The Oscars got under way with edgy humor and a surprise win on Sunday.

Host Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the animatedseries 'Family Guy' and last summer's hit movie 'Ted,' sought to tread a careful line between respect and comedy as he opened the show with his trademark brand of bawdy humor.

He enlisted William Shatner, playing Captain Kirk from 'Star Trek,' to show a series of offensive skits Mr. MacFarlane performed in an alternate future. In them, he made fun of famous actresses for their frequent nudity, re-enacted the alcohol- and drug-filled movie 'Flight' with sock puppets, and propositioned Sally Field, nominated for her role in 'Lincoln.'

The star-filled audience, which initially reacted hesitantly to jokes about Mel Gibson and Chris Brown, seemed to warm to Mr. MacFarlane as he mixed his 'fake' skits with musical numbers more in the tradition of past hosts like Billy Crystal.

In the evening's first award, Christoph Waltz took home the supporting actor prize for his role as a bountyhunter in Weinstein Co,'s 'Django Unchained.' While Mr. Waltz had won a Golden Globe in the same category, he was generally considered an underdog behind Tommy Lee Jones, who won the Screen Actors Guild prize for his role in 'Lincoln,' made by DreamWorks Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Co.

But heading into the show, the best-picture prize was still widely expected to go to 'Argo.' The only thing Hollywood's elite may love more than a comeback story is a celebration of the power of film, and director-actor Ben Affleck's film was both.