"The Dark Knight" swiped off all the awards it was nominated for Wednesday at the 35th annual fan-favorite CBS ceremony, People's Choice Awards, walking away with five awards.
"It's very exciting," "Dark Knight" producer Charles Roven said moments before his blockbuster won all five of the awards for which it was nominated. Roven accompanied "Knight" talents Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart and Christopher Nolan onstage to accept awards for Favorite Action Movie, Favorite Cast, Favorite On Screen Match Up (for Bale and Heath Ledger) and the big enchilada, Favorite Movie.
"Thank you very, very much," Bale said after he and the cast took the stage and were greeted with a standing ovation. "On behalf of all of the cast from the movie, thank you very much to the fans. Here's to Heath."
Also awarded in the film categories were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who were missing in action from the ceremony. Pitt was named Favorite Leading Man, while Jolie was voted Favorite Female Action star.
The overly enthusiastic host Queen Latifah opened the show by wading through the audience and asking celebrities if they could keep entertaining the masses in 2009. All mimicked President-elect Barack Obama and by answering: "Yes we can."
Other winners at the ceremony included Adam Sandler, Kate Hudson, Robin Williams, Hugh Laurie and Reese Witherspoon. The actress, who won an Oscar in 2005 for playing June Carter Cash in Walk The Line, added: "A couple of years ago, I won a great award for singing in a movie. This year, I won an award for having a baby throw up on me."
Will Smith was a double winner, nabbing Favorite Male Movie Star and Favorite Male Action Star. The best TV comedy was "Two and a Half Men" and the top TV animated comedy was "The Simpsons."
Wall-E won best family movie, while The Secret Life of Bees - starring awards host Queen Latifah - won best independent movie. Latifah accepted her prize alongside co-star Dakota Fanning at the Shrine Auditorium.
Other recipients selected by Internet voters in categories spanning movies, television and music included "Dancing With the Stars" as favorite reality show, Carrie Underwood as favorite female singer, "House" as favorite TV drama, and Ellen DeGeneres as favorite talk show host.
"I wish I could share this with you," DeGeneres said. "I could throw it on the ground and smash it into a million pieces, and give each one of you a little piece of it, but that's violent, and that's probably why you voted for me, because I'm not violent."
The awards were created in 1975 by producer Bob Stivers, who sold the show to Procter & Gamble in the early 1980s. The awards have reflected the growing divergence between popular and critical preferences.
