The 86th Academy Awards took place Sunday at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater with Ellen DeGeneres assuming hosting duties. And from the big winners to the big fashion statements there’s certainly a lot to talk about.
First things first, let’s jump into the night’s biggest winners. The statue for Best Actor in a Supporting Role was awarded to Jared Leto for his role as a cross-dressing AIDS patient in “Dallas Buyers Club.” He then charmed the audience with a heartfelt ode to his mother in his speech. The winner for Best Actress in a Supporting Role was the lovely Lupita Nyong’o for her role in “12 Years a Slave.” This well-deserved win for the first-time nominee was met with a standing ovation and more than a few tears.
The Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role was awarded to Cate Blanchett for her role in “Blue Jasmine.” Blanchett’s win was widely presumed by most, but it was certainly earned nonetheless. Plus, we were treated to Blanchett, known for her classy demeanor, telling Julia Roberts to “suck it.” The award for Best Actor in a Leading Role went to Matthew McConaughey for “Dallas Buyers Club.” While many were hoping this would be the year Leonardo DiCaprio would finally win his Oscar, it just wasn’t in the cards considering he was put up against McConaughey’s superb performance as Ron Woodroof. Matthews “McConaissance” is complete. Alright, alright, alright.
The biggest award of the night went to “12 Years a Slave” for Best Picture. The film’s powerful and honest depiction of slavery has been receiving rave reviews for months and an Oscar win was all but guaranteed. It provided a director-best picture split after the award for Best Directing went to Alfonso Cuarón for “Gravity.”
With the winners out of the way it’s time to discuss the fashion. Nyong’o has been dominating her very first awards season and it culminated in a gorgeous Prada dress on Oscar night. Nyong’o stunned in a Cinderella-blue gown and sparkling headband, solidifying herself as a force to be reckoned with in the fashion world.
Nyong’o wasn’t the only lovely lady on the carpet, though. Among the best-dressed were Angelina Jolie in Elie Saab Couture, Jennifer Lawrence in Dior and Amy Adams in Gucci Couture. And while there are usually some notable fashion disasters on the carpet, this year was full of relatively well-dressed ladies and gentlemen. Well, except for Pharrell Williams and his shorts – stick to pants next time, buddy.
Regarding the actual show, DeGeneres provided hilarity, per usual, as an amiable host. And while she was entertaining enough, it seems that her good-natured brand of comedy was a direct response to last year’s controversial host, Seth MacFarlane. DeGeneres may have made a joke about a certain part of Jonah Hill’s body, but she mostly stuck to safe comedy – like taking selfies with actors in the audience and having pizza delivered to the theater.
DeGeneres did a fine job, all in all, but the same can’t be said for many of the presenters. Could anyone correctly read the teleprompter? The answer to that question is no, they could not. Constantly watching the presenter’s trip over their words became quite distracting as the telecast went on. Also distracting was the endless amount of montages – I think we’ve pinpointed why the show went so long!
It wasn’t all bad, though. Pink’s beautiful rendition of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” was haunting, and proved to be a wonderful way to pay tribute to the film. And on a sillier note, we were honored with one of the best pictures of all time as DeGeneres took a selfie with a hodgepodge of celebrities. This picture is also known as everyone’s desktop background come tomorrow morning – oh, and the picture that crashed Twitter and garnered the most retweets of all time.
There’s one last component of the Academy Awards that’s a little bit absurd – and that’s the gift bags. Included in this year’s bag, valued at $85,000, are “luxury condoms,” $250 of maple syrup, $1,500 worth of supplements for your pet, and a Mace pepper gun – all essential items, of course. So at least if you lose at the Oscars you really go home a winner.
Underneath the glitz, glamour and dramatics, the Oscars remain the pinnacle of achievement in the film industry. While the wins are thrilling to watch, after the show is over it’s time to see what these Oscar winners are going to do next. Who knows who’s going to be up at that podium next year.
Alexa Hoyle can be reached at [email protected].
