Hi Friends,
Howdy?The shortest and romantic month of the year,February slipped by so quickly and lo,here we are in the third month of 2015 already as I pen down my March musings!
February...the season of love? Ask Hollywood and you'll know that it is also that month of the year when the crème de la crème of the film industry gather together (a la Thanksgiving meeting!) to celebrate talent by recognizing and rewarding tour de force performances, cinematic excellence and life-time achievements with awards, awards and a plethora of awards!
Just recently,the Oscars concluded and thankfully for us, the wins sprung no surprises! We were saved from all the heartache post the nomination snubs,when predictably the favorites tipped to win,won that night!
22nd February was the date when Hollywood's glitterati assembled at the Dolby Theatre for the 87th Annual Academy Awards.And as the curtains came down that evening we had new winners,with the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore,JK Simmons and Patricia Arquette taking home the golden statuette for the Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress respectively.
Just recently,the Oscars concluded and thankfully for us, the wins sprung no surprises! We were saved from all the heartache post the nomination snubs,when predictably the favorites tipped to win,won that night!
22nd February was the date when Hollywood's glitterati assembled at the Dolby Theatre for the 87th Annual Academy Awards.And as the curtains came down that evening we had new winners,with the likes of Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore,JK Simmons and Patricia Arquette taking home the golden statuette for the Best Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress respectively.
So here's once again revisiting that evening for you in a nutshell...
I loved the opening montage of the ceremony-a musical number when NPH sang and danced with the computer imagery of Wizard Of Oz, Field Of Dreams and the multiple Marilyn Monroes! He looked dapper, natural and completely at ease during the whole act.
I liked the way he playfully engaged with actors like-Steve Carell and David Oyelowo who sportingly in turn played along with his jokes too as also that running gag he shared with Octavia Spencer during the ceremony asking her to guard his brief-case.Octavia's bewildered reaction to his jokes seemed that she was definitely caught unawares! (Surely,it didn't seem scripted to me as some articles suggest.On gauging her reaction,I genuinely felt that she was remotely unprepared for the jokes planted on her during the ceremony that evening !)
During the penultimate moment of the ceremony just before the big announcement of Best Picture when NPH finally unlocked that suit-case on stage and read out his brief yet hilarious compilation of predictions on the winners and the reactions of the presenters...I giggled with laughter! Psst...Next year,I hope they get Jim Carrey on board to host the Oscars... he's sure to have the audiences roaring(with laughter of course) and the TRPs soaring! :)
Coming back to NPH,his opening line of the ceremony echoed everyone's sentiments about this year's Oscars when he said..."Tonight, we honor Hollywood's best and whitest...excuse me, brightest."
[Post the backlash at the surprise exclusions in the nominations list this year(particularly at Selma being overlooked for the Best Actor,Best Director and technical awards category) and many branding it as an all-white Oscars in history(remember #WhiteOscars trending on Twitter?), thus in my view it appeared that the Academy tried to salvage their reputation and amend the situation which was evident from the fact when they roped in a bevy of Afro-American actors to grace the show for doing the honors of presenting the awards in different segments.So we had presenters with the likes of Kerry Washington,Eddie Murphy,Octavia Spencer,Viola Davis,Oprah Winfrey,Zoe Saldana,Chiwetel Ejiofor,Idris Elba among many others and Jennifer Hudson rendering a heart-felt homage in memoriam to those whom Hollywood bid adieu last year.]
Anyway coming back to NPH,here are a few of his tongue-in-cheek lines that had us tongue-tied that evening!!
"The subject of Citizen Four, Edward Snowden couldn't be here for some (t)reason..." [On Citizen Four winning Best Documentary that was based on the subject of whistle-blower, Edward Snowden and the NSA spying scandal]
“He’s the real deal,pants down. I mean hands down,” [On introducing Channing 'Magic Mike' Tatum to the stage to present a segment of the awards]
“Travolta will be back next year apologizing to Menzel again for all the face touching."[Remember John Travolta's gaffe last year when he mispronounced Frozen's 'Let It Go' singer Idina Menzel as 'Adele Nazeem' while introducing her to perform on stage.This time it was a presenting-coup for the duo to make up for last year's faux pas only to now add face-caressing moment behind them scripted for laughs by NPH himself...though the joke misfired...it did not tickle my funny bone! Anyway, next year what will it be for John Travolta and Idina Menzel? Some guesses here?]
All in all, NPH was charismatic, competent and earnest as this year's host- he gets a thumbs-up from me except for that instance when he turned up on stage all buffed up just in his "tighty whities" while trying to parody Birdman. What was he thinking there?
In recent years the only two hosts to have nailed it with their superb hosting skills without resorting to silly antics were Ellen DeGeneres and Billy Crystal.In fact,last year Ellen even went on to popularize the selfie(and with internet memes that followed post that celebrity group selfie!)...you could well hail her as the original selfie-queen!
2. Selma's 'Glory' came the hour when Common and John Legend's mellifluous passion of the song stirred the emotional chord of the audience with Jessica Chastain, Chris Pine and David Oyelowo among the few who were moved to tears.Later that evening the duo also much deservedly took home the lone trophy for the Best Original Song not before they delivered a powerful speech on freedom and justice. "
Here's what they Common said in his acceptance speech...
“The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the south side of Chicago, dreaming of a better life,to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression, to those in Hong Kong,protesting for democracy.This bridge was built on hope,welded with compassion and elevated with love for all human beings.”
And John Legend didn't mince any words either in his fiery speech where he made his innermost thoughts loud and clear when he said,“We say that Selma is now because the struggle for justice is right now.We know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today.We know that right now,the struggle for freedom and justice is real.We live in the most incarcerated country in the world.There are more Black men under correctional control today than were under slavery in 1850.We are with you, we see you, we love you and march on.”
Here's what they Common said in his acceptance speech...
“The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the south side of Chicago, dreaming of a better life,to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression, to those in Hong Kong,protesting for democracy.This bridge was built on hope,welded with compassion and elevated with love for all human beings.”
And John Legend didn't mince any words either in his fiery speech where he made his innermost thoughts loud and clear when he said,“We say that Selma is now because the struggle for justice is right now.We know that the Voting Rights Act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today.We know that right now,the struggle for freedom and justice is real.We live in the most incarcerated country in the world.There are more Black men under correctional control today than were under slavery in 1850.We are with you, we see you, we love you and march on.”
3.The Sound Of Music turned fifty and Hollywood celebrated this iconic classic when songstress Lady Gaga took us down the memory lane with her moving rendition of songs from the film that had Julie Andrews walking up on stage and thanking her saying,“Thank you for that wonderful tribute, it really warmed my heart.”
4. Whether equality reined in at this year's (White) Oscars or not,but it gave us great joy when Patricia Arquette in her acceptance speech advocated equal pay for men and women, a far-cry in Hollywood that the world got a peek into in the wake of Sony hacking scandal. Here's what her rousing speech had to say -"We have fought for everybody else's equal rights. It's our time to have wage equality once and for all and women's right for everyone in America." Kudos lady!
Her speech was well-received as she received a standing ovation from the audience and a thumping approval from legendary actress,Meryl Streep none the less and singer Jennifer Lopez.
Her speech was well-received as she received a standing ovation from the audience and a thumping approval from legendary actress,Meryl Streep none the less and singer Jennifer Lopez.
Other motivating and emotional speeches from the Oscars that evening were...
Julianne Moore winner of Best Actress for Still Alice said,"I'm thrilled that we were able to hopefully shine a light on Alzheimer's disease.One of the wonderful things about movies is that it makes us feel seen and not alone.And people with Alzheimer's deserve to be seen."
J.K. Simmons who won the Oscar at his maiden nomination for the Best Supporting Actor in Whiplash took home the first award that evening had a word of advice to share for sons and daughters across the globe..."I'm told there's like a billion people or so (watching). Call your mom.Call your dad, if you are lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet. Don't text. Don't e-mail.Call 'em on the phone.Tell them you love them and thank them, and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you."
And then we had Best Adapted Screenplay winner, Graham Moore for The Imitation Game sharing a heart-touching moment from his life to share when he said,"When I was 16 years old,I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong. And now I'm standing here and so I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she's weird or she's different or she doesn't fit in anywhere.Yes, you do.I promise you do.You do.Stay weird,stay different.And then when it's your turn and you're standing on this stage,please pass the same message to the next person who comes along."
5. Two years ago,I distinctly recall Eddie 'Marius' Redmayne with the ensemble of Les Misérables at the Oscars chorusing a medley of songs on-stage from the film which was showered with nominations and awards.And two years later,behold this young lad's moment had arrived as he took home no less than the Best Actor trophy for The Theory Of Everything! Wow!!
No doubt, Eddie 'Hawking' Redmayne well deserved the Best Actor Oscar for reprising the life of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything and fellow nominee,Michael Keaton was the next best bet to win the award for his performance in Birdman,a comeback role that so closely mirrored the rise and fall of his own public image.(B for Birdman and...Batman too!),however the moment that everyone missed was when the lens captured Michael Keaton slipping his acceptance speech into his jacket after losing out to Eddie Redmayne. We missed that speech...I'm sure it would have been yet another inspiring one to add to the list of rousing speeches that touched our hearts since this was Keaton's first Oscar nomination in his career spanning almost four decades in Hollywood.
To view the complete list of winners, click Here.
To view the complete list of winners, click Here.
All in all,the Oscars was one spectacular ceremony laced with some glamorous red carpet fashion we witnessed(Lupita Nyong'o's pearly gown was the scene-stealer of the evening...it won hands-down!) and it just keeps getting grander each passing year!Psst...can't call it star-studded though...where were the regulars like Leonardo DiCaprio, George Clooney,Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence,Tom Hanks etc? Anyone?
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Hope you enjoyed reading this month's post as I recounted both the light-hearted and the many inspiring moments from this years Oscars! Do share your thoughts in the comments section of this post.Until then take care and ciao!
Love,
Sonyaa
1 comment:
Hello Sonyaa, I always love to read your Oscar review. A Wonderful re-cap of this years Oscars.
But what shocked me was the missing Oscars for Selma!!! I am not sure why it happened???
Finally, I wholeheartedly support Jim Carrey as the host next year that should be in a class by itself.
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