This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NYU chapter.
There is a reason that the Academy Awards are known as Hollywood’s biggest night. The stars are all out in full-force to celebrate the greatest cinematic contributions of the past year. And the 86th annual award ceremony this weekend did not disappoint. Comedian and talk show host Ellen Degeneres returned for a repeat performance hosting the show, and proved once again why she was a stellar choice.
Here are a look at our top 10 favorite moments from 2014 Oscars.
1) Do you ever look at all of the stars congregated in the Dolby Theatre and think, “Gee, they look a little hungry to me?” Well host Ellen Degeneres did, and in one of the highlights of the award ceremony, she ordered pizza for the crowd. Though only bringing three pies for the star-studded pack, she made sure to share with her famous friends, getting everyone from Brad and Angie to Martin Scorsese to Jared Leto’s Mom in on the action. And let’s not forget the napkin-hunting Harrison Ford. Ellen even continued the riff later in the telecast, walking around with Pharrell’s old Grammy’s hat collecting the fare and tip money for one very lucky pizza delivery boy.
2) 2014 was the year of the Mom. Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jared Leto all brought their Moms as their awards show date. As if that wasn’t preciuos enough, Jared even gave a moving tribute to his mother for making him the man he is today and owing his win to her. While we all not have Academy Awards yet, the show definitely made us want to pick up the phone and tell our own Moms thanks for everything they have done and sacrificed for us.
3) Meryl Streep let loose, showing how “Happy” she was with Pharrell Williams. Meryl is one of the most well-respected stars in Hollywood, and known for her adaptability in mostly dramatic roles, so it was nice to see her having fun with one of the most infectious songs. Other nominees he danced with? Winner Lupita Nyung’o and “American Hustle” star Amy Adams.
4) The Wizard of Oz turns 75 years old this year, and the Oscars paid a tribute to the iconic film, featuring a performance from P!nk and emotional cameos from Judy Garland’s children Liza Minelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft. But the highlight may have come after the tribute when Ellen masqueraded as everyone’s favorite good witch, Glinda, complete with wand, crown, and four foot wide pink ballgown. Not to be left out, presenter Whoopi Goldberg got in on the fun as well, lifting up her floor length dress to reveal the Wicked Witch of the East’s striped tights and her modern take on Dorothy’s famous ruby red slippers.
5) Another classic moment of the evening came courtesy of presenter John Travolta. Travolta, a self-professed fan of musical theatre, and a triple threat known for his starring turn in some of the most classic movie musicals like Grease and Hairspray, seemed like the perfect fit to announce the most hotly anticipated performance of the night – Idina Menzel singing the Disney phenomenon “Let It Go.” But instead, he gave us one of the most meme-worthy introductions, setting Twitter ablaze, when he opened the stage to “Adela Dazeem.” But don’t worry. If you loved her performance of the Academy Award winning Frozen hit last night, you can follow her on Twitter.
6) As in annual tradition, the Oscars are always a fantastic night for NYU alums! Most notably this year, director/producer Steve McQueen won with his film 12 Years A Slave. But virtually every nominated show including The Wolf of Wall Street, Captain Phillips, Frozen, Her, American Hustle, and Dallas Buyers Clubs all had NYU alums nominated in some capacity. Plus, how incredible does it feel to go to a school that produced some of the most prolific Hollywood talent every year?
7) Bette Midler gave a gorgeously moving tribute to the stars Hollywood lost this year, with mega-wattage the likes of Shirley Temple, Annette Funicello, Sid Caesar, James Gandolfini, and so many more with an emotional rendition of her Beaches song “Wind Beneath My Wings.” The theatrical performance validated why Bette Midler is still one of the most talented performers and vocal powerhouses in Hollywood, and one of the original pop divas. Plus, for those of us who missed her ending message to the audience after ABC cut her off mid “I feel like…” she confided in the rest of us that she said she felt like she just won the Olympics after receiving a rousing standing ovation from the star-studded crowd.
8) The song that everyone can’t stop singing: from adorable toddlers to morning show anchors to Midwest traffic men, won Disney another Academy Award for Best Original Song. Not that anyone was surprised. But the cutest part may have been the husband and wife composer team’s adorable musical acceptance speech, rhyming all of their thankees’ names. (It’s fate that the film stars Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell.) The precious couple even thanked their two daughters who both had speaking roles in the film. And this Oscar marks a full EGOT package for composer Robert Lopez who co-created The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q. But most of all, now we can’t stop thinking about how badly we want Frozen 2!
9) It might have been the night of the Academy Awards, but the telecast still featured footage from the Honorary Academy Awards, the 5th Annual Governor Awards that honored Steve Martin, Angela Lansbury, and Piero Tosi, plus Humanitarian Award winner Angelina Jolie back in November. It is great to see lifetime achievers recognized for all of their contributions to the entertainment industry over the span of their careers, as well as people giving back to the community and using their fame and platform for good. Plus, Humanitarian winner Angelina Jolie presented with screen legend Sidney Poitier. Guess who is coming to dinner at the Jolie-Pitt household next? We want a seat at that dinner table.
10) From the iconic group shot that has since been retween over 2 million times, to Ellen’s “bestie” pic with Liza Minelli, and Sofia Vergara and Lady Gaga posing together at an after party, the 86th Annual Academy Awards was definitely the year of the selfie.