Much like the world of professional sports, Oscar competition comes with large amounts of cultural fandom. Every industry needs its version of the Super Bowl, and the Academy Awards have been the most prestigious event in the film industry for more than 80 years. The winners are chosen subjectively based on individual artistic achievement. This is what makes the awards show such a strong source of argument and debate among everyone, from hard-core movie buffs to casual fans of Hollywood.
This year’s ceremony was a historically significant one, setting several age records. Quvenzhané Wallis, nominated for her performance in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” is, at the age of nine, the youngest Best Actress nominee in history. Conversely, Emmanuelle Riva, nominated for her role in Micheal Haneke’s drama “Amour,” celebrated her eighty-fifth birthday Sunday night, making her the is the oldest Best Actress nominee.
The award for Best Actress went to “The Hunger Games” star Jennifer Lawrence for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook.” The winner for Best Supporting Actress went to Anne Hathaway for her role in “Les Miserables.”
One focus of this year’s ceremony was the power of music in film. British singer/songwriter Adele took home an Oscar with producer Paul Epworth for the Best Original Song “Skyfall,” making this the first James Bond song to ever win an Academy Award. In a rare tie presented by Mark Wahlberg and his teddy bear co-start, Ted, “Skyfall” also took home an Oscar for Best Sound Editing, an award shared with “Zero Dark Thirty.”
Seth MacFarlane, creator of the hit-TV series “Family Guy,” hosted this year’s ceremonies. McFarlane put no restrictions on his usual crude humor as he filled the evening with a number of sexist remarks, including an opening song devoted to calling out moments where actresses have appeared topless on-screen. The “Boob Song” provoked reactions of unease from members of the audience, including the Oscar-nominated Naomi Watts.
“Django Unchained,” MacFarlae said, was “the story of a man fighting to get back his woman who has been subjected to unthinkable violence. Or as Chris Brown and Rihanna call it: ‘a date movie.’”
While many found his remarks distasteful, the gamble of having MacFarlane host has paid off. More than 40 million people from more than 100 countries watched the ceremony, with the show receiving its highest ratings since 2010.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was First Lady Michelle Obama presenting the award for Best Picture live from the White House. “Argo,” a thriller depicting the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis, won the coveted award, though director Ben Affleck was surprisingly not nominated for Best Director.
While no one will ever be able to agree on whether or not the nominees got what they deserved, this year’s ceremony was no doubt a memorable one and will likely stay on the pop-culture radar for years to come.
