1. Who doesn’t like a little Broadway jazz here and there? Host Neil Patrick Harris kicked off the show with a musical number which was accompanied by actress and singer Anna Kendrick and a special appearance from Jack Black. When the words “people tweeting on the Twitter” slid out of Harris’ mouth, I had to stop mid-tweet to laugh.
2. Patricia Arquette graced us with her beauty and poise when she won best supporting actress for her role in “Boyhood.” She made a strong feminist statement saying, “We have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America,” she said. Streep jumped to her feet in approval. You go, Patricia.
3. I’m the biggest Wes Anderson enthusiast and I have to say that a highlight was surely the look on Anderson’s face when his team received an Oscar for “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” The film racked in four Academy Awards for best original score, best costume design, best production design, best makeup and hairstyling.
4. Musicians Common and John Legend proudly accepted their Oscar for best original song “Glory” from “Selma” with a powerful and relevant message. “We say that ‘Selma’ is now, because the struggle for justice is right now. We live in the most incarcerated country in the world,” said Legend. This acceptance speech brought on the water works for actors David Oyelowo and Chris Pine.
5. “The Sound of Music” tribute was truly something else. Lady Gaga performed a medley of the most beloved songs from the 1966 classic and was joined by Julie Andrews herself following the performance. Someone tell me what Andrews is having because that woman has aged flawlessly.
6. Best adapted screenplay went to Graham Moore for “The Imitation Game.” I’m an absolute sucker for heartfelt, inspiring acceptance speeches and Moore didn’t fail to deliver. “When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself. Because I felt weird and different and felt like I didn’t belong. Now, I’m standing here. I would like for this moment to be for this kid who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Stay weird, stay different,” Moore said.
7. Julianne Moore snagged the Oscar for best actress in “Still Alice,” where she played a woman suffering from Alzheimers. “I’m thrilled that we were able to hopefully shine a light on Alzheimer’s disease. So many people with this disease feel isolated and marginalized. One of the wonderful things about movies is that it makes us feel seen and not alone. And people with Alzheimer’s disease deserve to be seen so that we can find a cure.” Perfectly said, Mrs. Moore.
8. Eddie Redmayne completely lost his cool after winning best actor for his role as Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything.” His acceptance speech portrayed true gratitude and raw emotion. “I am fully aware that I’m a lucky, lucky man,” Redmayne said at the beginning of his speech. Before he could make it any further, he interrupted himself in disbelief of the moment by proclaiming, “Wow!” as he smiled and shook like a giddy child. 
Sydney is a current Junior studying Journalism & Design at Eugene Lang and the Co-Editor-In-Chief of The New School Free Press. She spends a questionable amount of time responding to emails, remembering coffee orders for her various internships, producing films & frolicking around the Lower East Side where she’s living her New York dream of occupying a bedroom with a brick wall.
