In my opinion, awards season is the best (and unofficial fifth) season of the year. We're treated to glamour, candid celebrity moments, and some of the greatest films the industry has to offer. At the end of the Oscars, I always get a little upset that it all has to come and go in such a whirlwind, and find myself awkwardly crying to Jamie Foxx's 2004 acceptance speech on YouTube at 1:00 a.m. However, if you watched the 85th Annual Academy Awards, you'd know that they took the 2012 season out with a bang. Here, I'll reminisce on my top 10 favorite moments of the Oscars. Let the countdown begin!
10.) Quvenzhané Wallis shows off her biceps
Is there anything this girl can't do? At 9-years-old, Wallis is the youngest Academy Award nominee, and is reveling in her spotlight. The Beasts of the Southern Wild starlet, dressed in Armani Junior (is there anything cuter than wearing kid-sized designer threads?) and carrying her signature puppy purse, stole the hearts of millions, especially after she flexed her guns following her introduction as Best Actress nominee. As my friend Katy so eloquently puts it, "Quvenzhané Wallis has bigger biceps than I do and she's nine." Well put, Katy.
9.) The orchestra in general
The orchestra scored (pun intended) big laughs when they Jaws-ed lengthy acceptance speeches right off the stage, and while that was a highlight, it's also important to note the flawless transition music the orchestra provided. With recognizable cinema tunes, such as "My Heart Will Go On," the three-and-a-half hour long show seemed to move just a little bit faster.
8.) A night of divas
Most awards shows clean up in the Diva category, but it was the Oscars that capitalized on the good definition of a diva: a talented, confident, glamorous, and overall extraordinary female. Jennifer Hudson commanded the stage during her bold performance of "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," and Adele stole the night with her breathtaking performance of "Skyfall," which also won Best Original Song. Both women are gracious and exude confidence, and are two of the top performers in the industry as of late.
7.) E!'s red carpet coverage
While it technically isn't part of the awards ceremony, there's no doubt that E! takes the cake in delivering updates as the stars start flooding in. Ryan Seacrest is always sharp with his questions, and his ability to cover so many celebs in a relatively short period of time is remarkable. My one gripe with E!'s coverage this year was their failure to have Giuliana Rancic out on the carpet doing interviews. However, having Giuliana as a fashion analyst was a welcome change.
6.) Golden girls channeling Old Hollywood
Speaking of fashion, it was all about 1930s Hollywood glamour on the red carpet. Although some stars took a mod turn (see: Naomi Watts), it's undisputed that Jessica Chastain stole the show in her champagne-colored Armani dress. With her soft strawberry-blonde curls and a bold red lip, Chastain definitely turned heads, describing her gown as, "A very 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' kind of dress." Similarly, although it was a hotly disputed gown, there's no doubt that Anne Hathaway's pink Prada dress, along with her cropped hair, was reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn.
5.) Adele's acceptance speech
Adele is the queen of awards shows. Halfway to an EGOT (Emmy Grammy Oscar Tony, for all of those who don't watch 30 Rock), Adele performed like a goddess and accepted her award for Best Original Song in typical Adele fashion -- heartfelt, but still charmingly comedic. As she tearfully thanked several execs and her writing partner, she capped off her speech with a funny nod to her boyfriend, exclaiming, "And my man, I love you baby!" ALL HAIL ADELE.
4.) Hot boys
Bradley Cooper. Channing Tatum. Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Ben Affleck. Chris Pine. What do these men have in common? They're all so cute and hot and sweet and funny and talented and their faces make me cry and they all looked like a million bucks at the Oscars. I don't even want to talk about it. HOT.
3.) Les Miserables steals the show
It's really no secret that I'm violently obsessed with Les Mis. I was lucky enough to see the stage show when it came to Chicago in 2011, so I was fully amped up for the film (which I saw in theaters four times, and I know I'm lame). I was inches away from exploding when the cast of the French-Rev musical took the stage at the Oscars, belting out "One Day More." I'm really, deeply, passionately in love with Eddie Redmayne and Aaron Tveit, so anytime I get a chance to see them on any screen is a good day. The entire cast is wildly talented and the performance itself was incredible, with Anne Hathaway proving to the masses why she deserved to win later that night. I JUST LOVE LES MIS, OKAY?!
2.) Best Picture goes to Argo
Since Ben Affleck was (annoyingly) snubbed by the Academy for nominations in both Best Actor and Best Director, it was definitely sweet to see Ben take Best Picture. Although Adele's aforementioned speech was grand, Affleck definitely wins the Oscar for Best Acceptance Speech, lamenting that "it doesn't matter how you get knocked down in life, 'cause that's gonna happen -- all that matters is, you gotta get up."
1.) Jennifer Lawrence
In my opinion, Jennifer Lawrence is the best person on Earth. Why? She's charming, funny, talented, beautiful, and 100 percent real. It's hard to find celebrities that are both relatable and dorky, and Jennifer totally fits the bill. Who else would trip on their Dior gown while going up to accept their Academy Award? No one could've pulled it off with better poise and humor. Silver Linings Playbook was an amazing film, and Jennifer definitely deserved the win. If you don't love Jennifer Lawrence, don't talk to me. If you do love Jennifer Lawrence, we're best friends. If you're a cute boy and love Jennifer Lawrence (specifically, Harry Styles, who tweeted, "Jennifer Lawrence needs to win an Oscar tonight")... I'm already writing our wedding vows.