Oscars recap: Full of songs, surprises, snubs

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded its top prize to Ben Affleck’s “Argo” Sunday in a ceremony that was full of surprises.

In a move that went unannounced to the public and press, the Best Picture award was jointly presented by Jack Nicholson and, via satellite from The White House, Michelle Obama.

“Argo,” which was considered an early frontrunner after its theatrical release in October, gained support and, thus, awards momentum after Affleck surprisingly failed to gain a Best Director nomination in January.

Affleck, whose career has seen its fair share of ups and downs, gave a long-winded, heartfelt speech following the win.

“You have to work harder than you think you possibly can,” Affleck said. “You can’t hold grudges – it’s hard, but you can’t hold grudges. And it doesn’t matter how you get knocked down in life; that’s going happen. All that matters is you’ve got to get up.”

After Affleck’s snub in the directing category, many Oscar pundits believed that “Lincoln” director and two-time Best Director Oscar winner Steven Spielberg would be the one to take home the trophy. 

However, it was Ang Lee who received the most votes and won for his direction of the effects-driven “Life of Pi.”

Although “Lincoln” didn’t secure a win in the Best Picture or Best
Director categories, its star, Daniel Day-Lewis, met every expectation by winning the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, presented to him by last year’s Best Actress winner Meryl Streep.

Jennifer Lawrence, who, at 22, is the youngest actress to receive more than one Best Actress nomination, pulled a win for her performance in “Silver Linings Playbook.”

In her speech, given after tripping up on the stairs on her way to the podium, Lawrence wished a happy birthday to fellow nominee Emmanuelle Riva, who, at 86, is the oldest actress ever nominated in the category.

In one of the more surprising victories of the night, Christoph Waltz won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in “Django Unchained,” over heavy favorites like Tommy Lee Jones and Alan Arkin.

Anne Hathaway surprised almost no one when she won the award for Best Actress in a
Supporting Role for her role in “Les Miserables,” beating veteran actresses like Sally Field and Helen Hunt.

An average of 40.3 million viewers, according to the Los Angeles Times, watched as  Seth MacFarlane hosted and the theme of music and film guided viewers between awards.

MacFarlane, Channing Tatum, Charlize Theron, Daniel Radcliffe and Joseph Gordon-Levitt all performed. Musicals were represented by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Hudson and members of the cast of “Les Miserables.”

For the first time in 36 years, Barbra Streisand took the Oscars stage, and musicians such as Norah Jones, Adele, Kristin Chenoweth and Shirley Bassey also had performances.