The Oscars went on tonight in all the glamorous spectacle the ceremony is known for, thanks to the dissipation of the large storm cloud over Hollywood known as the writers strike. Luckily award season’s biggest night was spared the fate of the Golden Globes, which more or less went the way of Old Yeller.

Tonight all the doubt is behind us and Hollywood is looking back to normal. That’s good news for Joel and Ethan Coen, who took home the award for directing. Their film “No Country for Old Men” earned the top honor, best picture, as well as awards for best adapted screenplay and the no-surprise supporting actor win for Javier Bardem.

Jon Stewart added the humor one would expect from him as host of the show. Stewart joked about the alternate, montage heavy Oscars ceremony that was being planned in case the writers strike was not resolved, introducing montages of binoculars and periscopes and bad dreams in film.

The most heart-warming moments of the night came when the little guys won. Diablo Cody bawled through her acceptance speech for best original screenplay for “Juno.” I was pulling for Ellen Page, who played the title character, to win best actress but the prize went to one of the front-runners, Marion Cotillard (”La Vie en Rose”.)

Another underdog, the song “Falling Slowly” from the film “Once,” the low-low budget film that pretty much spread around by word of mouth, won in the best original song category. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the adorable couple from the film, delivered an acceptance speech that captured the idea that a small film, made in a short amount of time with a low budget can make it to Hollywood’s biggest stage.

After Hansard finished speaking Irglova moved up to the microphone but was drowned out by music cueing them offstage, before she even got a word in. Following the commercial break, Irglova was brought back onstage to make her own speech, this time uninterrupted. Even though it pointed out an imperfection in the show, bringing Irglova back onstage and letting her speak earns points for the Academy and the show’s producers in my book.

This morning the nominations for Hollywood’s most prestigious awards were announced and there are plenty of snubs, surprises and no brainers to talk about. “There Will Be Blood” and “No Country for Old Men” led the field with eight nominations each. “Atonement” and “Michael Clayton” were close behind with seven a piece. “Ratatouille” picked up five (go ahead, count them) nods while “Juno” and “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” grabbed four each.

Let’s start with the surprises. Again, “Ratatouille” was nominated for FIVE Oscars (best animated feature film, original screenplay, sound editing, sound mixing and original score), behind only four other films this year. This is a huge achievement, especially for an animated film.

We all knew “Juno” had a chance to get in the best picture category and Ellen Page had a chance to grab the best actress nomination for that film. Well, they beat out all the other films and actresses who had a chance to get in those categories and snagged a best director nomination for Jason Reitman on top of that.

As always, there were some big snubs this morning, not the least of which was Keira Knightly for her performance in “Atonement.” That film had three acting nominations at the Golden Globes, only one of which translated into an Oscar nomination.

Tim Burton (”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” ) and Ridley Scott (”American Gangster” ) were shut out of the directing category. While Burton was a sure thing for the Golden Globes, it’s not a huge surprise to see him left out at the Oscars as his dark style might turn some voters away.

“American Gangster” was also shut out of the best picture category, as was “Into the Wild.” Denzel Washington was snubbed in the acting category for his portrayal of Frank Lucas in “American Gangster.”

On the other hand, plenty of nominations were announced just as they should have been. “Atonement’s” nominations for best picture, cinematography and original score were no brainers. The film may not win best picture but it should pick up the latter two. “No Country for Old Men’s” best picture and director (Ethan and Joel Coen) nominations couldn’t have surprised anyone. Likewise for “There Will Be Blood’s” best picture and actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) nods.

It was no shocker to see “Juno” and “Lars and the Real Girl” in the best original screenplay category, just as “Atonement” was no surprise for best adapted screenplay. The musical “Once” picked up a well-deserved nod for best original song for “Falling Slowly.”

Here is a rundown of the big categories, for a full list of nominations head to the Oscar’s official Web site.

Best Picture

“Atonement,” “Michael Clayton,” “No Country for Old Men,” “There Will Be Blood” and “Juno.”

Best Actor (lead)

Daniel Day-Lewis (”There Will Be Blood), George Clooney (”Michael Clayton”), Viggo Mortensen (”Eastern Promises”), Johnny Depp (”Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” ) and Tommy Lee Jones (”In the Valley of Elah”).

Best Actress (lead)

Julie Christie (”Away From Her”), Cate Blanchett (”Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Laura Linney (”The Savages”), Ellen Page (”Juno” ) and Marion Cotillard (”La Vie En Rose”).

Best Director

Julian Schnabel (”The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), Ethan and Joel Coen (”No Country for Old Men”), Jason Reitman (”Juno”), Tony Gilroy (”Michael Clayton” ) and Paul Thomas Anderson (”There Will Be Blood”).

Best Supporting Actor

Javier Bardem (”No Country for Old Men”), Casey Affleck (”The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”), Philip Seymour Hoffman (”Charlie Wilson’s War”), Tom Wilkinson (”Michael Clayton” ) and Hal Holbrook (”Into the Wild”).

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett (”I’m Not There”), Saoirse Ronan (”Atonement”), Amy Ryan (”Gone Baby Gone”), Tilda Swinton (”Michael Clayton” ) and Ruby Dee (”American Gangster”).

A dark cloud continues to hang over Hollywood, although it may not be there much longer. Earlier today the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers restarted talks as the Writers Guild strike enters its fourth week. Whether this will mean progress is hard to say, but getting them in the same room again is certainly a start.

On a light-hearted note, check out what Writer Boi of the … er … WGA Crew has to say about it.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s a quick post about the Writers Guild of America strike. Picket lines began in The Center Of The Film-World, Calif., Monday as writers and studios failed to reach an agreement. Late-night talk shows with Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have already been forced into re-runs. It’s only a matter of time before sitcoms such as “The Office” will follow.

An Associated Press article posted earlier today made the assertion that “If history is any indication, this walkoff could last a loooong time….”

It must be a grim situation indeed if the Associated Press feels the need to include four O’s in “long.” Granted, as that sentence continued to say, the last time the Writers Guild of America went on strike, it lasted for 22 weeks. A strike that long in this age of television could create monsters worse than those seen in the “Imaginationland” episodes of “South Park.” Our imaginations may run wild after all.