversation, but it didn't solve a long-standing problem. Stars had a habit of dropping into the ball to see friends and do interviews, then dashing out to the private parties in West Hollywood. They did the same Sunday night.

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Bob Thomas has covered the Academy Awards for The Associated Press every year since 1945.