This year’s 87th Academy Awards, held on the 22nd of February in Hollywood, was a show-stopping and politically charged event, with the coveted gongs going to Brit actor Eddie Redmayne for ‘Best Actor’ and ‘Birdman’ for ‘Best Picture’.
Four-time nominee Julianne Moore finally won the ‘Best Actress’ award for ‘Still Alice’ while ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ scooped four awards in total.
This was, without a doubt, the most politically charged Oscars night ever with winners of the coveted awards using their acceptance speeches to highlight world causes, which were brought to light through the films they starred in.
Eddie Redmayne dedicated his ‘Best Actor’ award for the Stephen Hawking biography ‘The Theory of Everything’ to “all those people around the world battling motor neurone disease”, before praising Hawkings in particular: “It belongs to one exceptional family: Stephen, Jonathan, Jane and the Hawking children.”
Patricia Arquette, who scooped the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ award for her role in Richard Linklater´s ‘Boyhood’ spoke emotionally about the campaign for equal pay for women.
“To every women who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It´s our time to have wage equality for once and for all, and equal rights to women in America,” she said, fighting to hold back her tears.
Jennifer Lopez was overheard in the audience saying “Yes, go girl!¨ and Meryl Streep gave her a standing ovation.
Next up was ‘Birdman’ director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, who appealed on behalf of Mexican immigrants.
“I just pray they (Mexicans) can be treated with the same dignity and respect of the ones that came before and built this incredible, immigrant nation,” he said.
While this was heartfelt and moving to many, his statement, “Fear is the condom of life. It doesn´t allow you to enjoy anything,” can easily be hailed as the best quote of the night at this year´s Oscars!
His speech prompted an outpouring of praise and pride for Mexico, with the hashtag #VivaMexico and #Inarritu trending on social media. His Oscar win marked the second year in a row a Mexican director has scooped the top prize (Alfonso Cuaron also won for Gravity in 2014).
Elsewhere in the politically motivated night, ‘The Imitation Game’ screenwriter, Graham Moore, spoke movingly about depression and suicide while collecting his Oscar for ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’.
“I tried to commit suicide at 16 and now I’m standing here. I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she doesn’t fit in anywhere. You do. Stay weird. Stay different, and then when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage please pass the same message along,” he said.
He was backed up by the winner of the ‘Best Documentary’ award Dana Perry, who mentioned that her son had killed himself, urging the billions of Oscars watchers to “talk about suicide out loud.”
Moore went on to stand up for equal rights for gays. Referring to the tragic news that Alan Turing (the subject of the film who solved the Enigma Code) was prosecuted for homosexuality and killed himself at the age of 41 in 1954, before ever receiving recognition of cracking the code. Turinghumously for his crime.code. Turing Adapted Screenplay and ha row a Mexican director has scopped the top prize.al media.
e speec´s discovery has been cited as one of the main reasons that the Allied Forces were able to defeat Hitler´s Army. He was eventually pardoned posthumously for his crime.
However Moore put it best backstage, saying: “This was my 45 seconds to go on television and say something, so I thought I might as well use it to say something meaningful.”
So it seems that the majority of Oscars winners used their time in the spotlight to highlight important issues. “Where was all the fun?” we hear you say.
So luckily, it wasn´t all serious as Marbella Rocks highlights the BEST and MOST SCANDALOUS bits from the Awards ceremony and all the GOSSIP from the after parties!
Dakota Johnson ripped into her Mum. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ star Dakota and mother Melanie Griffith were being interviewed on the red carpet, and despite Melanie saying she was proud of her daughter starring in the soft-core BDSM movie, she confirmed that she would not see the film. Dakota retorted, “You can watch it.” Her mum refused so she turned and started swearing. It´s bleeped out but looks like she said “Jesus Christ!” Ouch.
Brit actor and Oscar nominee Benedict Cumberbatch wasn´t best pleased with the “no drinks in the auditorium rule” during the Oscars night and snuck in a hip flask of whisky. The bold actor didn´t even try and disguise it when the cameras panned in on him. Instead he held up his flask as if to say “Cheers!” Proper lad!
Brit Richard Linklater´s film ‘Boyhood’ was beaten by ‘Birdman’ for ‘Best Picture’ and social media and Oscars pundits are calling this “the biggest snub in Oscar´s history”. Linklater´s film was shot over 12 years and shows the trials and tribulations children face growing up. Nominated for six awards (with many expecting it to clear up at this year´s awards) it took home only one for Patricia Arquette in the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ category.
Sir Elton John hosted his annual Oscars viewing party with the likes of Miley Cyrus and Kylie Minogue in attendance. The charity event raised millons for his AIDS Foundation Charity.
Was it the night of the no knickers? ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine held the main Oscars after-party and the majority of female leads changed into something less formal for this. Rumour has it that the plethora of lace and strapless gowns required a lot of female starlets to go commando. Rita Ora, Jennifer Lopez and Heidi Klum´s were the most revealing.
Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris wasn´t a patch on his predecessor Ellen De Generes. He attempted a rather out there joke on all the “very white” list of award nominees saying, “Tonight, we honour America´s best and whitest. Sorry, brightest.”
Luckily it got better for the comedian and actor when he decided to strip down to his underwear to honour Michael Keaton´s character in ‘Birdman’ revealing a rather gorgeous and toned body and proving he´s game for a laugh.
THE FULL OSCARS 2015 WINNERS LIST
Best Picture
Winner: Birdman
Missed out:
‘American Sniper’
‘The Imitation Game’
‘Selma’
‘Boyhood’
‘The Theory of Everything’
‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
‘Whiplash’
Best Actor
Winner: Eddie Redmayne, ‘The Theory of Everything’
Missed Out:
Steve Carell, ‘Foxcatcher’
Michael Keaton, ‘Birdman’
Bradley Cooper, ‘American Sniper’
Benedict Cumberbatch, ‘The Imitation Game’
Best Actress
Winner: Julianne Moore, ’Still Alice’
Missed Out:
Marion Cotillard, ‘Two Days, One Night’
Reese Witherspoon, ‘Wild’
Rosamund Pike, ‘Gone Girl’
Felicity Jones, ‘The Theory of Everything’
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: J.K. Simmons, ‘Whiplash’
Missed Out
Robert Duvall, ‘The Judge’
Mark Ruffalo, ‘Foxcatcher’
Ethan Hawke, ‘Boyhood’
Edward Norton, ‘Birdman’
Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Patricia Arquette, ‘Boyhood’
Missed Out
Emma Stone, ‘Birdman’
Laura Dern, ‘ Wild’
Meryl Street, ‘Into the Woods’
Keira Knightley, ‘The Imitation Game’
BEST OF THE REST WINNERS
Best Animated Feature Film
‘Big Hero 6’
Best Cinematography
‘Birdman’
Best Costume Design
‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
Best Director
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, ‘Birdman’
Best Documentary Feature
‘CitizenFour’
Best Documtary Short Subject
‘Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1’
Best Film Editing
‘Whiplash’
Best Foreign Language Film
‘Ida’
Best Make-up and Hairstyling
‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
Best Music
‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
Best Music Original Song
‘Everything Is Awesome’ from ‘The Lego Movie’
Best Production Design
‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’
Best Short Film Animated
‘The Bigger Picture’
Best Visual Effects
‘Interstellar’
Best Adapated Screenplay
‘The Imitation Game’
Best Original Screenplay
‘Birdman’
Best Short Film
‘The Phone Call’
Best Sound Editing
‘American Sniper’
Best Sound Mixing
‘Whiplash’
