HIGHLIGHTS: The show was opened and hosted by the comic host Neil Patrick Harris (of Doogie Howser MD, Smurfs and How I Met Your Mother fame) who produced some entertaining moments including him stripping down to his “tighty-whiteys” (a reenactment from a scene in Birdman). The stand out big winners of the night were Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel each receiving four awards. The highly acclaimed Selma was largely outside of the major Oscar running, as was the much-talked-about American Sniper. There were performances by the likes of Lady Gaga, John Legend & Common and Tegan and Sara. It was not one of the most exciting ceremonies the Oscars have ever produced, the host struggled with some of the scripted jokes falling flat, there was controversy over the nominee list containing mostly ‘white folk’, but on the whole there were some typically prestigious Oscar moments, some fantastic performances and the dresses did not disappoint.
TOP SPEECHES
The award ceremony has always been a stage for those wanting to deliver a poignant message during their acceptance speeches…here is the pick of the power speeches that came from last night’s show.
Patricia Arquette wins best supporting actress for Boyhood. The film was shot intermittently over the course of a 12-year period, from 2002 to 2013, and depicts the adolescence of a young boy in Texas growing up with divorced parents. Big things were expected for this movie at this year’s Oscars but Arquette received its only award. Patricia took to the stage and began to accept the award in the usual fashion but ended up urging all of the minority groups of the world to fight for women and pay equality in today’s society. “It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all!” she roars. The camera pans to Meryl Streep, wildly pumping her fist, and J-Lo sitting next to her, just as riled up.
Patricia Arquette wins Actress in a Supporting Role
Best Song winner John Legend for Selma (based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches led by James Bevel, Hosea Williams, and Martin Luther King, Jr. of SCLC and John Lewis of SNCC) insisted that “Selma is now, because the struggle for justice is right now. “We know that the voting rights that they fought for 50 years ago are being compromised in this country today.” He went on to say the U.S. is the most incarcerated country in the world, as “there are more black men under correctional control today than were under slavery in 1850. People are marching with our song — we see you, we love you,” he said. “March on.” Backstage Common said: “I feel like to whom much is given much is required. The fact we have an opportunity to get to a stage like the Oscars. How could you not say anything? Beyond what we have done on this song, John has always made music about love; he’s been doing things about education for a long time. I feel it’s our duty to do it.” John Legend discussed process: “Common called me. He describes what they were looking for and gave me ideas for the title of the song. ‘Glory.’ That word really inspired me. My thoughts were that the song should sound triumphant but realize there is more work to do.”
John Legend & Common – Glory (live at the Oscars 2015)
Best Adapted Screenplay winner Graham Moore — for The Imitation Game, about British cryptography genius Alan Turing who was persecuted for being gay — started things off pretty light, saying, “thank you so much to the Academy…and to Oprah!” But went on to say that he thought it was an injustice that the subject of his film, Alan Turing, “never got to stand on a stage like this with all these disconcertingly attractive faces.” He recalled considering suicide at age 16 because he felt different and like he didn’t belong, and offered hope to young people feeling the same way. “Stay weird,” he said. “Stay different and when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along.”
Us, when we realized we’ve still got over two hours to go for #Oscars2015 pic.twitter.com/PliL2pddzk
— Fashionista.com (@Fashionista_com) February 23, 2015
With plenty of political issues surrounding the evening, none were perhaps as contentious as those raised by Alejandro González Iñárritu during his third acceptance speech of the night. He dedicated the best picture win for Birdman to his fellow Mexicans and called on his country to “find and build a government that we deserve”. He ends with a plea on behalf of Mexicans newly arrived in the United States, asking they be treated with the same respect as the others who came before “to help build this incredible immigrant nation”.
Julianne Moore gives a gracious and touching speech having been given the award for Best Actress for Still Alice, a film approaching the difficulties of Alzheimer’s disease. After 17 years and five nominations, it finally happened. She talks about the importance of visibility for people with Alzheimer’s, and mentions that Still Alice‘s co-writers and directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland couldn’t be there, because of Glatzer’s illness. He has ALS. The honour goes to Moore for the culmination both of her hard work playing an Alzheimer’s patient in the past year and a long career in which she’d been nominated for four previous Oscars. She also talked about shining a light on Alzheimer’s disease: “So many people with this disease feel isolated and marginalized,” she said, adding that movies make people feel seen and not alone. “And people with Alzheimer’s deserve to be seen so we can find a cure.”
It was hard not to be elated for TV veteran J.K. Simmons (The Closer, Oz, Law & Order) as he picked up the Best Supporting Actor award for Whiplash – the film stars Miles Teller as a student jazz drummer who seeks the respect of an abusive teacher played by Simmons. Things got even more feel-good when rather than reel off the standard list of “thank you” messages; he instead focused on smaller, simpler advice: “Call your mom, call your dad. If you’re lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet, call ’em. Don’t text, don’t email, call them on the phone. Tell them you love them. Thank them and listen to them for as long as they wanna talk to you.”
JK Simmons wins Best Supporting Actor
PERFORMANCES
The music always makes the show in show business ceremonies and this year’s Oscars was no exception.
Tegan and Sara with Andy Samberg’s Lonely Island trio (dressed in powder blue tuxedos) delivered a fast-paced, energetic, almost hallucinatory Everything Is Awesome the ridiculously catchy song that kicked off The Lego Movie. They get some help from actual lego characters along with a giant chorus including Will Arnett dressed as Batman and Questlove. That definitely woke up and shook up the audience.
Tegan and Sara & The Lonely Island perform Everything Is Awesome
Lady Gaga performed a medley from The Sound of Music to celebrate its 50th anniversary. She hit the high notes, belting out The Hills Are Alive, before launching into a rendition of My Favorite Things and slowing things down for Edelweiss and Climb Every Mountain. It may seem like a madcap idea but Gaga is no stranger to the strange and actually delivered the classic musical tunes perfectly and managed to exclude her personal oddities from the stage for a change. Julie Andrews also came onstage to say a few words, “It’s hard to believe that 50 years have gone by,” she said. “How lucky can a girl get?”
Lady Gaga performs The Sound of Music
John Legend’s performance of Glory with Common was one of those extremely rare Oscar musical numbers that managed to reproduce the emotion of the movie (Selma) onstage. With the power of the music and a recreation of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge the audience was reduced to complete silence (and some tears) in this emotional and powerful production.
John Legend & Common perform Glory
Jennifer Hudson delivered a beautiful performance of I Can’t Let Go during a tribute to those who died last year from the movie industry.
Jennifer Hudson performs Can’t Let Go
Rita Ora gave Beyond The Lights, one of many under-appreciated movies this year, its moment of the night when she belted out the ballad Grateful from the film.
Rita Ora performs Grateful
RED CARPET
Here’s our top ten best dressed Oscar attendees from the big night…these lovely ladies were the pick of the bunch from the glittering glamour of the evening.
Cate Blanchett in Maison Margiela
Reese Witherspoon in Tom Ford
Rita Ora in Marchesa
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Scarlett Johansson in Versace
Jennifer Lopez in Elie Saab
Gwyneth Paltrow in Ralph and Russo
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Rosamund Pike in Givenchy
Marion Cotillard in Christian Dior Couture
Lupita Nyong’o in Calvin Klein
Emma Stone in Elie Saab
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WINNERS LIST
Best Picture
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, Producers.
Best Actor
Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything
Best Actress
Julianne Moore in Still Alice
Best Director
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Supporting Actor
J.K. Simmons in Whiplash
Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette in Boyhood
Adapted Screenplay
The Imitation Game Written by Graham Moore
Original Screenplay
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. & Armando Bo
Animated Feature
Big Hero 6 Don Hall, Chris Williams and Roy Conli
Documentary Feature
CitizenFour Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Original Song
Glory from Selma
Music and Lyrics by John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn
Foreign Language Film
Ida Poland
Original Score
The Grand Budapest Hotel Alexandre Desplat
Film Editing
Whiplash Tom Cross
Visual Effects
Interstellar Paul Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter and Scott Fisher
Cinematography
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) Emmanuel Lubezki
Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Milena Canonero
Makeup and Hairstyling
The Grand Budapest Hotel Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier
Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Animated Short Film
Feast Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Live Action Short Film
The Phone Call Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
Documentary Short Subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Sound Mixing
Whiplash Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
Sound Editing
American Sniper Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman
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