In our Behind the Scenes series , CNN correspondents share their experiences in covering news and analyze the stories behind the events . CNN 's Jay Kernis reports on what it was like inside the Kodak Theatre at the Academy Awards . Hugh Jackman , the host of the 81st Academy Awards , speaks to the audience at the Kodak Theatre on Sunday . LOS ANGELES , California ( CNN ) -- When you 're at home , you can sit back and be critical . When you 're inside the theater , the whole show seems to work , especially the big production numbers . Maybe it was a particularly well-produced show this year , but when you 're in the audience , you feel part of it -- even way up in the second mezzanine . I 've been at the Oscars to cover them , but this is the first time I 've ever been inside the ceremonies . I was there with my 17-year-old son , Noah . When you arrive on the red carpet , you enter a security tent and show your ticket and driver 's license . You notice that the tent is bisected by red velvet ropes and , with a friendly and practiced technique , celebrities are moved to the left of the rope and others to the right . This way , celebs leave the tent closer to the cameras and the fantasy that you might have that everybody in a gown or tux are somehow equals on one night sort of disappears . View scenes from the Oscars » . If you ever were curious about what happens during the commercial breaks : Stagehands with really powerful flashlights guide the changing of the sets and curtains ; they make sure empty orchestra seats are filled ; host Hugh Jackman introduces his parents ; they show a short film about the power of the movies that got cut from the show in progress ; Jackman hands his wife a plate of cookies , thinking she probably was hungry ; and he later points out that the guy playing the cello on stage in the Academy Award Orchestra was actor Dermot Mulroney . Who knew ? Watch a report on the night 's big winners » . The show was best when it demonstrated that Hollywood can still do what it has always done well : getting your attention and holding it -- seeing five Best Actors presenting Oscars on the same stage was pretty amazing . So is Best Actor Sean Penn 's self-awareness . The Oscars can still astonish : They still know how to put on the big musical number , with a hundred dancing performers in top hats , moving with Busby Berkeley precision . They still know how to break your heart : Heath Ledger 's parents and sister received his Academy Award and said that they did so in celebration . But I bet they 'd rather have had him accept it . And for all of the breathtaking special effects that Hollywood can muster , for all the star power in the theater last night , there was something remarkable about seeing Philippe Petit in person -- the wire walker who , in 1974 , hovered between the World Trade Center towers for 45 minutes . There was something joyous about watching him balance an Oscar statue on his chin .
When you 're inside the theater , the whole show seems to work , and you feel part of it . Stagehands guide the changing of the sets during the commercial breaks . Seeing five Best Actors presenting Oscars on the same stage was pretty amazing . The Oscars can still astonish -- they still know how to put on the big musical number .