Amen. In both her performance and her speech, she acknowledged QEII as a strong, noble and admirable woman, when it would have been easy not to.
But for me, the emotional high point of the night was Thelma Schoomaker's speech. She won for film editing in "The Departed."
Schoomaker helped Martin Scorcese edit his student film at NYU, and they became friends. Scorcese, with help from Al Pacino, allegedly pulled every string they had to get her into the union so she should come to work for him. The details have never been revealed. She has been Scorcese's editor since "Raging Bull," and he introduced her to her husband.
Watching the cameras cut between the two of them, it was a beautiful moment between two old friends, and they were both tearing up a little. Him more than her. I didn't see anything on camera, but I'm sure when Marty won his Oscar (FINALLY!!!), Thelma was bawling.
I am sorry but people who refer to actors by their first names are complete idiots/boobs/dorks/fantasy land residents, esp people ho are conservative.