Cate, Matthew, Lupita, And Jared Might Have Taken Home Awards, But It Was Host Ellen DeGeneres Who Was The Biggest Oscar Winner

If Sunday's Oscar ceremony could be summed up into one photo, Ellen DeGeneres' spontaneous yearbook selfie (shown above) would be the one. It can't be easy to keep a predictable 3+ hour show entertaining and fast-paced, but the hilarious and natural Ellen DeGeneres kept the ceremony moving. Amid various wardrobe changes and a welcomed mid-show pizza delivery, she won audiences over with this delightful photo op, which broke Twitter with more than a million retweets. 

DeGeneres kept nerves at bay by creating a fun, family environment, dashing my hopes of bloodshed in a live Hunger Games tournament (perhaps next year). But on to the awards. Let's get the most important thing out of the way first: American Hustle took home zero awards. I repeat AMERICAN HUSTLE TOOK HOME ZERO AWARDS (and it was nominated in almost every major category). Which means good films actually earned awards. While I really wanted Her to win best picture, I'm happy for Lupita Nyong'o (who also won for best supporting actress) and all the tireless talent behind 12 Years A Slave. The film also took home the best adapted screenplay award, while Her deservedly won best original screenplay. 

Beside DeGeneres, my other favorite moments from the show were Jared Leto and Nyong'os beautiful acceptance speeches (the former hailed his mother for her resilience as a young mom, while Nyong'o--dressed in a powder blue princess dress--honored the real Patsey). 

I can't let this go without saying that while I really like the dress, I wish she left the headband at home. But GO LUPITA!

As I said several months ago in my review of Dallas Buyers Club, Leto ripped my heart out in the movie so I am so ecstatic to see him sweep the entire award season. But, to be clear, his hair is his best accessory, far better than his maître d on LSD attire he donned on stage. 

I know most people were team Steve McQueen, but Alfonso Cuaron winning for best director was another highlight for me. Gravity is such a brilliant movie and a stunning directorial effort. 

The film also took home a ton of technical awards. While Sandra Bullock didn't win for her performance in the movie, Cate Blanchett's dazzling work in Blue Jasmine rightly earned the best actress Oscar.

In case you missed the red carpet, nude was the color of the night and Blanchett was one of the women who got the memo. However, I was not in love with this dress. Hair and makeup were on point though. But speaking of Blanchett, every time Matthew McConaughey accepts an award I think of her comment about his rambling speeches. Which prepared me for the one this evening. Thanks again, Cate. You always come through. 

But seriously, people, see Dallas Buyers Club if you haven't already. McConaughey finally proved to me that he's not just a pretty face. And no, I don't count Magic Mike or Mud as major accomplishments, but merely stepping stones to this great role. 

Anyway, check out the full list of winners while I dance to Pharrell's "Happy" and pretend it won the Oscar.

BEST PICTURE

“12 Years a Slave”

BEST DIRECTOR

Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”

BEST ACTOR

Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ACTRESS

Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“Her” – Written by Spike Jonze

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“12 Years a Slave” – Screenplay by John Ridley

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ANIMATED FILM

“Frozen”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Gravity”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Catherine Martin, “The Great Gatsby”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“20 Feet from Stardom” Morgan Neville

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed

BEST FILM EDITING

“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Great Beauty” Italy

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

“Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Steven Price, “Gravity”

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Let It Go” from “Frozen”
Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

“The Great Gatsby”
Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

“Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

“Helium” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson

BEST SOUND EDITING

“Gravity” Glenn Freemantle

BEST SOUND MIXING

“Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“Gravity” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould