The best film won and other Oscar night observations

Lupita Nyong'o at the Academy Awards

I am still half awake because I stayed up to watch the entire Academy Awards telecast and although I wish I got more sleep last night, I must admit I really enjoyed the show.

Ellen DeGeneres once again struck the right tone as host -- I'm not sure why they don't give her this gig more often.

There were few, if any, leaden moments and for the most part, no surprises.

Still, 12 Years a Slave did triumph in the best picture race, which was far from a forgone conclusion. I had begun to think that Gravity had all the momentum, it was certainly the most rewarded film of the night with a total of 7 Oscar wins.

Apparently, 12 Years a Slave is already seeing an uptick in its box office (it's made $50 million to date) and hopefully this win will encourage more people to give it a chance. I know some of the Oscar clips made it look like a harrowing, unpleasant experience but this film really did inspire more than it made me sad or depressed.

There were a great crop of nominees this year. I have sung the praises and will buy (or already have) the blu-rays for American Hustle, Her, Nebraska, Gravity, The Wolf of Wall Street and Captain Phillips. But 12 Years a Slave was the best film of the year, and while it came up short in a lot of other categories, I'm glad it won the most important one.

Amy Adams and Bill Murray at the Oscars

There were other pleasures to behold last night too. Lupita Nyong'o's acceptance speech nearly made me cry, I'll take her genuine joy and sincerity over Matthew McConaughey's 'I'm my own biggest hero' nonsense. Pharrell's performance of "Happy" cemented his status as the most purely enjoyable pop performer around these days. And Bill Murray's nice little homage to the late Harold Ramis (despite their decades-long beef) was classic.

I suppose the show was still too long (did we really need a montage dedicated to film heroes?) but I was never completely bored, which is more than I can say for some of the more recent telecasts.

It's easy to see why some people hate the Oscars. There is something off-putting about the gaudiness of it and the pure capitalism of it all. And yet, I must admit I am seduced by its charms every year. I don't know anyone who hasn't fantasized about giving the acceptance speech of their life or partying with their favorite A-list star.

They break my heart sometimes, but I just can quit the Academy Awards.