The Oscars

"Al otro lado del rio" (On the Other Side of the River), from "The Motorcycle Diaries" took best original song at the Oscars , marking the first time a Spanish song has won the award.
Written by Uruguayan singer and songwriter Jorge Drexler, he eschewed the traditional acceptance speech and instead sang two verses of his song before leaving the stage with a simple "Thank you, gracias, ciao!" The move was seen as a symbolic gesture to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which refused to let Drexler perform the song he wrote and sang for the film, opting instead for the high wattage of Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana.
After the ceremony, Drexler told reporters in Spanish that the selection of his song was a sign of "the expansion that the Spanish language is having in the world."

Save for Chris Rock's quip about Salma Hayek (and Penelope Cruz's) breasts--"You won't be able to take your eyes off these next four presenters."--it was a good night for Latin America in American cinema.