First-timers win big at the Oscars

The 86th Academy Awards was witnessed by millions of spectators around the world. It was held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California. The Oscars is said to be the most prestigious award-giving body that recognizes the best and the most brilliant performances in American cinema.

The Oscars (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres who peppered the annual awards ceremony with her trademark wit and humor. It was her second time to host the prestigious event — the first one was in 2006. She posted on her Twitter page the Twitter Crashing “Most Star Studded Photo’ snapped by actor Bradley Cooper from the audience area of Dolby Theater. The star-studded selfie garnered millions of re-tweets. The photo included Ellen, Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey, Brad Pitt, Lupita Nyong’o and her brother, Angelina Jolie and Bradley.

Not to be missed at the Oscars were the fashion statements of Hollywood stars on the red carpet. Ubiquitous this year were the metallic and embellished gowns like the ones worn by Best Actress Cate Blanchett, Lady Gaga, Anne Hathaway and Angelina Jolie. Meanwhile, Lupita, who won the Best Supporting Actress award, was stunning in her Nairobi blue Prada gown.
The highly-coveted golden statue went to: Best Picture — 12 Years a Slave; Best Actor — Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club; Best Actress — Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine; Best Supporting Actor — Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club; Best Supporting Actress — Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave; Best Director — Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity; Best Costume Design — The Great Gatsby; Best Make-up and Hairstyling — Dallas Buyers Club; Best Short Film (Animated) — Mr. Hublot; Best Animated Feature Film — Frozen; Best Short Film (Live Action) — Helium; Best Documentary Short Subject — The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life; Best Documentary Feature — 20 Feet from Stardom; Best Foreign Language Film — The Great Beauty (Italy); Best Sound Mixing — Gravity; Best Sound Editing — Gravity; Best Visual Effects — Gravity; Best Cinematography — Gravity; Best Film Editing — Gravity; Best Production Design — The Great Gatsby; Best Original Score — Gravity; Best Original Song — Let It Go (Frozen); Best Adapted Screenplay — John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave; and Best Original Screenplay — Spike Jonze, Her.

It was Cate’s second time to win an Oscar. She bagged her first Oscar as Best Supporting Actress for the movie The Aviator (2004) where she portrayed Hollywood actress Katherine Hepburn. Meanwhile, Matthew, Jared, Lupita and director Cuaron are all first-timers.

Lupita made an impressive silver screen debut as the abused servant Patsey in 12 Years a Slave. “It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s,” she tearfully said during her acceptance speech. “When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.”

The Mexico-born actress was raised in Kenya as the second of six children. She studied at Hampshire College in Massachusetts and later at Yale School of Drama.

According to an article, Lupita almost did not get her role as Patsey because director Steve McQueen thought she “might be too pretty.”

Fellow Kenyan actor Antony Mwangi recalled that Lupita once told him that there were multitude of actors and actresses in the US. Odds were against Lupita because of her name and her dark skin, short hair and Kenyan accent.

Fil-Am composer Robert Lopez and wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez made the Philippines proud after winning an Oscar for the song Let It Go from Frozen. According to Hollywood-based Filipino journalist Ruben Nepales, Robert is the first Fil-Am to win an Oscar. His father is part-Filipino, his grandfather was pure Filipino, while his grandmother was part-Filipino and part-Scottish-American. He graduated from Yale University with a degree in B.A. English. He met his wife while participating in the 1998 Lehman Engel’s Workshop. The couple has two daughters, Kati and Annie.

During their acceptance speech, the husband and wife tandem thanked their children. “Our girls, Katie and Annie, our song is inspired by our love for you in the hope that you never let fear and shame keep you from celebrating the unique people that you are. Thank you, we love you.”

Robert is one of the few people who have won all four major awards — the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Aside from the theme song Let It Go, he previously received a Tony Award for Avenue Q and another Tony and a Grammy for The Book of Mormon. He has two Daytime Emmys tucked under his belt for his music direction and composition in The Wonder Pets.