Cate Blanchett wins best actress Oscar for \\\'Blue Jasmine\\\'

Australian actress Cate Blanchette won the best actress Oscar for her brilliant portrayal of a high-society woman who has fallen on hard times in Woody Allen's 'Blue Jasmine'. The actress, who previously won an Oscar for playing Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator”, was an outright favourite to pocket the golden statuette this year by winning almost all the awards in the run-up to the Oscars – SAG, the Critics Choice and the Golden Globes awards. There were fears that the renewed allegations of sexual abuse by Allen's adopted daughter may hurt the actress at the Oscars but Blanchett managed to overcome the odds. There was also lot of mystery surrounding her acceptance speech with many speculating that she might steer clear of mentioning her director's name in the wake of the controversy surrounding his personal life. Blanchett, however, did not forget to thank Allen for his “extraordinary screenplay”. The other nominees on Sunday night were: Amy Adams, “American Hustle”; Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”; Judi Dench, “Philomena”; and Meryl Streep, “August: Osage County”. The 86th Academy Awards are airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with host Ellen DeGeneres, according to "Outlook" (India).