When Spanish actress Penélope Cruz announced that "I'm Still Here" was the winner of best international film at the Academy Awards, Brazilians roared at home and on the streets, where Carnival festivities have been ongoing since Saturday.

Carnival celebrations were raging across Rio on Sunday night when everyone stopped to pay attention. The Oscar for best international feature was about to be announced from Hollywood, and all eyes were fixed on whether the country or anyone associated with it would win its first Oscar.

Rio de Janeiro's massive Sambadrome erupted in noisy celebrations Sunday as the news broke that Brazil won its first Oscar, in the middle of the first day of its famous samba parades. At Rio's Sambadrome,