After the excitement and bright lights of the red carpet turned into a memory for anxious actors and actresses, Ellen DeGeneres comedically opened the 86th Academy Awards on ABC.
According to the official Oscars site, DeGeneres previously hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007 in which she earned a Primetime Emmy for her performance. In addition, she has won 10 Daytime Emmy Awards for her time on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Sophomore Hailey Villa actively watches The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so she was excited when she found out that Ellen had the opportunity to host the awards.
“I thought she was hysterical,” said Villa. “I love her show, so I think that she was a great choice for the host.”
At 8:30 eastern time, leading ladies and heartthrobs alike gathered in Dolby’s Theatre in Los Angeles to celebrate a year of terrific movies. The past winners of an Oscar such as Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook and Meryl Streep for The Iron Woman were in the attendees’ minds. New faces, like Chiwetel Ejiofor from 12 Years a Slave, jittered in their seats waiting for their category to be announced.
As entertainment for the night, multiple note-worthy artists made appearances. P!nk, Adele, U2, and Pharrell were among the talent that added to the extravagance of the Oscars. Their performances commemorated the best movies of the year and public figures Nelson Mandela and Judy Garland.
Senior Bryna Mullins watched the Oscars to see if her favorites, like Leonardo DiCaprio, won the awards, but as she watched, she enjoyed the various performances.
“Bette Midler did a really good job as always,” said Mullins. “P!nk had a good toned-down song too.”
Since there were so many great performances on screen, the nominations made for formidable competition (via LA Times). Nominees “campaigned” on both daytime and nighttime talk shows trying to promote their movie.
“I thought it was tough competition,” said Mullins. “It wasn’t obvious [who would win].”
Awards for supporting actor, supporting actress, best actor, best actress, best animated feature film, and best picture were presented along with awards for writing, costuming, producing, and other various awards.
Anne Hathaway presented Jared Leto with the award for best supporting actor against Barkhad Abdi, Jonah Hill, Bradley Cooper, and Michael Fassbender. Leto played Rayon in Dallas Buyer’s Club.
Sally Hawkins, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, June Squibb, and Lupita Nyong’o made the “best supporting actress” category one to be reckoned with. Lupita Nyong’o came on top in the end for her performance in 12 Years A Slave as a determined young woman. Nyong’o’s acceptance speech encouraged people, no matter their background, to dream.
Junior Allison Moltz watched the awards with her neighbor, sophomore Laura Willem, and was excited to see Nyong’o win.
“[Nyong’o] looked so pretty,” said Moltz. “She was very grateful, and she had a nice speech.”
This year produced some animated movies worth noting as well. Frozen, Despicable Me 2, The Croods, The Wind Rises, and Ernest & Celestine captivated adults as well as children. Frozen ultimately won the Oscar, and the three producers noted their inspirations for the film in their acceptance speech. Later in the show, cast member Idina Menzel performed “Let it Go” from the Frozen soundtrack, and Frozen racked up other awards for its music.
The best actor of the night was Matthew McConaughey. He beat out Christian Bale, Bruce Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Leonardo DiCaprio for the golden award. McConaughey had dedicated himself to the role by losing almost 70 pounds in Dallas Buyer’s Club.
“I’m proud of Matthew McConaughey,” said Moltz. “He usually does romantic comedies, so it was a nice change.”
Amy Adams, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, and Sandra Bullock were all nominated for best actress. Blanchett, who starred in Blue Jasmine, won the award. Blanchett graciously thanked her nominees in her acceptance speech.
Finally, the award for best picture was presented. American Hustle, Nebraska, Captain Phillips, Philomena, Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Her were celebrated by being nominated. There had been speculation about which one would win, as with every year. After much suspense, 12 Years A Slave was announced best picture of the year. An emotional acceptance from the cast and creators followed since the film touched the hearts and souls of millions.
From the red carpet to the stairs leading to the prestigious stage, the 86th Academy Awards made for a memorable night. Ellen and other Hollywood stars took a “selfie” that got so many retweets that it crashed Twitter. Also, she ordered pizza in the middle of the show and paid the delivery man a tip of one thousand dollars. For video highlights from the entire night visit CBS News.
