After Mother Nature let everyone know exactly what her thoughts were on the occasion by raining on everyone's parade at the Beverly Hilton, Hollywood's second most 'important' award ceremony kicked off to a general chorus of 'meh' from everyone watching. With Ricky Gervais hosting, there were no surprises in the big winner of the night as James Cameron's Avatar scooped the Best Drama award and Cameron himself claimed the Best Director gong. 

Now Avatar is clearly an impressive and important piece of cinema, but best drama? The script writers of Hollyoaks could have come up with something comparable given half a chance.

In the other categories, Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges picked up the Best Actress and Actor awards for The Blind Side and Crazy Heart respectively and if Sandra Bullock picking up an award doesn't tell you what a shit year this has been for acting then we don't know what does.

The Hangover scooped the Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical category easily beating the shockingly bad Nine, a film where Daniel Day Lewis is for once not automatically entitled to every award going.

Robert Downey Jr won the Best Actor - Comedy or Musical for Guy Ritchie's could-have-been-worse Sherlock Holmes, while veteran screen star Meryl Streep took the female equivalent for Julie & Julia.

Pre-awards favourite Up in the Air failed to win anything for George Clooney, although the screenplay was a winner for Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner.

Most deserving award of the night - according to us - went to Austrian actor Christoph Waltz for his amazing best supporting role as the turncoat Nazi Colonel Landa in Inglourious Basterds.

Here is a full list of the winners.

-Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo-Nique, Precious

-Best Actress in TV Series Comedy: Toni Collette, United States of Tara

-Best Supporting Actor in a TV Mini-Series: John Lithgow, Dexter

-Best Animated Feature Film: Up

-Best Actor in a TV Series Drama: Michael C. Hall, Dexter

-Best Actress in a TV Series Drama: Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

-Best Original Song for Motion Picture: "The Weary King," Crazy Heart

-Best Original Score: Michael Giacchino, Up

-Best Mini-Series or TV Movie: Grey Gardens

-Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical: Meryl Streep, Julia & Julia

-Best Actor in a Mini-Series or TV Movie: Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance

-Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie: Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens

-Best Screenplay Motion Picture: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

-Best Actor in a TV Series Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

-Best Foreign Language Film: The White Ribbon, Germany

-Best TV Series-Drama: Mad Men

-Best Supporting Actress TV-Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie: Chloe Sevigny, Big Love

-Best Supporting Actor-Motion Picture: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

-Cecil B. DeMille Award: Martin Scorsese

-Best Director-Motion Picture: James Cameron, Avatar -Best TV Series-Comedy or Musical: Glee

-Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: The Hangover

-Best Actress in a Drama: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

-Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical: Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes

-Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

-Best Motion Picture-Drama: Avatar