Between the designer gowns, diamonds and tuxes, the Oscars are one of the most popular award shows of our time. We cannot wait to see who everyone is wearing, and if our favorite films are going to win. Surprisingly the most popular person at the Oscars is not an actor or actress, nor a presenter or a filmmaker, but actually the shimmering, gold statue himself: Oscar.
For some reason we can’t wait to see who the critics put on the best and worst dressed list, and what social media is saying about the Red Carpet coverage. Oscar talk has been swirling for months. The Oscars is a night for the stars. And for us at home, we get to step into and absorb the royalty of Hollywood filmmaking for a night. I love being invited into their exclusive world.
My favorite thing to watch during the awards shows are the surprised expressions on the stars faces when their movie wins a category. Their expressions exude triumph and happiness as they make their way up to the stage. With more than one million viewers world wide, all eyes were on the stars. From Jennifer Hudson and Barbara Streisand’s music performances to the cast of “Les Miserables” chilling performance of songs from the movie, the talent honored by the Academy blew me away.
Jennifer Lawrence won the best dressed category in the Twitter competition wearing Dior while walking the Red Carpet. The Oscars honored 50 years of James Bond and Adele performed her song “Skyfall” from the movie “Skyfall” taking home the Oscar in the “Music: Original Song” category. Quvenzhane Wallis, who starred in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is the youngest ever nominee of the Academy Award for Best Actress at the age of 9.
Host Seth MacFarlane, creator of “Family Guy,” guided us through the evening with a classic musical opening with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Daniel Radcliffe and carried us through to the closing with Kristin Chenoweth.
USA Today’s review called MacFarlane’s hosting performance “self-indulgent,” noting that “Oscars fans have seen a lot over the years, but this may be the first time they’ve ever seen a host use the awards to audition for his own variety show.”
On a positive note, The Hollywood Reporter praised the Academy’s choice and pointed out that it clearly knew MacFarlane would be a “polarizing choice” as host.
“As a guy who can actually sing and recorded a successful album, his pick was more spot-on than anyone gave the Academy credit for,” reporter Tim Goodman said.
With “Argo” winning an Oscar in the “Best Picture” category, and Daniel Day-Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence taking the Oscar home in the categories of “Actor and Actress in a Leading Role,” the winners of all the categories truly represented their element of film production.
From the heartfelt acceptance speeches to the surprised reactions from the winners, no one can deny that Anne Hathaway’s Oscar acceptance speech for “Actress in a Supporting Role” for “Les Misérables” was one of the sweetest and most genuine wins of the night. “Brave” took home the Oscar in the “Animated Feature Film” category; while “Life of Pi” took home four Oscars in “Cinematography,” “Directing,” “Music: Original Score” and “Visual Effects.” Sadly, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” did not take home an Oscar.
The Oscars did not disappoint me this year. Despite Oscar coverage reaching almost seven hours, the performances, ‘In Memoriam’ tribute, and guest presenter First Lady Michelle Obama made the award show worth watching. I am looking forward to what the Academy has up its sleeve for next year.
