I BET THIS IS THE FIRST TIME that Aramaic has been mentioned during the Oscars ceremony.

Given the "Return of the King" juggernaut, the greatest suspense in the ceremony may have come from anticipating how [master of ceremonies Billy] Crystal might acknowledge "The Passion of the Christ," the highly controversial Mel Gibson film that upstaged the Oscars when it opened on Ash Wednesday last week.

Crystal obliged by announcing, "For the very, very first time, we're being simulcast in Aramaic."