If you're an aspiring filmmaker, then no doubt the story of Whiplash (which hits Blu-ray and DVD on February 24, 2015) will inspire. Writer-director Damien Chazelle wanted to make a movie about a young jazz drummer who is pushed, perhaps a little bit too hard, toward greatness by a demanding teacher. But there was a catch: Nobody else really wanted to make the movie. Where he saw an intense drama about what it takes to achieve greatness, investors saw a small, simple story about a drummer. A few producers did take notice of his script, but even they had a hard time finding the money for a feature version, so Chazelle instead pulled a scene from his script and shot that as a short film. It then won the Short Film Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film... Read More
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Here are a bunch of little bites to satisfy your hunger for movie culture: In honor of Birdman winning Best Picture (via Jean Julian): The best musical moment from last night, one that brought the audience to tears, was John Legend and Common's performance of "Glory" from Selma: "Stay weird. Stay different." The Imitation Game screenwriter Graham Moore gave the most inspirational speech this year: Remember the disturbance during the acceptance speech for Big Hero 6? That was the movie's voice cast member and future Deadpool co-star T.J. Miller. We barely saw him from down below. Now here's the ceremony from his view: We are... Read More
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Birdman won Best Picture last night, along with three other Oscars. But the honor that fanboys will appreciate more is its reported influence on Hugh Jackman. The actor told Cigar Aficionado that he credits the movie for him wanting to hold on to the role of Wolverine in the X-Men franchise as long as he can. E! Online quotes Jackman from the magazine: "I said to my wife, 'The moral [of Birdman] is that I should never stop playing Wolverine. I've got to find a way to keep playing him until I die.'" In Birdman, of course, Michael Keaton plays a washed up movie star best known for his portrayal of a superhero. He quit after a few installments, and his career apparently went downhill from there. Jackman, who broke out as a performer thanks to... Read More
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During an Oscars night that was mostly fueled by politics -- from Patricia Arquette's moving female-equality speech to Common's powerful "Glory" acceptance speech to Citizenfour winning Best Documentary -- it was The Lego Movie's silent protest that may have stolen the show. The Lego Movie wasn't nominated in the Best Animated Feature category (see all of the night's winners here), and so when it came time for a performance of the film's song, "Everything Is Awesome," which was nominated (but lost to "Glory"), members of the massive ensemble handed out Lego Oscars to a bunch of the celebrities in the audience. Then, for the remainder of the evening, every other shot of a celeb featured them clutching their Lego Oscar... Read More
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When news of a new Spider-Man crossing over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe blew up the Internet a few weeks ago, people briefly lamented that this meant Andrew Garfield would not be returning. And then those same people immediately began fancasting the new Peter Parker. But if a new rumor is right, thinking about Peter Parker might possibly have been a bit of a waste of time. The Wrap's Jeff Sneider revealed during his podcast that he is nearly 100% confident that the next Spider-Man will not be a white actor. And that leaves one big, whopping implication: The next Spider-Man won't be Peter Parker. If that's a bit confusing, then you may not know about Miles Morales, the young black hispanic man who took up the mantle of Spider-Man after Peter Parker died... Read More
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Perhaps the most memorable part of this year's Academy Awards ceremony (see a full list of the winners here) came right up front with a fantastic (and hilarious) opening song-and-dance number from host Neil Patrick Harris, with assistance from Anna Kendrick and Jack Black. In case you missed it, watch below. What some may not know is that Frozen songwriters Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez wrote the numbers, titled "Moving Pictures," and they shared the tongue-twisty lyrics -- which paid tribute to the movies while also poking fun at old and new Hollywood cliches -- with Playbill. Check 'em out below. Currently the Lopez duo is reportedly working hard on both the Frozen Broadway musical and sequel, though a number like this reminds us that the... Read More
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Mission: Impossible 5: Tom Cruise stars in the upcoming Mission: Impossible 5, which recently had its release date moved forward to July 31. But does the action thriller need a new ending? A recent report claimed production shut down for "a week or so... because the film's ending was deemed unsatisfactory," adding that writer/director Christopher McQuarrie would be working "with a writer friend whose identity remains a mystery." However, McQuarrie himself appeared to quash the rumor via social media. [The Hollywood Reporter/Twitter] The Magnificent Seven: Haley Bennett has landed the female lead in The Magnificent Seven, the upcoming new version of the 1960 original, itself an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Bennett will reteam... Read More
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The comedy community is still reeling from the shocking loss of writer, producer, and performer Harris Wittels, who died of a suspected drug overdose last week at the age of 30. Now Wittels, who was an executive producer on departing NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation," is set to receive a tribute from his former co-workers.
Deadline reports that this week's series finale of the beloved show will include a nod to Wittels, who also acted on the show in a recurring role as an animal control officer. "The hourlong 'Parks & Rec' series finale will end with a We Love You, Harris message from the cast and crew of the show," Deadline said.
No other details about the tribute were provided.
Wittels's sudden passing prompted a huge response from friends, fans, and collaborators, including "Parks" star Aziz Ansari, who considered Wittels one of his best friends. In a lengthy personal essay on his blog, Ansari wrote that he was "devastated" by the loss of Wittels, sharing numerous anecdotes about times when the late comedian made him laugh. "You were one of the best and we all will miss you," Ansari wrote.
The "Parks and Recreation" series finale will air on NBC on Tuesday at 10 p.m.
Emmy nominee Calista Flockhart is returning to TV: She's just snagged a major role in new CBS series "Supergirl."
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Flockhart will play Cat Grant, described by THR as "the self-made media magnate and founder of CatCo. Cat started her career as a reporter and has built her company into a global powerhouse."
"Supergirl" marks Flockhart's first foray into television in almost four years, following the 2011 end of ABC drama "Brothers & Sisters" after five seasons. Flockhart also earned critical acclaim for her run on "Ally McBeal."
Melissa Benoist ("Glee," "Whiplash") will star as the titular superheroine, a.k.a. Kara Zor-El, who works as Cat's assistant. Kara is Superman's cousin, and escaped Krypton in much the same way as her more famous relative, and has been living with a foster family on Earth ever since.
Though she's denied her powers her entire life, 24-year-old Kara eventually comes to terms with her abilities after "an unexpected disaster forces her to use her powers in public," per THR. The synopsis continues:
Energized by her heroic deed, for the first time in her life Kara begins embracing her extraordinary abilities. She begins helping the people of her city, and they soon take notice. She's even given a new moniker: Supergirl.
Laura Benanti ("Nashville") and Mehcad Brooks ("Necessary Roughness," "True Blood") also star. The show is still in the pilot stage; no word yet on when it shoots or when it may be featured on CBS's schedule.
The energetic performance of Best Original Song nominee "Everything Is Awesome!!" from "The LEGO Movie" at last night's Academy Awards was one of the highlights of the show, and the distribution of LEGO-crafted Oscars during the segment was a creative, whimsical touch. Now, the man who created the statuettes has explained how he got involved in making them, and how much he loves their warm reception from Hollywood's A-list.
Nathan Sawaya, an artist known for his work with LEGOs (he's recreated classic pieces including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo using only the toy blocks), had crafted an earlier version of the statuette seen on Sunday night, an image that quickly went viral when "LEGO Movie" co-director Philip Lord tweeted it out after being snubbed in the Best Animated Feature category. But when filmmakers found out that "Awesome" was a nominee, Sawaya said they had some more fun up their sleeves.
"The team behind 'The Lego Movie' approached me. They wanted to do something extra special for the Academy Award performance of best song nominee 'Everything is Awesome,'" Sawaya said in an interview with Crave. "They had seen my earlier version of a Lego Oscar statue, and I was happy to take on the challenge."
Sawaya built 20 statuettes made up of 500 LEGO pieces each -- glued together for structural integrity -- and they were featured prominently in Sunday's performance, used as props by dancers on stage before being distributed to people in the crowd. Among them were Emma Stone, Steve Carell, and Channing Tatum, though Sawaya tweeted that he was especially tickled by Oprah's over-the-top reaction to receiving the statuette.
Stone continued to carry hers around for the rest of the night, while Meryl Streep, Bradley Cooper, and Clint Eastwood had fun posing with the trophies they snagged, too, as seen in this image tweeted by "LEGO" co-director Chris Miller.
All in all, while "The LEGO Movie" didn't receive the award -- or nomination -- it deserved, we're glad to see that everyone involved with the production were good sports, and made the best out of a not-so-awesome situation. And kudos to Sawaya's creativity for inspiring the now-classic bit.
Eddie Redmayne wasn't the only one excited when he took home the Best Actor Oscar at last night's Academy Awards ceremony: Stephen Hawking, the man Redmayne portrayed in "The Theory of Everything," was thrilled, too.
In a Facebook post, Hawking praised Redmayne's win, offering his congratulations to the actor, and adding, "I'm very proud of you."
Hawking had been a vocal supporter of the film, and Redmayne's performance in particular, before, but his praise is no doubt especially appreciated by the newly-minted Oscar winner. In his acceptance speech, Redmayne thanked Hawking, his first wife Jane, and their children for letting him tell their story, and dedicated the statuette to them and to everyone around the globe battling ALS (the disease with which Hawking has been living since the 1960s).
"The Theory of Everything" was nominated for four other Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress.
At a loss for what to watch this week? From new DVDs and Blu-rays, to what's streaming on Netflix, we've got you covered.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
"Beyond the Lights" Writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood's triumphant return is a labor of love worth your love. This romantic drama stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Noni, a self-destructive pop singer who's tired of the limelight and all it entails. An off-duty cop named Kaz (Nate Parker) steps in to save Noni from making a terrible decision, and naturally, they fall for each other hard and fast. Mbatha-Raw and Parker have great chemistry. Plus, Minnie Driver is excellent as Noni's stage mom.
"Watership Down" Martin Rosen's emotionally devastating animated film, based on the novel by Richard Adams, has gotten a spiffy Criterion restoration. There aren't a ton of bells and whistles on this Blu-ray, but those little bunnies have never looked so good.
"Whiplash" J.K. Simmons won an Oscar for his performance as a psycho music instructor who takes on a promising young student named Andrew (Miles Teller). Teller drums like a maniac while Simmons screams in his face and occasionally hurls a cymbal at his head, which doesn't sound nearly as exciting as it really is onscreen.
TV Worth Watching
"Parks and Recreation" (NBC, Tuesday at 10 p.m. EST) Are you ready to say good-bye to the good folks of Pawnee? Of course not! This one-hour finale will require at least a box of Kleenex, all the bacon and eggs you can handle, and a day off to Treat. Your. Self.
"Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce" (Bravo, Tuesday at 10 p.m. EST) Bravo's foray into the world of scripted shows, which stars Lisa Edelstein as a recently dumped self-help writer, has been a big hit. Fans will definitely want to tune in to see the season finale, and get a glimpse of what the second season might hold for our heroine.
"How to Get Away With Murder" (ABC, Thursday at 9 p.m. EST) Last week's episode slayed fans. Is everyone ready for this week's two-hour finale?
New on Netflix
"Housebound" Genre fans and critics went wild for this horror/comedy from New Zealand, about a young woman who's basically on house arrest. The problem, other than moving back in with her family, is that the house might be haunted.
"House of Cards" Clear your schedule for the third season of this Netflix original drama with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. It drops on February 27.
"White Bird in a Blizzard" This indie drama with Shailene Woodley didn't get great reviews, but Gregg Araki fans will want to give it a whirl.
New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital Only
"Maps to the Stars" (iTunes) David Cronenberg's latest takes aim at the glamour and grossness of Hollywood and our obsession with celebrity. Julianne Moore co-stars as a washed-up actress with mommy issues who hires a mysterious young woman (Mia Wasikowska) to work as her assistant. The ensemble cast includes John Cusack, Robert Pattinson, Olivia Williams, and Sarah Gadon. The question is how much Hollywood satire and scatology you can stomach.
"My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn" (iTunes) Director Liv Corfixen gets up close and personal with writer/director Nicolas Refn during the production of "Only God Forgives," his follow-up to the critically beloved "Drive." Corfixen, who is married to Refn, chronicles Refn's anxiety and obsessions, as well as their personal life together.
"Orphan Black" Season Two (Amazon Prime) If you haven't already joined the Clone Club, there's no time like the present. Amazon Prime has an exclusive deal to stream this mind-blowing BBC sci-fi series, and the second season is finally available. Seriously, what are you still doing even reading this?
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With "Birdman's" triumph as Best Picture of 2014, it becomes the fifth lowest-grossing film (for now) to take the top prize with (as of Oscar night) $37,733,000. If "Boyhood" had won, it would have become the lowest-grossing Best Picture winner ever, with just $11,330,000, so far.
Of course, "Birdman" can still see a significant Oscar box office bump, but critical acclaim and boffo box office rarely go together, as this list of the lowest-grossing Best Picture winners in Academy history demonstrates.Since data on movies going back more than a few decades is incomplete, we relied on the number crunching from The Atlantic for box office reports on older films. Additional data via Boxofficemojo.com. Adjusted gross calculated with the US Inflation Adjuster.
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Despite some stand-out moments, we wouldn't call Sunday's 87th Annual Academy Awards the most riveting night in live TV history. Let's just say the reviews for Neil Patrick Harris' hosting job aren't exactly raves. The evening's master of ceremonies started off strong with a captivating song and dance number (accompanied by Anna Kendrick and Jack Black), but he unfortunately dragged when the event went on, as some of his jokes and running gags fell a bit flat. It was a valiant effort, but we personally wouldn't throw Neil's hat in the hosting ring again. Who would we choose to host of the Academy Awards if we had our way? Here are 9 dream picks for future Oscar host hopefuls.
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The real party doesn't start until after the Oscars end.
Once all of the winners were announced and the 2015 Academy Awards ceremony promptly came to close, the stars left the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and ventured out to the most exclusive after-parties in L.A.
From big winners Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore to fellow stars Emma Stone and Ethan Hawke, here are some of the best photos from last night's Oscar party circuit.
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There may have been few surprises among the winners at Sunday night's Academy Awards, but one surprise was how political their speeches were. After all, in recent years, political statements have largely been unwelcome guests at the Dolby Theater.
In past years, artists from Vanessa Redgrave to Richard Gere to Michael Moore have been criticized for using their time at the Oscar podium to raise controversial issues before a worldwide audience. In an evening of glitz, glamour, and self-congratulation, mentioning the sometimes cruel realities of life beyond Hollywood Boulevard makes winners seem like party poopers. Mentioning God, your cast and crew, your spouse and kids, and Harvey Weinstein is fine, but mentioning the plight of migrant farm workers is a little too much reality for the dream factory.
Nonetheless, several winners at the 87th annual Oscar ceremony used their victory speeches to mention causes important to them. Some of those causes were at least relevant to the movies they were being recognized for, and some were not. But in a year when the Academy was taken to task for its dearth of minority nominees, and when actresses used the #AskHerMore hashtag to prompt red-carpet interviewers to ask them about their achievements instead of treating them as walking fashion mannequins, it's understandable that winners would feel encouraged to be more vocal about their politics. Here's what the issue-minded winners had to say; judge for yourself if they did their causes a favor by touting them at the Oscars.
1. Patricia Arquette The "Boyhood" Best Supporting Actress winner ended her speech with calls for wage equality and equal rights for women. Many viewers probably wondered what these issues had to do with her role as a mom in "Boyhood." She did imply a connection between motherhood and her pet issues: "To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights," she said. "It's our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America."
2. Mat Kirkby and James Lucas The Oscar-winning live-action short "The Phone Call" is about a suicide hotline, a topic close to the hearts of filmmakers Kirkby and Lucas. Though Kirkby started his speech with a joke that his Oscar entitled him to a free donut at his favorite bakery, he turned serious, saying, "We'd like to thank all the volunteers around the world in crisis centers who give their time for nothing, including our mums."
3. Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry Kent and Perry won the Best Documentary Short prize for "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1." Director Kent said that the honor "really goes to the veterans and their families who are brave enough to seek help." The topic of suicide is one producer Perry knows all too well; her son Evan killed himself at 15, an event that was the subject of her 2009 film "Boy Interrupted." In her brief remarks on behalf of "Crisis Hotline," Perry said, "We should talk about suicide out loud."
4. Laura Poitras Poitras won the Best Documentary Feature prize for "Citizenfour," chronicling her interview with fugitive National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden. "The disclosures that Edward Snowden reveals don't only expose a threat to our privacy but to our democracy itself," she said. "When the most important decisions being made affecting all of us are made in secret, we lose our ability to check the powers that control. Thank you to Edward Snowden for his courage and for the many other whistleblowers. And I share this with Glenn Greenwald and other journalists who are exposing truth."
5. Common and John Legend When they won Best Original Song for "Glory," their tune from "Selma," both men emphasized that the movie about the civil rights protest in Alabama 50 years ago remains relevant today. Common said that the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where the bloody confrontation depicted in "Selma" took place, is now a symbol of hope. "The spirit of this bridge connects the kid from the South Side of Chicago dreaming of a better life to those in France standing up for their freedom of expression, to the people in Hong Kong protesting for democracy." Legend noted that the Voting Rights Act -- the legislation passed as a result of the Selma march -- was now being weakened (thanks to a 2013 Supreme Court decision that all but overturned the 1965 law). He also observed that America is "the most incarcerated country in the world. There are more black men under correctional control today than were under slavery in 1850." The musicians' speeches echoed the theme of the movie and the song, that the battle for human rights continues.
6. Graham Moore Moore, who won Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Imitation Game," noted that his film's subject, World War II codebreaker and computing pioneer Alan Turing, never got to bask in adulation at a podium like the one at the Dolby Theater; instead, he was persecuted by the British legal system and hounded to suicide because he was gay. In perhaps the night's most moving speech, Moore noted just how personal Turing's story was for him because "when I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird, and I felt different, and I felt like I did not belong. And now I'm standing here." He encouraged kids who feel like he did to stick around and do something great so that they, too, can be recognized for their achievement and pass the message of hope on to a new generation. "Stay weird," he advised. "Stay different."
7. Julianne Moore Moore won Best Actress for playing an early-onset Alzheimer's patient in "Still Alice." Said Moore, "I'm thrilled that we were able to shine a light on Alzheimer's disease, So many people who have this disease feel marginalized. People who have Alzheimer's disease deserve to be seen so we can find a cure."
8. Eddie Redmayne Like Julianne Moore, "The Theory of Everything" star Redmayne won his lead acting prize for playing someone with a debilitating ailment -- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-afflicted physicist Stephen Hawking. "This Oscar belongs to all of those people around the world suffering with ALS," Redmayne said. "It belongs to one exceptional family -- Stephen, Jane and the Hawking children," Of the Oscar trophy, he said. "I will be his custodian."
9. Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu The "Birdman" filmmaker, who took home three trophies (for Best Original Screenplay, Best Directing, and Best Picture), noted that he was the second Mexican in a row to win the Directing prize. (Last year, his pal Alfonso Cuaron won for "Gravity.") In his Best Picture speech, Iñarritu called for justice for Mexicans, both at home and in the United States. He expressed a wish that his countrymen in Mexico could "find and build a government that we deserve." As for Mexicans in America, he said, "I just pray they can be treated with the same dignity and respect of the ones that came before and built this incredible, immigrant nation."
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The old adage "If it seems too good to be true, it is" goes double in the world of "The Walking Dead," where initially innocuous people or communities wind up being populated by eye patch-clad maniacs and bloodlusty cannibals. And even when our weary survivors begin a new interaction with caution, things can still go south. That's why I'm not so convinced that Aaron (and later, his boyfriend Eric) is as innocent as he (maybe) seemed by the end of this week's installment, "The Distance." If anything, our group's track record with these types of situations proves that the zombie guts are going to hit the fan at any minute now.
The two communities referenced above, Woodbury and Terminus, are the primary concern for Rick in his initial struggle over whether the group should trust Aaron (Ross Marquand), and the captive doesn't exactly give the sheriff's deputy much reason to change his wary mind. As Rick points out, sane people don't usually smile after getting decked in the mouth. And stubbornly refusing both to eat the applesauce (seriously, dude, that's the oldest "Is it poison?" test in the book) and tell the group exactly where his camp is, after Rick vows to "put a knife in the base of [his] skull" should his promises turn up empty, doesn't exactly scream "trustworthy."
Then again, we as viewers are just as trained as Rick to believe no one, and perhaps Aaron's evasiveness is a front for him being scared that Rick really will make good on that threat. As we see from his freakout after Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson) sets off the flare, prompting Aaron to bolt from the car and into the walker-filled woods, when someone he loves is threatened, that tough facade can crack in an instant. His confusion, and seeming offense, when Rick launched into his patented Three Questions (How many walkers have you killed? How many people? Why?) may indeed have been genuine.
But Michonne's query about why Aaron had no photos of people was a valid one, and his response -- your magical camera store, where you somehow were able to develop a bunch of pictures, only suddenly stopped working when you tried to produce a shot of your friends? -- was shaky. Aaron and Eric are going to have to do a lot more to earn the survivors' -- and viewers' -- trust as time goes on. And as we've seen so many times before, it's not only practical, but essential, to keep strangers at arm's length.
"The rules keep changing," Rick tells Michonne as they roll up to Alexandria, before stashing a gun in an old blender outside the gates. The sheriff's deputy may talk a good game, but we'll see how much he believes that -- and if/when he needs that weapon -- in the weeks to come.
Other thoughts:
- Aaron's opening interaction with the group doesn't do anything to ingratiate him to them. He tries the jokey route when explaining why he needs to "audition" the survivors to join his settlement. "I wish there was some other word," he says apologetically. "'Audition' makes it sound like we're some kind of dance troupe." When that quip is met with stony silence, he continues, smirking, "That's only on Friday nights." When are outsiders going to learn that humor doesn't play well with this crowd? He might as well have followed up with, "And boy, are my arms tired!"
- Rick, keeping it real: "Just because we're good people doesn't mean we won't kill you."
- While deciding whether or not to go with Aaron, Daryl's reasoning seems the most realistic. "This barn smells like horses--t," he says. Good point.
- This week in Great Judith Parenting: Rick attempts to feed her what looks like crushed up acorns; later, we see her rolling around by herself in the backseat of Rick's car. Do they still have CPS is the zombie apocalypse?
- Aaron and Eric call zombies "roamers." Add that one to the seemingly endless list of synonyms. (Will someone, anyone, please just use the Z-word already?)
- The car driving into the horde of zombies, and turning red from all the blood and guts, was a nice, gruesome touch, as was Michonne picking limbs out of the grill and hood in an attempt to free up the engine.
- On the drive to Alexandria, coming up on Washington, D.C., we see that several large landmarks, including the Washington Monument and the Capitol, are still standing. Could the group make it in that city should things turn sour in Alexandria?
- Aaron seemed to have put his high-tech listening equipment to good use, picking up some serious Rick Grimes speechifying skills. He claims people are his camp's greatest resource, and they'll only survive together. Good listener, or good manipulator? Maybe a bit of both.
- Speaking of Aaron's assets, where did they all come from? He has the listening equipment, a camera store on retainer, a flare gun, a seemingly endless supply of applesauce, tons of spare RV batteries, a stash of S'getti Rings. Is Alexandria just that well-stocked, or is there something more sinister about all those items' origins?
- Also striking me as suspicious was Aaron's passing mention of a "gifted surgeon" named Pete. "I've seen him do some amazing things," Aaron says of Pete's prowess. Did anyone else get a sinking feeling at that line? I had visions of Pete making patchwork zombies, or experimenting with various human body parts. Methinks that that name-dropping wasn't a mistake. (And the heavy implication from the midseason premiere that cannibal packs not unlike Gareth's have been roaming throughout Virginia certainly doesn't bode well for the eventual reveal of Pete's special set of skills.)
Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC
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Well, this year's Oscars was certainly full of surprises and one of the biggest was just how uneven Neil Patrick Harris's gig as emcee went. At first it seemed like the actor, who starred in last year's Oscar-nominated box office smash "Gone Girl," would translate his boisterous, Broadway-honed song-and-dance routine into one of the more memorable hosting gigs of recent memory (in a good way). But the high highs also complemented by some incredibly low lows (like the overlong gag about his predictions, which culminated in a reveal that had us asking, Oh he likes magic right?) Still, NPH did more bad than good last night - and here are our seven favorite moments from the show.
1. Acknowledging the Race Discrepancy Right Away Despite a number of films that tackled racially diverse issues (and just as many ace performances by nonwhite actors), this year's Oscars was one of the whitest in recent memory (at least as far as the acting categories went). NPH acknowledged this early, saying that the show honored Hollywood's "Best and whitest -- sorry, brightest." It wasn't just a great joke but it allowed for some of the tension in the room to be released, establishing his mostly easygoing hosting style.
2. The Opening Number, 'Moving Pictures' Following a couple of spoken word gags, Harris went into the night's big opening musical number, a jaunty tune penned by the Oscar-winning "Frozen" team of Bobby and Kristen Lopez entitled "Moving Pictures." And this really was a showstopper, featuring some incredible projection-display technology, cameos from Anna Kendrick and Jack Black (who had us saying "Screens in your jeans" for the rest of the night) and Harris interacting with famous movies in a way that didn't feel derivative or overly indebted to the similar shtick that Billy Crystal trots out every time he hosts. When the Lopezes involvement was originally announced, it was mentioned that they had written multiple songs. This never came to pass. But the one song we did get certainly brought down the house.
3. The Awkward Joke About How Much Money 'American Sniper' Made Early on there was a poorly worded and equally poorly delivered joke about how successful "American Sniper" was, when Harris equated half of the room to the other nominees and "American Sniper" to Oprah. Even Oprah looked a little dumbfounded as to what the joke meant and it certainly didn't land the way the writers (or Harris) intended. So at the close of the joke, Harris sold it with an irrepressibly charming button when he addressed a visibly confused Oprah by saying, simply, "It's because you're rich." And like that a potential bomb because a mini-triumph.
4. The Farmers Insurance Joke It was short, it was simple, it was right after J.K. Simmons took home the award for Best Supporting Actor, it was Harris looking into the camera and saying, to the tune of the Farmers Insurance jingle, "He won an Oscar, bom bom bom bom bom bom bom." Perfection.
5. Seat Filler Interaction At one point Harris was set into the crowd, for a bit that was clearly supposed to be built around his casual interaction with some very famous and well-dressed people. But, for whatever reason, when Harris was supposed to mingle was also the moment that those famous people were using the toilet, since instead of giant stars he exclusively found himself confronted by everyday seat fillers. This could have been deathly, but instead it was an opportunity for Harris to expose one of the lesser-known oddities of the Oscars, the fact that nobodies in eveningwear fill in for celebrities if they have to go somewhere, so that when the cameras pan to the crowd, it always looks bursting at the seams. Harris salvaged the bit, too, when he came upon a more-than-game Steve Carell, who said that he was really looking forward to running into Edward Norton. "He's right over there!" Carell exclaimed with impish glee. End scene.
6. Everything Sounds Better With a British Accent There were a number of famous Brits at the Oscars last night, including but certainly not limited to the Oscar-nominated likes of Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Felicity Jones. But for a bit where Harris had a British person recite the punch line to a really bad joke, the honor of "Brit being singled out by jolly American awards show host" went to David Oyelowo from "Selma." Wearing a wine-colored three-piece suit (bold but lovable), the actor, who was not nominated but still an audience favorite (leading to one of Harris' more pointed jokes, as the said, "Oh now you like him"), gamely played along with NPH. Harris started the gag by setting up the joke, saying: "This year, we said goodbye to some beloved movie franchises ..." To which Oyelowo, reading from a note card clutched by Harris, uncomfortably finished by saying: "We saw the last ever 'Hobbit' movie, the last ever 'Night at the Museum' movie and the last ever attempt to remake 'Annie.'" Even though the joke didn't totally work, the combined charm of their interaction was pretty fantastic.
7. The Birdman Bit Of course "Birdman" had to be parodied, even before it came away as the big winner of the night. In one of the evening's more memorable moments, Harris restaged the famous centerpiece scene from the film (where Michael Keaton gets locked out of the theater in his underwear and has to parade through Times Square nearly nude), with Harris ducking and diving through the auditorium's backstage area in his skivvies. Not only did it end with a surprisingly fit Harris, onstage, in his tighty whities, but it also had a nifty gag with Miles Teller playing the drums, a tip of the hat to the movie's unconventional score that was only slightly less funny because they did the same joke a night earlier at the Independent Spirit Awards (which had the added benefit of Bill Hader impersonating Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu). Hey, a good joke is still a good joke, even when it is two days in a row.
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"Stay weird. Stay different." That was the advice of Best Adapted Screenplay winner Graham Moore ("The Imitation Game") to kids out there who might one day follow in his footsteps, but it also could have been the motto for the 87th annual Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night. The weirdness of the Neil Patrick Harris-hosted Oscars wasn't in the results -- for the record, I went 18 for 24 in my predictions, which is more a testimony to how closely the voting followed conventional wisdom than it is to my crystal-ball skills -- but in the presentation. The show was full of WTF? moments, some wonderful, some cringeworthy, some merely bizarre, and all of them memorable. Here are some of the weird and different Oscar moments that viewers won't soon forget.
1. "Moving Pictures" Neil Patrick Harris's opening number was penned by Robert Lopez and Kristin Anderson-Lopez, the composers who won the Oscar last year for "Let It Go"; suffice it to say that your kids won't be memorizing this one and singing it over and over again like they did that "Frozen" anthem. A few funny lines aside (particularly the one suggesting a homoerotic reading of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's on- and off-screen friendship), it was a mostly earnest tribute to the ability of movies to capture our imagination. Which is fine, and so was having Anna Kendrick step in to give sort of a reprise of her Cinderella from "Into the Woods." The song got weirder when Jack Black showed up, singing lyrics that dripped with cynicism about the movie business -- it was actually sort of a welcome antidote to the gee-whiz enthusiasm of Harris and Kendrick -- but it was also kind of a buzzkill for a party meant to celebrate movies, and it ended mercifully when Kendrick, still in Cinderella mode, threw her shoe at Black.
2. J.K. Simmons's public service announcement Many of the winners used their speeches to forward a cause, but the message of Simmons' victory speech for his supporting role in "Whiplash" was to value your parents, to call them (not just e-mail or text them), and to listen to everything they had to say. It didn't seem at all relevant to his role as a scary music teacher, but it was certainly sweet.
3. Neil Patrick Harris Crushes on Channing Tatum Introducing presenter Tatum, Harris gushed about how great Tatum looks, whether in "Magic Mike" stripper garb or in his "Foxcatcher" wrestling unitard. He pretended to make a Freudian slip and used the phrase "pants down" instead of "hands down." Maybe this was Harris' way of joking about his own sexual orientation; at any rate, having a male host eye a male presenter was probably a historic first for an Oscar ceremony.
4. Pawel Pawikowkski wins for "Ida" The first-ever Polish winner for Best Foreign Language film marveled at his good fortune, winning for a contemplative, black-and-white movie from a previously unheralded country. "How did I get here?" the filmmaker wondered aloud. He made the most of his moment in the spotlight; the orchestra had to play him off twice before he managed to thank everyone.
5. Harris Editorializes Or maybe it was just his joke writers doing the editorializing. Either way, the host seemed to have a lot of pointed opinions about the ceremony, the winners, and the snubs. He introduced presenters David Oyelowo and Jennifer Aniston as "two people who absolutely deserve to be here tonight," referring to their surprising omissions from the acting nominees' list (Oyelowo for "Selma" and Aniston for "Cake"). He also did a comedy bit with Oyelowo, and when the audience applauded for the British actor, Harris said, "Oh, now you like him?" Most jarringly, moments after Laura Poitras won Best Documentary Feature for "Citizenfour," which depicts her suspenseful interview with fugitive National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, Harris punned that Snowden himself was unavailable to attend the Oscars, "for some treason." Whether you think Snowden is a heroic whistleblower who's standing up for Fourth Amendment privacy rights or an attention-seeker whose leaks jeopardized national security, wouldn't the classy thing to do be to let Poitras enjoy the recognition of her achievement for at least 20 seconds before pissing all over it for a cheap laugh?
6. "Everything Is Awesome" No surprise that the performance of this nominated tune from "The Lego Movie," with Tegan and Sara singing the chorus and Andy Samberg's Lonely Island comedy trio rapping the verses, would feature a troupe of dancers dressed like characters from the movie. But there were also some surprise guests, including Questlove on drums and Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh (complete with trademark flowerpot hat) on keyboards. Bonus points for the Oscar statuettes made of Lego bricks (a pointed reference to the film's inexplicable snub from the Best Animated Feature category), which were circulating on stage and among the audience for the rest of the evening. Compared to a real Oscar, the Lego ones were, well, awesome.
7. "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" Presenter Gwyneth Paltrow reminded everyone of the moving story of how Glen Campbell made a point of writing and recording this song after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and knowing that the disease would soon ravage his memory. The rendition of the tune by Paltrow's "Country Strong" co-star Tim McGraw was one of the evening's most poignant moments. Just wondering, though: does McGraw ever take off that black cowboy hat?
8. The "Birdman" parody Harris proved he's not just a nimble emcee but also a good sport by spoofing Michael Keaton's dash through Times Square in nothing but his briefs. Here, a backstage camera showed Harris locked out of his dressing room, with his robe caught in the door. He abandoned the robe and dashed to the stage, with pulse-pounding drumming supplied by Miles Teller (in character from "Whiplash"). Standing before a billion people in his underwear, Harris delivered the punchline, with a speech that began, "Acting is a noble profession..."
9. Patricia Arquette speaks out Arquette's victory as Best Supporting Actress was a foregone conclusion (though, surprisingly, it was the only win for "Boyhood" out of six nominations), so viewers shouldn't have been surprised that she had prepared a written list of people to thank. What was odd was that she ended her speech with a plea for wage equality and equal rights for women. She was far from the only winner to use her speech as an opportunity to raise a political or philanthropic issue, but it probably wasn't evident to most viewers what those issues had to do with her "Boyhood" performance. Later, Harris scoffed at Arquette's political statement, referring to it as her "Norma Rae moment."
10. In Memoriam Meryl Streep gave an eloquent speech suggesting that the departed movie artists live on in the unforgettable work they created. The usual montage followed, but instead of clips of the actors and directors at work, it just showed still portraits, painted from photographs. OK, still classy. (Not classy: omitting Joan Rivers.) Director Mike Nichols seemed to win the applause-meter, but maybe he just got the loudest applause because he closed out the montage. Jennifer Hudson followed with an emotional ballad, which was also classy. But you know what would have been even classier? A moment of silence.
11. "Glory" Staging matters. Here's proof: "Glory," John Legend and Common's nominated song from "Selma," is an emotional number, but when you stage it with a backing choir that reenacts the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, that puts it over the top. It brought the audience in the Dolby Theater to tears (or at least David Oyelowo and Chris Pine, both of whom the camera caught crying), and maybe some viewers at home as well. That the singer and rapper won the Oscar for the song a few minutes later seemed entirely apt, and their eloquent speeches continued the theme expressed in their song: that "Selma" isn't just about events in Alabama 50 years ago but about the struggle for justice that continues today, all over the world.
12. "The Sound of Music" tribute OK, I understand the impulse to want to pay homage to one of the most beloved movies ever, a Best Picture winner whose 50th anniversary arrives next week. But to put it two hours and 45 minutes into the show, with seven major awards left to be handed out? Not sure why Scarlett Johansson, of all people, was picked to introduce the tribute, or why Lady Gaga, of all people, got to sing the medley. (She did fine, by the way, though it was a little disconcerting to see arm tattoos on a woman belting out tunes made famous by a nun-turned-nanny. Couldn't she have covered them up with gloves like Rita Ora did?) This would have been the most superfluous musical number of the evening had it not ended with Gaga's introduction of surprise presenter Julie Andrews. That the "Sound of Music" star showed up at all was an emotional high point of the show; that she graciously thanked Gaga and then presented the award for Best Original Score was icing on the cake. Couldn't they have skipped the manufactured nostalgia, brought to you by two performers born 20 years after the film's release, and just had Andrews show up?
13. Graham Moore's speech Moore's victory for writing the "Imitation Game" screenplay wasn't the least bit surprising, but his acceptance speech was a stunner. What, after all, had drawn him to write about Alan Turing, the brilliant World War II codebreaker who, instead of being celebrated as a hero, was hounded to his death because of his homosexuality? Moore made the political personal, revealing to billions that, "When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird, and I felt different, and I felt like I did not belong. And now I'm standing here." That instead he lived to become an Oscar-winning screenwriter was Moore's proof that, as the public service ad campaign a few years ago suggested, It Gets Better. He urged gay kids, or any kids who feel alienated, to stick it out and do something great, so that one day they can stand at the podium and pay it forward.
14. The briefcase gag At the beginning of the show, Harris boasted of his prowess at predicting the Oscars and pointed to a briefcase in a glass box, which he said held predictions he'd made earlier in the week, predictions he'd read from at the end of the show to prove his prophetic skills. To make sure no one tampered with the case, he enlisted Octavia Spencer, sitting in the front row, to keep an eye on it for the next three and a half hours. (Great, the woman wins an Oscar, and now Harris is once again making her into The Help.) Throughout the show, Harris turned to Spencer to ask if she was still guarding the case. Finally he read his predictions, which were not about the winners but about the funny things that happened during the show. Smuggling that list, printed out on gold cards and shown on camera, into the locked case was a neat magic trick, but the lengthy setup wasn't really worth the slight, jokey payoff.
15. The "Birdman" sweep The arty, surreal drama about a former superhero-movie star seeking redemption on Broadway won four prizes -- Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, Best Directing, and Best Picture. Three of those trophies ended up in the hands of writer/director/producer Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, the Mexican filmmaker whose imaginative mind and fractured English led to some of the most offbeat acceptance speeches of the night. He claimed that, as a good-luck talisman, he was wearing Michael Keaton's famed tighty-whities from the film. He also tried to express humility and share the credit, derisively referring to "that little prick called ego" (a phrase that surprisingly went unbleeped by the ABC censors). He also called for a more sensible immigration policy -- this after Best Picture presenter Sean Penn made a green-card joke about him. (Penn starred in Iñarritu's "21 Grams" a decade ago, so maybe he was just razzing an old friend, not making a slur.) Michael Keaton didn't win Best Actor (that went to the bouncy and excited Eddie Redmayne for "The Theory of Everything"), but Iñarritu let him speak anyway. Keaton started to thank his colleagues but then the 63-year-old first-time Oscar nominee interrupted himself, saying, "Look, who am I kidding? It's great to be here." Indeed it is.
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All of the films were, we're sure, just honored to be nominated, but only "Birdman" walked away with the win. Since the nominations were announced, the consensus has always been that it's really just a race between "Boyhood" and "Birdman," so tonight's winner wasn't really a surprise. Well, it kinda was.
Now that the Oscars are over, we can dream about next year's nominees. Or not. Your call.
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Of all the 2015 Oscar races, the Best Actress award had pretty much been decided since the end of 2014. Most pundits and film critics predicted that Moore would win for her moving and undeniably heartbreaking performance in "Still Alice." The other nominees this year -- Marion Cotillard for "Two Days, One Night," Felicity Jones for "The Theory of Everything," Rosamond Pike for "Gone Girl," and Reese Witherspoon for "Wild -- never really stood a chance. Except maybe Witherspoon, whose turn as a former addict literally walking the road to recovery was considered a dark horse.
All the Moviefone editors chose Moore to win, so it's not really a surprise. Let's all revel in this wonderful actress's victory.
Now that the Oscars are over, we can dream about next year's nominees. Or not. Your call.
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The hugest names in Hollywood hit the red carpet for the The 87th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday. "Birdman" nabbed the coveted Best Picture award, but who came out on top when it came to fashion? We've rounded up our 10 best dressed and 5 worst dressed stars of the night right here. Do you agree with our picks?
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Tonight, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Sound of Music" (it seems like just this time last year it was the 49th anniversary!), Lady Gaga visited the Academy Awards and did a medley from the film - and totally killed it.
It was the most undeniably gay moment of the entire awards show, an awards show that was hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, with Gaga coming out in a ball gown and silvery hair. But what could have descended into all-out camp was instead a finely tuned performance that never wavered or veered into kitschy nonsense. It was classy and powerful enough to floor Julie Andrews, who took the stage upon Gaga's conclusion (to award Alexandre Desplat the Best Original Score award for big winner "The Grand Budapest Hotel"). We couldn't agree with Andrews more, as this was one of the undeniable highlights of the night.
Just watch it -- it's really very good and about seven hours shorter than actually watching "Sound of Music."
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Eddie Redmayne won for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in romantic biopic "The Theory of Everything." This is his first Oscar win, although he nabbed a Best Actor prize at the SAG Awards and a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama.
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Pundits have narrowed the race down to "Birdman" and "Boyhood," with the possibility of the two films splitting the top awards for Best Picture and Best Director. The dust has settled and the winner of the Oscar for Best Director is... Alejandro González Iñárritu for "Birdman."
The Mexico-born Iñárritu broke out onto the international scene with the heavy "21 Grams" (2003), before filming "Babel" (2006) and the Javier Bardem-starring "Biutiful" (2010). "Birdman" has been praised for its standout performances all around, earning both Michael Keaton and Edward Norton acting nominations, but the film's most impressive feat is its technically innovative directing. Iñárritu combines a collection of beautiful, tight long takes that give the film the effect that it was shot in one seamless take.
The hard work paid off with a much deserved Oscar win for Alejandro González Iñárritu for "Birdman."
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Last year, John Travolta made one of the biggest boners of the Oscar ceremony by bungling nominee and performer Idina Menzel's name during his introduction. This year, the devious masterminds behind the show decided to put them together -- and a new nickname was born.
Menzel got to introduce John Travolta as "Glom Gazingo." When Travolta took the stage, he stared lovingly at Menzel and awkwardly touched her face while they shared some well-rehearsed (and totally uncomfortable) chatter. In a related note, whoever was responsible for Travolta's wig will be up for a Best Make-Up Oscar at next year's awards.
Watch the video and tweet us your favorite John Travolta moment from "Face/Off," just because.
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And the Oscar for Best Original Song goes to... "Glory," from "Selma."
Best Song isn't usually one of the most hotly contested categories at the 2015 Oscars, but this year is a different story.
"Glory," performed by Common and John Legend, had taken a few awards already this season, including the Golden Globe, but Glen Campbell is an artist the vast majority of Academy voters are familiar with, giving him a good chance to have wonfor "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," from his documentary "Glen Campbell... I'll Be Me."
Tim McGraw performed "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," while Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island did a version of "Everything Is Awesome" from "The Lego Movie. Additionally, Adam Levine sang "Lost Stars" from the movie "Begin Again," and Rita Ora performed "Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights."
Did the best song really win? Sound off below.
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Eddie Redmayne wasn't the only one excited when he took home the Best Actor Oscar at last night's Academy Awards ceremony: Stephen Hawking, the man Redmayne portrayed in "The Theory of Everything," was thrilled, too.
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Tonight, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Sound of Music" (it seems like just this time last year it was the 49th anniversary!), Lady Gaga visited the 
The winner of the Oscar for Best Director is Alejandro González Iñárritu for "Birdman."
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