Rises up at Academy Awards
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lifestyle TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2014 ‘12 YearsOSCARS a Slave’ rises up at Academy Awards Director Steve McQueen accepts the Best Picture award for ‘12 Years a Slave’ with (back row) actors Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lupita Nyong’o, screenwriter John Ridley, actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, producers Arnon Milchan, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Anthony Katagas, actress Adepero Oduye and producer Brad Pitt onstage during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2014 in Hollywood, California. — AP/AFP photos erhaps atoning for past sins, night’s top award-winner. Cleaning up in Gandolfini and others. Best documentary attention to their plight. Anti-govern- Hollywood named the brutal, technical categories like cinematography went to the crowd-pleasing backup ment protests have roiled the country in Punshrinking historical drama “12 and visual effects, it earned seven Oscars singer ode “20 Feet From Stardom.” One recent weeks. Years a Slave” best picture at the 86th including best director for Alfonso of its stars, Darlene Love, accepted the annual Academy Awards. Steve Cuaron. The Mexican filmmaker is the cat- award singing the gospel tune “His Eye Is “The Great Beauty” McQueen’s slavery odyssey, based on egory’s first Latino winner. “It was a trans- on the Sparrow”: “I sing because I’m hap- best foreign language Solomon Northup’s 1853 memoir, has formative experience,” said Cuaron, who py/ I sing because I’m free.” Disney’s glob- Italy’s “The Great Beauty” won the been hailed as a landmark corrective to spent some five years making the film al hit “Frozen” won best animated film, Oscar for best foreign language film. In the movie industry’s virtual blindness to and developing its visual effects. “For a lot marking - somewhat remarkably - the accepting the award for his rumination on slavery, instead creating whiter tales like of people, that transformation was wis- studio’s first win in the 14 years of the life and Rome’s decadence, director Paolo 1940 best-picture winner “Gone With the dom. For me, it was the color of my hair.” best animated feature category. (Pixar, Sorrentino thanked his heroes, including Wind.” “12 Years a Slave” is the first best- To his star Sandra Bullock, the sole person which Disney owns, has regularly domi- Federico Fellini, Martin Scorsese and soc- picture winner directed by a black film- on screen for much of the lost-in-space nated.) The film’s hit single, “Let It Go,” cer star Diego Maradona. In her opening, Will Smith, right, presents Brad Pitt with the award for the Best Picture for “12 Years a Slave”. hoped would be a record-setter on the Cinderella of the awards season - won Twitter. (It was: Long before midnight, the best supporting actress for her indelible photo had been retweeted more than 2 impression as the tortured slave Patsey. million times and momentarily crashed It’s the feature film debut for the 31-year- Twitter.) One participant, Meryl Streep, old actress. “It doesn’t escape me for one giddily exclaimed: “I’ve never tweeted moment that so much joy in my life is before!” But in celebrating a movie year thanks to so much pain in someone else’s, roundly considered an exceptionally and so I want to salute the spirit of Patsy deep one, the Oscars fittingly spread the for her guidance,” said Nyong’o. She also awards around. The starved stars of the thanked director Steve McQueen: “I’m Texas AIDS drama “Dallas Buyers Club” certain that the dead are standing about were feted: Matthew McConaughey for you and they are watching and they are Director Steve McQueen, left, celebrates with the cast and crew of ‘12 best actor and Jared Leto for best sup- grateful, and so am I.” John Ridley won (From left) Director Alfonso Cuaron accepts the Best Achievement in Years a Slave’. porting actor. best adapted screenplay for “12 Years a Directing award for ‘Gravity’ from actors Angelina Jolie and Sidney Poitier. maker. “Everyone deserves not just to sur- drama, he said: “Sandra, you are ‘Gravity.’” Slave,” shifting praise to Northup: “Those won best original song. “We’re all just try- DeGeneres gently mocked Hollywood’s vive, but to live,” said McQueen, who ded- But history belonged to “12 Years a ‘The world is round, people!’ are his words. That is his life.” Spike Jonze ing to make films that touch people,” said insularity, referring to the headlines that icated the honor to those, past and pres- Slave,” a modestly budgeted drama pro- McConaughey’s award capped a star- took best original screenplay for his futur- co-director Chris Buck backstage. “Once have swamped the Los Angeles area lately ent, who have endured slavery. “This is duced by Brad Pitt’s production company, tling career turnaround, a conscious redi- istic romance “Her,” the category Russell in a while, you get lucky.” with a slightly less serious news event. the most important legacy of Solomon Plan B, that has made $50 million world- rection by the actor to tack away from the had the best chance of winning. “It has been raining,” said DeGeneres. Northup.” The normally reserved wide - a far cry from the more than $700 romantic comedies he regularly starred Thinking of Ukraine and Venezuela “We’re fine. Thank you for your prayers.” McQueen promptly bounced up and million “Gravity” has hauled in. Ellen in, and move toward more challenging ‘The Wizard of Oz’ tribute Though the Oscar ceremony is usually ABC, which aired the ceremony, hoped down on stage, later matter-of-factly DeGeneres, in a nimble second stint as films. “It sort of feels like a culmination,” Though the ceremony lacked a big a glitzy bubble separate from real-world the drama of a razor-thin best-picture race explaining his joy physically took over: host that seemed designed as an anti- he said backstage. Leto passed around opening number, it had a steady musical happenings, international events were would be enough to entice viewers. The “So, Van Halen. Jump.” A year after cele- dote to the crude humor of Seth his Oscar to members of the press back- beat to it. To a standing ovation, Bono immediately referenced. In his accept- show last year drew an audience of 40.3 brating Ben Affleck’s “Argo” over Steven MacFarlane last year, summarized the stage, urging them to “fondle” it. The and U2 played an acoustic version of ance speech, Leto addressed people in million, up from 39.3 million the year Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” the Academy of academy’s options in her opening mono- long-haired actor, who has devoted him- “Ordinary Love,” from “Mandela: Long Ukraine and Venezuela. “We are here and before when the silent-film ode “The Motion Picture Arts and Sciences opted logue: “Possibility number one: ‘12 Years a self in recent years to his rock band 30 Walk to Freedom.” Pharrell Williams had as you struggle to make your dreams Artist” won best picture. There was a for stark realism over more the plainly Slave’ wins best picture. Possibility num- Seconds to Mars, gravely vowed: “I will Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio dancing in happen, to live the impossible, we’re sense of deja vu Sunday. As she hit the red entertaining candidates: the 3-D space ber two: You’re all racists.” revel tonight.” the aisles with “Happy” from “Despicable thinking of you,” said Leto. Russian state- carpet, “American Hustle” star Jennifer marvel “Gravity” and the starry 1970s Cate Blanchett took best actress for Me 2.” Pink was cheered for her rendition owned broadcaster Channel One Russia Lawrence briefly collapsed in a heap of caper “American Hustle.” DeGeneres’ selfie crashes Twitter her fallen socialite in Woody Allen’s “Blue of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” part of said it would not broadcast the Oscars laughter, just as she tripped ascending DeGeneres presided over a smooth if Jasmine,” her second Oscar. Accepting the a 75th anniversary tribute to “The Wizard live because of the necessity for news the stairs last year to accept best actress ‘Sandra, you are ‘Gravity’ safe ceremony, punctuated by politics, award, she challenged Hollywood not to of Oz.” And Bette Midler sang - what else? coverage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s for “Silver Linings Playbook.”“If you win Those two films came in as the lead- pizza and photo-bombing. Freely circulat- think of films starring women as “niche - “Wind Beneath My Wing” for the in Crimea peninsula. It will instead transmit tonight,” said DeGeneres, “I think we ing nominee getters. David O. Russell’s ing in the crowd, she had pizza delivered, experiences”: “The world is round, peo- memoriam segment - an especially heart- the Oscars early Tuesday morning, local should bring you the Oscar.”No delivery “American Hustle” went home empty- appealing to Harvey Weinstein to pitch in, ple!” she declared to hearty applause. felt one, considering the deaths of Philip time. Venezuelan protesters, via social was needed, as the night belonged to “12 handed, but “Gravity” triumphed as the and gathered stars to snap a selfie she Draped in Nairobi blue, Lupita Nyong’o - Seymour Hoffman, Harold Ramis, James media, urged Oscar winners to bring Years a Slave.”— AP Actress Cate Blanchett accepts the Best Performance by Actor Jared Leto accepts the Best Performance by an Director Steve McQueen poses in the press room with Actor Matthew McConaughey accepts the Best an Actress in a Leading Role award for ‘Blue Jasmine’. Actor in a Supporting Role award for ‘Dallas Buyers the award for best picture for ‘12 Years a Slave’. Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role award for Club’.