The Oscars were nothing if not different this year, with a return to the song-and-dance numbers of the past, a new format for handing out acting honors, and no stand-up comedian in the hosting job.

But while the Academy should get credit for trying something new, after years of ceremony stagnation, this version didn’t exactly work either. Critics are giving last night’s drawn-out Oscar ceremony an A for effort but a C for presentation.

Host Hugh Jackman, a Tony winner whose opening song received a genuinely warm reception by the Hollywood types sick of being skewered by past hosts Jon Stewart and Chris Rock, did a solid job, though he appeared on screen sparingly aside from another somewhat bizarre musical medley with a sparkling Beyonce.

“Jackman did his best. His mission just wasn’t accomplishable,” writes the New York Daily News’ David Hinckley. “Hollywood goes into the Oscars with the movies it has, not with the movies it might want, and it would have required powers beyond those of Wolverine to make Sunday night’s show greater than the sum of its cinematic parts.”

The new format for awarding acting honors was introduced early in the night. Past winners paid individual tribute to each of the nominees, a personal and sometimes touching gesture that still seemed a little awkward, especially since some speeches were more heartfelt than others.

By the end of the night, with the clock well past 11 p.m. and three major awards still yet to give out, the best actor and actress presentations felt too drawn out. Viewers across the country were likely screaming at their screens, “Get on with it!”

The show included what seemed like an endless number of movie clips, though it also had a chuckle-worthy short film by Judd Apatow in which “Pineapple Express” stars James Franco and Seth Rogen gamely screened some of the year’s top comedies, adding their stoner observations.

Still, on a night where virtually none of the winners was a surprise, the ceremony had a certain dullness that all the changes could not erase.

In a poll posted last week, Media Life readers correctly predicted two of the three major prizes, with Kate Winslet taking best actress and “Slumdog Millionaire” winning best picture. Their pick for best actor, Mickey Rourke, lost to Sean Penn, who came in second in Media Life voting.

It remains to be seen whether last night’s atypical format will lead to viewership increases, though surely the ceremony’s long running time won’t help. Media Life readers predicted that the show would gain over last year, when viewership slipped to an all-time low of 32 million.

TV critics seemed to think that unlikely, based on the Oscars’ quality.

“Yes, there were highlights, but the 81st Oscar show, which clocked in at 3 hours 23 minutes, was anything but a television highlight for the year so far or even for the week,” writes the Washington Post’s Tom Shales. “The Oscar ceremony has been televised since the early '50s, but they still haven't gotten the bugs out.”

A list of the night’s major winners:

BEST PICTURE
"Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production, Christian Colson, producer

LEAD ACTOR
Sean Penn in "Milk" (Focus Features)

LEAD ACTRESS
Kate Winslet in "The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)

DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Departures" -- Japan (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners production

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (The Weinstein Company)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Dustin Lance Black for "Milk" (Focus Features)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Simon Beaufoy for "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)

ANIMATED FEATURE
Andrew Stanton for "WALL-E" (Walt Disney)