ABOVE: ET Canada host Cheryl Hickey reports highlights from the Oscars.
TORONTO — There was no epic celebrity selfie or accidental mangling of Idina Menzel’s name but the 87th Academy Awards provided viewers with a few things to talk about on Monday morning.
It didn’t go unnoticed that the Best Actor winner was Eddie Redmayne and that Best Actress winner Julianne Moore has a red mane.
READ MORE: Full coverage of the 87th Academy Awards
Here, in no particular order, are some of the best and worst moments from the show.
“Moving Pictures”
He started with a killer line (“Tonight we honour the best and whitest…sorry, I mean brightest”) but it wouldn’t be an awards show hosted by Neil Patrick Harris without a musical number — and he didn’t disappoint. The opening performance of “Moving Pictures” featured the voices of Anna Kendrick and Jack Black and was an entertaining way to kicks things off.
READ MORE: Joan Rivers snub sends Twitter into a tizzy
It Was Awesome
The performance of “Everything Is Awesome” was a crazy, colourful, over-the-top spectacle. Calgary duo Tegan and Sara appeared to be lip-synching and The Lonely Island (which includes Andy Samberg) tried their best to stand out. It was silly fun.
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How Do You Solve a Problem Like Gaga?
Lady Gaga proved she can sing with her performance of a medley of songs from The Sound of Music. The pop star earned a standing ovation and then the crowd went wild when Maria Von Trapp herself, Julie Andrews, walked out on stage and embraced Gaga.
Pine Tears
There weren’t many dry eyes in the Dolby Theatre by the time Common and John Legend finished performing “Glory” from Selma. The powerful song had the audience on its feet — and tears running down the cheeks of stars like David Oyelowo and Chris Pine. It was a genuine emotional reaction to a song that later won an Oscar.
JK Phone Home
“Call your mom, call your dad, if you’re lucky enough to have a parent or two alive on this planet, call them. Don’t text, don’t email, call them on the phone. Tell them you love them, and thank them, and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you.” Those were the words of J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) as he accepted the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Playing Off Poland
Ida director Pawel Pawlikowski was unstoppable during his acceptance speech for Best Foreign Film. He kept talking as the orchestra started playing and the TelePrompTer advised him to “wrap it up.” And he kept talking as the orchestra tried a second time to play him off. In the end, he appeared to have finished his long list of thanks.
Best Supporting Underwear
At one point in the show, Neil Patrick Harris spoofed Michael Keaton in Birdman by coming out on stage wearing only a pair of “tighty-whiteys” — and proved that he really is the whole, er, package. Later, director Alejandro G. Iñárritu joked that he was wearing Keaton’s briefs for good luck — and they “smell like balls.”
Political Action
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) knew she was going to win the Oscar (for Best Supporting Actress) so she came prepared. After thanking a few people, she launched into a plea for women’s equality. “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.” A noble message, except it was a bit much to see mega-rich Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez cheering her on.
We Forgot Dead People
The In Memoriam segment ended with Jennifer Hudson belting out the emotional “I Can’t Let Go” but it was mostly memorable for failing to acknowledge the passing of stars like Joan Rivers and Harold Ramis. Sure, Rivers wasn’t exactly a movie star — she had only small roles in a few movies — but it was an obvious snub.
Time To Let It Go
Idina Menzel and John Travolta made light of last year’s viral moment — when Travolta introduced the singer as “Adele Dazeem.” Said Menzel: “Not like it’s going to follow me around the rest of my life.” Travolta: “Tell me about it.” But then Travolta created another viral moment when he creepily grabbed Menzel’s chin.
Pay It Forward
During his acceptance speech upon winning Best Adapted Screenplay, Graham Moore (The Imitation Game) told the audience he thought about killing himself when he was 16 because he felt different. He then told today’s youth who feel the same way to “stay weird, stay different.” Moore added: “When it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along.”
Melodrama Much?
Terrence Howard looked as though he was trying to recite his introduction from memory rather than rely on the TelePrompTer — which resulted in an awkward pause which he tried to cover with some acting. No one was buying that he was that emotional about The Imitation Game.
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