Yep, back again, picks are up with moments to spare, and I am back to live blog the entire event.
More after the a quick song and dance number.
5:30 NPH is out, and off to a singing start. I knew there would be singing, but NPH said one joke before going into songs. The number is about movies, and involves Anna Kendrick and Jack Black. It’s pretty cool, but honestly about what I expect from NPH at this point.
5:36 Nice ending with the silhouette of NPH looking like the Oscar. Predictable or not it was a solid musical number.
5:38 First award is Best Supporting Actor. Lupita Nyong’o is out to give the statue. This is kind of silly let’s just give the award to JK Simmons already.
5:42 And there we go. JK Simmons for the win. Well-deserved indeed. Time for a Whiplash Jello shot.
5:46 Gag about NPH’s Oscar pick being under lock and key, which is interesting if nothing else.
5:50 First best song nominee is Adam Levine singing “Lost Star” so time for a break.
5:56 Jennifer Lopez and Chris Pine are out for Excellence in Costume Design. The Grand Budapest Hotel picks up what will probably be many awards for the art awards. Well deserved. 2 for 2 so far.
5:59 Milena Canonero thanks Wes Anderson for helping make the film so Wes Anderson may be this year’s Christopher Nolan, who everyone thanks constantly when they win awards for their films.
6:01 Reese Witherspoon is out for Excellence in Make Up. Another win for The Grand Budapest Hotel. The Wes Anderson lovefest continues during Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier thank you spree.
6:03 Channing Tatum is up to present the Teen Oscar Search Winners. Good for them. Have fun giving out those Oscars (also I kind of hate all of you).
6:09 Chiwetel Ejiofor and Nicole Kidman is out for Best Foreign Language Film. The winner is Ida so that makes me 4 for 4. Let’s see how long that keeps up. Always funny that these awards go to the country and not the filmmaker.
6:11 The director is rather flustered, and but gives a nice list of thank you before he is played off… or not as he actually talks until the music actually stops. That was amazing. They had to play him off a second time. Apparently the key is to talk about a tragic past, and trust that they don’t have the balls to actually cut you off. Bravo. Bravo.
6:13 More Best Picture introductions… Moving along. Though I do appreciate that they are grouping the films together to make this part quicker.
6:15 NPH is walking through the crowd, and commenting on seat fillers and Steve Carell. Pretty funny stuff.
6:17 Now time for “Everything is Awesome” with Lonely Island Boys and Tegan and Sara. It goes as amazingly as you would expect.
6:18 Oh man they are giving out lego Oscars this really is awesome. Oooh Batman cameo.
6:19 That was everything I could have wanted.
6:24 NPH is back with a Lego Oscar, and he introduces Kerry Washington and Jason Bateman. Time for Live Action Short. And it’s The Phone Call pretty predictable. The directors give a pretty funny speech about donuts, and belatedly thank the academy. Another group talks through the music. Apparently the key is just never stop talking, and the music gives up.
6:28 Documentary Short Time: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1. So yeah double hotlines for the win. Okay the dress on one of the directors is amazing. Nice heartfelt speech. Simple, and effective. Oh they tried to play them off, but once again the mention of suicide brought that to a halt. I hate the play off music at these shows so this is awesome (well except for the fact that it generally is because of suicide).
6:31 Viola Davis is out to discuss the Governor’s Awards. Sigh these should really be in the main show, but fine. If nothing else another Oscar for Miyazaki is always who sent some major shade at non pen and paper animated movies so touche.
6:34 NPH is back to discuss how awesome British people are. Then he makes a brilliant joke about David Oyelowo getting snubbed.
6:35 Gwyneth Paltrow is out to present “I’m Not Going to Miss You” Glenn Campbell’s song from I’ll Be Me.
6:36 Tim McGraw is doing his best to honor Glenn Campbell, and does a pretty good job, but it’s hard to follow “Everything is Awesome.”
6:42 NPH is back, and The Oscars do the same skit as the Spirit Awards, but with NPH only in his underwear. Got to give him credit for his commitment.
6:44 Margot Robbie and Miles Tellar are out to talk about the Scientific and Technical Awards that get their own show because the Academy doesn’t care about them. They don’t even get Oscars they just get certificates and plaques.
6:45 Now Sienna Miller and Chris Evans are out for the sound awards. Sound Mixing is up first. Can Whiplash pull this off or should I have just played it safe with American Sniper?
6:46 Whiplash for the win! 7 for 7!
6:48 Yeah, these guys are not used to this, but still solid speeches. They just beat the music. Next up is Sound Editing. I went safe this time with American Sniper, but is Birdman going to swoop in?
6:49 American Sniper it is. Efficient speech. Beat the music again.
6:50 Here comes Best Supporting Actress with Jared Leto to present. Meryl Streep gets special shout outs as always. This is Patricia Arquette’s to lose so let’s see if there is any surprises.
6:54 Nope. Well deserved win. Wouldn’t have been my top choice, but she is great in the movie. She has given so many of these speeches that at this point she seems good with just thanking every person possible. Wow, nevermind she just started talking about ending wage inequality between men and women so good job. Great speech.
7:00 Josh Hutcherson is out to present Rita Ora singing “Grateful” from Beyond the Lights so time for a food break.
7:03 Chloe Grace Moretz and Ansel Elgort are out to present the Visual Effects Award. Strong category, but feels like Interstellar should win.
7:04 Yep, wave world for the win. I find that win you discover breakthroughs in physics making a movie you deserve at least one Oscar.
7:06 Time for Kevin Hart and Anna Kendrick to present Animated Short. I feel like this where my streak ends.
7:07 Yep, I really loved The Dam Keeper so I went with it, but I really did sense Feast would win. Well-deserved still though.
7:09 Zoe Saldana and The Rock are out to present Best Animated Film. Time for HTTYD2 to win.
7:11 Wow! First huge surprise of the night. Big Hero 6 wins, and this is a pretty terrible decision. Disney may have gained Pixar status, and can just win for showing up. Very sad indeed.
7:12 Winners are very gracious, and gives a great speech. Also nice shout out to drunken animators. 10 out 12 so far. Back after American Sniper jello shot.
7:17 President of the Academy is out, and everyone is looking at their phones.
7:20 Chris Pratt and Felicity Jones are out for Production Design. The Grand Budapest Hotel looks to complete the art sweep, and… it does. More love for Wes Anderson. Very goodnight for The Grand Budapest Hotel so far. It won’t last, but nice start nonetheless.
7:23 Idris Elba and Jessica Chastain are out for Cinematography. Emmanuel Lubezki momentum continues as he wins for the second time in two years so hurray! 11 for 13.
7:30 Meryl Streep is out to talk as mandated by all… Oh man, she’s doing the In Memoriam.This year is going to be a pretty difficult one. Streep is the right person to bring proper gravitas to this at least.
7:35 Yep, that was as depressing as I expected it to be. Toast to the fallen you will all be missed.
7:36 Jennifer Hudson is out to sing after everyone is shown. I am so glad the Oscars have kept to the singing being after the video presentation. It work so much better, and keeps the focus of things were it belongs.
7:39 She nailed it as to be expected.
7:43 Benedict Cumberbatch is out with Naomi Watts for Achievement in Film Editing. Whiplash continues its late surge for the win. So that makes me 11 for 14 my second place winner is the correct place again. Nice speech from Tom Cross oooh almost beat the music.
7:46 Terrence Howard is out to talk about Whiplash, Imitation Game, and Selma.
7:49 Jennifer Anniston and David Oyelowo are out after another nice jab from NPH about their snubbing to present the reward for Best Documentary. CitizenFour has dominated this category will it continue… Yep.
7:51 Classy speech.
7:57 Octavia Spencer is out to present Common and John Legend’s “Glory” from Selma.
8:02 Huge ovation for John Legend and Common. If “Glory” doesn’t win the audience may riot.
8:03 NPH back to take shots at John Travolta because it never gets old. Idina Menzel is out with John Travolta!!! Bringing everything full circle. Wait this just got creepy. John Travolta is being a good sport though considering.
8:06 Glory is the winner. Good choice, and the crowd loves it. I wonder how much Common will let John Legend talk?
8:07 Quite a bit actually though considering how good his speech was Common could have just kept talking. John Legend talks about incarcerations in America, and the crowd gives them a standing ovation.
8:12 Scarlett Johansson is out to finally reveal what Lady GaGa is doing for the show. The answer is The Sound of Music tribute.
8:16 Always nice to be reminded Lady Gaga can actually sing.
8:20 Oooh, nice touch Julie Andrews is there to congratulate Lady Gaga, and present for presumedly Best Score.
8:22 Yep, let’s see… Finally a win for Desplat for The Grand Budapest Hotel about time. More thanks for Wes Anderson, and other lovely thanks. Lubezki finally wins last your and Desplat finally wins as well so hopefully at some point Roger Deakins will finally get a turn.
8:29 Here’s Eddie Murphy presenting for Best Original Screenplay. This will probably be the capper for The Grand Budapest Hotel, but we’ll see. Nope it’s Birdman. A mild upset, but this happens at times when films don’t qualify for the WGAs and thus given incomplete information. Still this could mean something big as a lot of times this award goes to the Big Picture nominee that is not winning anything else. So could this mean big things for Boyhood?
8:34 Time for some Oprah, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I picked Whiplash purely out of spite against The Imitation Game? Will that cost me?
8:35 Yep, I can live with that though. I just couldn’t pick that script. Good speech though, and with a very inspirational message. Just wish his script was a more deserving winner.
8:41 Ben Affleck is out to announce Best Director. Are we heading towards a Birdman sweep or Boyhood’s triumph? Anything else would be a huge surprise… Alejandro G. Iñárritu for the win! Not totally surprised. This seems to suggest that Boyhood is going to shut out by the Birdman train, which seems unstoppable at this point. Iñárritu is a great choice as the direction is the one of the better parts of Birdman. Sucks for Linklater whose 12 year journey to Boyhood looks to end in defeat.
8:48 Cate Blanchett is out to present Best Actor in a Leading Role. Will Birdman’s run continue through to Michael Keaton? Or is this still Eddie Redmayne’s year or can Bradley Cooper sneak in?
8:51 And the Oscar goes to… Eddie Redmayne… Birdman‘s runaway train is halted. Redmayne can barely keep it together, and it is exceptionally endearing. Great speech.
8:53 Matthew Mcconaughey is out bearded, and ready to present the Best Actress in a Leading Role. Could there possibly be a surprise this late in the game?
8:57 Nope, Julianne Moore completes the sweep. Good for her. It really is a great performance that is so much more understated than what one would expect.
8:58 After a multitude of speeches this award season, Moore delivers a great speech to finish out her very successful awards season.
9:00 NPH finally pays off his Oscar predictions with a number of predictions about the funny and memorable moments during the night. Worked better than expected.
9:03 Sean Penn is out to announce Best Picture. Is Birdman soaring or can Boyhood make a counterblow? Anything else? No…
9:04 Birdman to complete the sweep. Well-deserved, and a great cap to this film season. History was on Birdman’s side, and it delivered. Too bad for Boyhood, but that’s just what happens. Iñárritu speaks again as does another producer, and Iñárritu is reminded to to thank his wife. Great speech all things considered. NPH prove to be a solid host, who could probably really nail it if he comes back for another.
Well that’s it, I went 18 out of 24 in my predictions so not my best year, but not bad all things considered. Should have been a bit colder with some of my picks. Anyhow, tomorrow I will talk a little more in-depethly about the events of tonight, and tell you what my top ten films were as I bring Oscarathon 2015 to a close.