Cate Blanchett took home Best Actress at the 86th annual Academy Awards on Sunday. The actress won for her celebrated performance in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine, " playing a Manhattan socialite who loses her wealth when her husband is exposed in a Bernie Madoff-esque corruption scandal.
"Sit down, you're too old to be standing, " Blanchett said at the start of her acceptance speech, which followed a standing ovation. Some wondered whether Blanchett would thank Allen amid the brouhaha surrounding his child-abuse allegations, and indeed she did.
Blanchett topped Amy Adams ("American Hustle"), Sandra Bullock ("Gravity"), Judi Dench ("Philomena") and Meryl Streep ("August: Osage County"). This is her second Oscar, following her 2005 Best Supporting Actress win for "The Aviator." She has been nominated an additional four times, for "Elizabeth, " "Notes on a Scandal, " "I'm Not There" and "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."
Blanchett, 44, was declared the category's frontrunner way back in July, when "Blue Jasmine" first opened. Adams gained some momentum in the wake of the "American Hustle" fervor and her subsequent Golden Globe win in the musical or comedy category, but nearly every major pundit kept Blanchett at the top of his or her predictions in what became one of the most straightforward Best Actress contests in recent years.
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That's A Wrap
An historic night for Steve McQueen and "12 Years a Slave, " wins for Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett, Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o, seven Oscars for "Gravity" and no love for "American Hustle." These were your 2014 Oscars. Hope you enjoyed it!
All Right, He Said It
"To that I say alright, alright, alright."
— ThePlaylist (@ThePlaylist) 6 years agoUm?
NO ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT WUT BIGGEST UPSET OF THE NIGHT.
— Christopher Rosen (@chrisjrosen) 5 years agoMatthew McConaughey Wins Best Actor
#truedetectiveseason2 is McCounaughey and his Oscar. He won for his role in "Dallas Buyers Club."
Cate Blanchett Thanked Woody Allen After Winning Her Oscar
She also gave an impassioned plea to Hollywood to acknowledge that people want to see movies with female leads. One of the night's most memorable speeches.
Time For Best Actress!
Will Cate Blanchett thank Woody Allen? Let's find out!
Not The Best They've Ever Done
"American Hustle" has lost seven times, thus far, on Oscar night, including in the Original Screenplay category where Spike Jonze's "Her" took top honors.
