The Oscars clocked in at three hours and 40 minutes on Sunday night, so no judgment if you went to bed or tuned out pretty early. Here are 15 things you missed from the show:
* “Budapest” scored early, “Birdman” finished strong.
Both “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Birdman” won four Oscars, but Wes Anderson’s colorful adventures in the imaginary realm of Zubrowka took home the early awards, mainly for look-and-feel categories, including best production design, costume design, original score and hair and makeup. “Birdman, ” meanwhile, dominated the higher profile awards towards the end of the lengthy ceremony. Writer-director Alejandro González Iñárritu took three trips to the podium: for best director, best original screenplay and best picture. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki also won.
From Patricia Arquette's booming speech to an emotional performance of "Glory" from the film "Selma, " here are the highlights from this year's Oscars. (Nicki DeMarco/The Washington Post)
* Patricia Arquette got political.
While picking up her best supporting actress trophy for “Boyhood, ” Arquette suddenly got serious.
“To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights, ” she announced. “It is our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America!” That led to this amazing moment:
* What about “Boyhood”?
Richard Linklater’s 12-year project was considered a potential front-runner in multiple categories, including best picture and director. But “Birdman” shut out the coming-of-age drama in those categories, leaving “Boyhood” with Arquette winning the movie’s lone award.
* “Everything Is Awesome” wakes up the audience.
The audience was starting to snooze as the show began to present the less-glam categories, and then, suddenly there’s Andy Samberg rapping in a powder blue tuxedo. The manic performance from “The Lego Movie” theme song (performed by Tegan and Sara and Samberg’s Lonely Island) featured all kinds of guest stars, including Will Arnett as Batman and Questlove. And this image:
* John Travolta had another memorable Oscars.
But this year, it wasn’t for misspeaking. He was able to say Idina Menzel’s name with no problem, but he happened to do it — before introducing the award for best original song — while caressing her face in an uncomfortably handsy way. He also got fresh with Scarlett Johansson on the red carpet, giving her a kiss on the cheek while resting his hand on her belly.
* Terrence Howard either got extremely emotional or was stymied by a broken teleprompter.
While introducing clips from three of the best picture contenders, the “Empire” star seemed to get choked up about “The Imitation Game.” Taking a moment to shake his head, he started, “our next film is amazing … I’m blown away right now myself.” And then, he either managed to pull himself together and get over his love for code-breaker Alan Turing, or the teleprompter started working again, at which point he continued with his presentation.
* Speaking of emotions, “Glory” brought down the house.
When Common and John Legend performed their song from “Selma, ” which went on to win best original song, the tears started flowing. Chris Pine, David Oyelowo and Jessica Chastain were all caught wiping their eyes.
* Lady Gaga sang a “Sound of Music” medley.
There was plenty of secrecy surrounding Lady Gaga’s promised performance during the Oscars telecast. What could she possibly be singing? And would Tony Bennett be involved? The answer was unexpected: a medley in honor of the 50-year anniversary of “The Sound of Music, ” which won best score in 1965. She performed “The Hills Are Alive, ” “Edelweiss, ” “My Favorite Things” and “Climb Every Mountain.” Julie Andrews then came onstage to present this year’s best score Oscar (to Alexandre Desplat for “The Grand Budapest Hotel”) and the audience got very excited. Maybe she should host next year. “It’s hard to believe that 50 years have gone by, ” she said. “How lucky can a girl get?”
