Abigail Breslin did not go home with an Oscar for her performance as Olive in "Little Miss Sunshine."

But that made little difference to her grandparents, Lynn and Catherine Blecker, who kept their eyes glued to the television, hoping for a glimpse of their "Abbie" as she mingled with Hollywood's elite during the 79th annual Academy Awards Sunday.

"There she is!" said an excited Mr. Blecker as the camera panned the audience. "Look at her ... Isn't she beautiful?"

The Lancaster Township couple was literally on the edges of their seats awaiting the best supporting actress category for which the 10-year-old was nominated.

"We told her whatever happens, she is already a winner," Mrs. Blecker said. "We couldn't be any more proud of her."

Breslin lost to Jennifer Hudson, who won for her role in "Dreamgirls."

"Little Miss Sunshine" received four nominations — best original screenplay, best picture and best supporting actor for which Alan Arkin took home the award.

Abbie did, however, present two awards during the ceremony with Jaden Smith, son of actor Will Smith.

The Bleckers spoke to Abbie Sunday afternoon as she was preparing for her big night.

"I don't think she was nervous, just excited," Mr. Blecker said. "She's having fun with it."

Part of that fun included wearing a beautiful pink gown accessorized by a $10,000 necklace, Mr. Blecker said.

Beyond the glamour and glitz though, Mrs. Blecker said her granddaughter is "just a normal kid" who loves collecting American Girl dolls and stuffed animals.

"She doesn't really talk about being in movies," Mrs. Blecker said. "She enjoys her life. She loves her dogs and her cat, and she loves to go shopping."

The couple said their daughter, Kim, and her husband, Mike, make sure Abbie and her brother, Spencer — also an actor who has appeared in films such as "Signs" and "Cat in the Hat" — have normal lives.

"They're a very close-knit family," Mr. Blecker said. "They really stick together and they're very supportive of each other. Kim does a great job of keeping everything level."

Mrs. Blecker said Abbie, who visited her grandparents last August, had a great time working on "Little Miss Sunshine," primarily because of the wonderful cast.

"She had such a good time," Mrs. Blecker said. "She had fun ... and really seemed to enjoy the people she worked with."

She said Abbie just finished working on a film called "Definitely, Maybe." She also stars in "The Ultimate Gift," opening next month, and "No Reservations," which opens in July and co-stars Catherine Zeta-Jones.

"Little Miss Sunshine" is about a family that drives cross-country so that young Olive (played by Breslin) can take part in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant.

The film was awarded best first screenplay at the Spirit Awards — the independent film equivalent of the Oscars — Saturday night and last month was honored at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture.