- Brian Morrissey

NEW YORK The Webby Awards revel in their designation, three years ago by David Carr of The New York Times, as "the Oscars of the Internet." The ceremony, held at Cipriani in New York, follows the script: red carpet arrivals, celebrities major and minor -- and an awards presentation that can stretch out too long.
 
But the calling card of the Webbys is its rule that all acceptance speeches be limited to five words. No more, no less. Al Gore in 2005, recalling his failed presidential bid, gave perhaps the most famous line: "Please don't recount this vote."
 
This year's ceremony didn't have any lines quite as memorable. Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report accepted his Person of the Year award with his on-air alter ego's characteristic immodesty: "Me, me, me, me, me."
 
The Webbys have become an annual tradition, operating in their 12th year. The show has become a mix of the prosaic (best insurance Web site), Internet nerdy (Tay Zonday, I Can Haz Cheezburger) and celebrity chic (David Byrne and Lorne Michaels).
 
Among ad agencies, TBWA Media Arts Lab won an award for its "Don't Give Up" banner ads that communicated with each other. The Omnicom Group shop, which has produced much-lauded work for Apple over the years, gave thanks to the company's founder/deity with: "In Steve Jobs we trust."
 
Some speeches veered into the political. Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, used her five words to tap into the current political zeitgeist: "President Obama sounds good, right?" An exec from Factcheck.org, a site that uncovers misconceptions in political coverage, added: "No, Obama's not a Muslim." Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret.org, where people unburden themselves of their secrets, referenced a hot Internet political issue. "Net neutrality today, tomorrow, forever," he said.
 
British interactive shop Agency Republic used its time in the spotlight to tackle the problem facing many digital shops: talent. "Agency Republic is in New York." Tribal DDB followed suit, pleading: "We're hiring, send us resumes."

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