The best was indeed saved for last at the 85th annual Academy Awards, which marked the end of the awards season.
The Oscars have experienced several changes over the years. The award show that was once known for being conservative has undergone an extreme makeover to attract a younger audience, even though celebs were warned beforehand to dress appropriately. This year, the Academy called upon Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane to host the evening.
Some of the most important moments of the night came from the highly anticipated and popular categories including Best Director, Best Picture and Best Actor and Actress. Ang Lee beat out the legendary Lincoln director Steven Spielberg for Best Director for the mind bending Life of Pi. Academy Award vet Daniel Day-Lewis scored his third Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lincoln. Day-Lewis played the 16th President of the United States and recounts the struggles he faced during the last few months of his life.
Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for his role as bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. Anne Hathway took home Best Supporting Actress for her role as Fantine in Les Miserables and Jennifer Lawrence scored her first Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Silver Linings Playbook.
As Lawrence approached the stage, full of excitement to give her acceptance speech, the starlet fell up the stairs. Her press conference after the ceremony also caused a stir among the press due to her honest manner along with her displaying the middle finger at a group of photographers.
To some, MacFarlane did a decent job hosting the ceremony and kept the audience entertained. On the other hand, critics believe he could have been funnier and more tasteful with his jokes while holding off on the offensive comments.
Beside his jokes, MacFarlane also engaged in a few musical numbers that name-dropped several celebrities including William Shatner and Lincoln Best Supporting Actress nominee Sally Fields. MacFarlane’s teddy bear creation also Ted made an appearance as well.
First Lady Michelle Obama closed the night presenting the award for the highly competitive category of Best Picture. The Ben Affleck-directed Argo took the honors, beating out films such as Amour and Beast of the Southern Wild.
Throughout the night, the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films was celebrated with a video tribute. Halle Berry, a former Bond girl herself, called the music featured in the films “a genre all its own”. The montage wrapped up with a stunning performance by Shirley Bassey, who sang the title track from 1964’s Goldfinger.
