While plenty of people were trying to predict what Barbra Streisand would sing or whether or not Anne Hathaway would babble when she accepted her Oscar (that she would win was one of the few givens of the night), there wasn't even a whiff of a rumor that FLOTUS herself would be popping up to open a golden envelope. Once we got over the surprise and stopped asking why she was at the world's most boring, stuffy Oscar party (one that was staged with a lot of miserable-looking but highly decorated military guys and gals), it turns out FLOTUS could have a second career in Hollywood. With her famously defined upper arms, new bangs and an elegant silver dress, she was hotter than some of the talent walking the red carpet. Better yet, she was a smooth, polished presenter (another feather in her on-camera cap following her Evolution of Mom Dancing segment with Jimmy Fallon). Sure, President Clinton gave the Golden Globes a glimmer of presidential cool (and incorrectly forecast "Lincoln" as the Best Picture Oscar winner), but Obama's missus was no slouch. Though it would have been poetic for the First Lady to name "Lincoln" as the winner, what we'll remember in the long run is how good she is on camera. If we're not Steven Spielberg, that is.

- Liane Bonin Starr