My annual Oscar reaction usually comes a bit late, and this year is no exception. I usually have to rest and digest everything I spent a year obsessing over, and this year I decided not to do a critique of the awards show itself. Instead, I picked my five favorite moments from the ceremony.
Lady Gaga Shocks the Hell Out of Everyone
Mother Monster seems to always face critics, but they were shut up on Sunday night when she took the stage to pay tribute to The Sound of Music's 50th anniversary. Scarlett Johansson introduced her to the crowed, but it seemed they weren't super anxious to hear her perform. The medley started off high and clear, and you could almost hear the collective sound of everyone's jaw dropping in America.
Now we shouldn't be surprised by Gaga's vocal prowess. She studied music at Tisch, but her artistry has always overshadowed her raw talent. With her recent Grammy win for collaborating with Tony Bennett and now this, could Gaga be writing a new chapter in her career? If you get approval from Julie Andrews (and a hug, no less!), you are doing something right.
NPH Haters Can Suck It
No one gets unanimous praise for hosting the Oscars. Just ask James Franco and Anne Hathaway. Either they don't take enough risks or the material is bad, they say. When Billy Crystal saved Oscar after the Brett Ratner debacle, people said he was too old and a bit out of touch. What do you people want?!
I was in Neil's corner from the start, and I was excited for him to finally scratch the Oscars off his hosting bucket list. For the most part, Neil kept it light and breezy, and he kept the show going. The entire gig felt very wink wink and self-aware. Sure, that Oscars in a glass case went over like fart in a space suit, but any way to get Octavia Spenser more screen time in any medium is fine by me. Oh, and he was in his underwear. The ball is in your court, Hugh Jackman.
All Those Moving Speeches
Patricia Arquette, J. K. Simmons, Graham Moore, and Common & John Legend all brought worthy speeches to the podium.
Everything is Awesome with a LEGO Oscar!!!
When The LEGO Movie failed to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature, director Phil Lord tweeted this:
When Tegan & Sara and The Lonely Island took the stage to perform the nominated song "Everything is Awesome," no one expected the dancers to pass out Oscars made out of LEGOs! Celebrities were reasonably impressed, surprised and overjoyed. Especially Oprah.
Supporting Actress nominee Emma Stone stoically clutched her block Oscar after her clip for Birdman was shown. This was a running gag that kept paying off throughout the night.
But seriously...I want one...someone make that happen...I'm not kidding...
Eddie Redmayne's Genuinely Adorable Reaction
The race for Best Actor was very tight this year, but Eddie Redmayne walked away for his heartbreaking portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. He took the stage and kept freaking out and it was adorable and sweet and silly and cute. It was kind of like if Hugh Grant was serious for a hot second.
Screw your love of Marius. I'm in love with Eddie Redmayne himself.
Julianne FINALLY Gets Her Golden Guy
Anyone who knows me feared that I would never see Julianne Moore win an Oscar. When the good notices for her performance in Still Alice came out of Toronto, I was skeptical. Moore is always fantastic and emotionally engaging, so why should I get my hopes up that she'd walk away with Oscar? Well, this was her time. Moore kept winning and winning, and she finally received her golden man on Sunday night.
I've played this win over and over on my DVR, because I love how emotional she is and how grateful she comes across. Moore isn't an awards queen, so it's rare to see her take the podium so much. You can tell by that immediate standing ovation how love she is in the industry, and it just makes me so happy. No recent win in Oscar history has made me feel so joyous. Congratulations, Julianne! You definitely deserve it.
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