Actors show off musical talent at 85th Oscars event

By KATIE ROPER

The eighty-fifth Academy Awards aired live on Sunday, Feb. 24, from the Dolby Theatre in Las Angeles, Calif. This year marked the official rebranding of the event as “The Oscars.” Hosted by comedian Seth MacFarlane, Sunday’s show focused on the theme of music in film.

The show paid tribute to movies with outstanding soundtracks by having live performances of classic numbers from several films. Performances included Catherine Zeta-Jones singing “All That Jazz,” from the musical “Chicago,” Jennifer Hudson singing “And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going,” from “Dreamgirls,” and the complete main cast of “Les Misérables,” performing a medley from the nominated film. Other musical appearances included Dame Shirley Bassey, Norah Jones, Barbra Streisand and Adele, who later in the evening won Best Original Song for “Skyfall.”

Many of 2012’s best movies and performances were recognized by the Academy during this evening of glitz and glamour. Christoph Waltz from “Django Unchained” took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, while Anne Hathaway from “Les Misérables” won Best Supporting Actress. Best Actor went to Daniel Day-Lewis for “Lincoln,” and the award for Best Actress was given to Jennifer Lawrence for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Upon winning the award, Lawrence tripped while making her way up the stage. The crowd responded with a standing ovation. Lawrence responded by saying, “You guys are just standing up ‘cause I fell and that’s embarrassing. Thank you,” and went on to give a heartwarming acceptance speech.

Other big winners of the night included “Life of Pi,” which took home four awards, and “Argo,” which took home three awards, including Best Picture. “Les Misérables” received three; “Django Unchained” and “Skyfall” both won two awards.

In terms of fashion, this year’s Oscars did not fail to disappoint. At the top of the best-dressed list was winner Lawrence, who donned a pale pink Christian Dior couture ball gown. Nominee Jessica Chastain in Giorgio Armani and Amy Adams in Oscar de la Renta also wowed viewers in their elegant ensembles.

Despite Hathaway’s Oscar-winning acting, her Prada gown was unflattering and awkward, causing her to receive a bid for worst dressed. Other people on the worst-dressed list included Helen Hunt wearing H&M and Helena Bonham-Carter.

Some surprises of the night included a tie for the same award in the category of sound editing. This award went to Paul N.J. Ottosson for “Zero Dark Thirty” and Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers for “Skyfall.” This is the sixth time in Oscar history that award results have been tied. However, the biggest surprise of the night was an appearance by First Lady Michelle Obama. Obama appeared via Skype from the White House to present the award for Best Picture to winners Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov of “Argo.”

Other highlights of the evening included an opening dance number featuring Channing Tatum and a shorthaired Charlize Theron. The two appeared to be channeling Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers, and were followed by an uncoordinated tap dance by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Radcliffe and MacFarlane.