ABCAnd...we're done.
Sure, the Kids' Choice Awards are in a few weeks and then the whole rigmarole starts all over again, but with the handing out of the 2015 Oscars last night, the grown-up portion of awards season has officially concluded.
Just as expected, Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, J.K. Simmons and Patricia Arquette are all one Oscar richer. But along with the complete antithesis of surprise in some respects, there was indeed a handful of moments that got the audience (that means you, Meryl Streep and Oprah Winfrey) out of their seats, while at the same time sent our proverbial jaws plummeting:
1. Birdman Rises Above: In the battle between the quirky, supernatural-tinged homage to actors and their torturous process and the literally years-in-the-making tour de force of directing and patience that was Boyhood, it was Birdman that won the night—and how! Not only did it fly off with Best Picture, but Alejandro González Iñárittu topped Richard Linklater for Best Director; the filmmaker and his three partners in scribe out-wrote Wes Anderson for Best Original Screenplay; and Emmanuel Lubezki won for cinematography. (Of course, we all saw that one coming a mile away.) The Grand Budapest Hotel actually tied Birdman with four Oscars, but Anderson really had been favored to notch his first win. He wore his favorite possibly corduroy tux and everything.
2. Patricia Arquette for Prez!: At least that's what Lena Dunham was tweeting after the Boyhood star's expected win for Best Supporting Actress, her umpteenth trophy this season and second in two days (and ultimately Boyhood's only victory of the night). Not every speech can be gold, but Arquette had the likes of Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez veritably howling with pleasure when she declared that now is the time for women to finally get the equal rights they deserve in every respect, including when it comes to collecting a paycheck at the end of the day. So, it's 2015, and it's still entirely necessary for people to get up in front of other people and remind them of that. That doesn't seem quite right...
3. Everybody Cries: Speaking of things that are powerful, poignant and necessary—and yet, when you remember that it's the 21st century and you realize how so many people just don't get it, you get sad... If anyone thought that John Legend and Common's performance of the nominated song "Glory" from Selma was going to be just another performance in a long line of them (they just did it two weeks ago at the Grammys, too!), they had another thing coming. The duo, who moments later collected the Oscar for Best Original Song, brought the house to its knees—metaphorically speaking because, in reality, everyone stood up—and there didn't seem to be a dry eye in the house. Chris Pine and David Oyelowo proved that boys may not cry, but men do. And it can be a beautiful thing.
4. The Hills Come Alive: First of all, good for Lady Gaga. Picked to helm the 50th anniversary tribute to The Sound of Music (yup, 50 years old, no big deal), we thought she made a crackerjack Fraulein Maria, belting out the medley of Rodgers and Hammerstein classics like nobody's business. But...it was one person's business. In what was perhaps the only true surprise of the night (sorry, NPH, we saw through your magical box trick), out walked Julie Andrews to deservedly share the spotlight. Good lord, she's a goddess.
5. Sean Penn Is Briefly Mistaken for a Horrible Creep: In retrospect, it still was mildly inappropriate to turn the presentation of the Best Picture Oscar into an inside joke between him and one other person, but we do know that Penn meant no ill will when he cracked, after opening the envelope but before announcing the winner: "Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?" And don't forget the pause for effect! So, that was pretty weird, but Penn and Iñárittu are longtime pals, the former starring in the latter's English-language breakthrough 21 Grams. Big hugs, etc. etc. "I found it hilarious," the filmmaker said backstage of Penn's, um...joke.