See Also: Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scavo) People Guide

"Welcome ladies, gentleman and Felicity". As the camera quickly focused on Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scavo), the opening quip from Oscars host Jon Stewart put Huffman firmly in the spotlight. But sadly this remained her biggest moment at the awards, as she lost out on the 'Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role' Oscar.

"It's Cinderella time, but tomorrow I'm going to turn back into a pumpkin," Huffman told CBS News. She was beat by Reese Witherspoon, for her role in Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line. Witherspoon also saw off competition from Charlize Theron, Keira Knightley and Dame Judy Dench, and said in her acceptance speech: "I never thought I'd be here my whole life growing up in Tennessee".

But Huffman did get a nice surprise when walking down the red carpet. According to Inside Bay Area, a video clip was played to her "of her Desperate Housewives colleagues sharing their wishes of love and friendship."

Transamerica failed to win any Oscars on the night. Dolly Parton was nominated for the 'Music (Song)' Oscar for "Travelin' Thru", which she wrote and sung for Transamerica. Introduced by Naomi Watts as someone she'd "admired my whole life", Parton performed the song at the event. But "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from Hustle & Flow took home the Oscar.

Huffman's husband, William H. Macy, said he was impressed that it wasn't just big-budget movies getting attention in this year's Oscars. "The [best picture nominees] this year were not blockbusters but they were movies of depth," Macy said according to The Standard. "These films were successful, too, and that's not getting enough attention."

In another Huffman-related joke, a number of video clips were shown in the style of political broadcasts, discrediting some of the Leading Actress nominees. In one about Dame Judi Dench, a number of other "dames" gave their accounts on why Dench was not a real dame—including one who claimed she lost an eye in a barfight with Dench. It ended with the message: "Paid for by Dames for Truth—a shadow organization in no way affiliated with Felicity Huffman."

As is customary with the Oscars, a lot of attention was paid to the dresses worn by the stars. Tonight reported that Huffman "lit up the red carpet" with a "a sexy black gown by Zac Posen." Blogcritics.org said Huffman won their "the most low cut dress" award. "This year, the award goes to Felicity Huffman. Indeed, woman, the thing plunges almost to your waist! No wait. It goes all the way to her waist!" TIME.com noted that "Huffman left her Transamerica look at home, choosing a low-cut gown that proves she's all woman". SignOnSanDiego.com called Huffman a "trendsetter" and said "looking nothing like a man, Huffman took a style risk in choosing a Zac Posen gown. With so many layers and a plunging neckline, it looks like that risk paid off." Buffalo News said simply: "Two words for Felicity Huffman and Catherine Keener: Wonder Bra."

Her dress split opinion in CBS News's piece on Oscar fashions. "[Resident "style guru" David Evangelista] wasn't a huge fan of the plunging Zac Posen gown and thought the hair was too matronly, but [Glamour magazine's Suze Yalof Schwartz] thought Huffman was a runner-up for best dressed," said the article. Heckler Spray was not impressed. "[She] wore a sort of frilly black dress thing to the Oscars. Some people are calling it 'one of the most stunning dresses of the evening.' We're calling it 'a sort of frilly black dress thing,' and we're sticking to it." And a review at ESPN.com, a sports site, had totally different views. "What's needed to save the Red Carpet Show is a dose of what Johnny Miller brings to golf coverage: unadulterated blasts of honesty. Give me [Red Carpet host Isaac] Mizrahi ripping Felicity Huffman's dress to her face."

Transamerica's failure to win any Oscars, and the unimpressive Oscars haul for Brokeback Mountain, led to some general commentary on the event and what it means for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual community. One gay rights group said the number of Oscars was unimportant. "The films lead to conversations, and conversations lead to greater awareness, a level of comfort with gay and lesbian Americans," Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation told CBS News. But not everyone agreed. Ron Marr at Axcess News attacked the Oscars in generall, and attacked Huffman too. "A question here: is Felicity Huffman, the star of that alleged movie, a man or a woman or both? I can't tell," he wrote.

Pictures of Huffman attending the event can be found at CBS News and OSCAR.com.

But it wasn't all bad news. She may have lost at the Oscars, but Huffman did take home another award. According to Metromix, Huffman took home the 'Best Female Lead' award for Transamerica. She adds it to her recent of haul of an 'Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Comedy' SAG award and an 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series' Emmy Award for Desperate Housewives, and a 'Lead Actress Award for a Dramatic Film Role' Golden Globe award for Transamerica.

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