BEST: Rain, Rain Went Away
Hollywood stylists collectively breathed a sigh of relief to see that L.A.’s rain showers took a break in time for the Oscars red carpet. Rain closes down L.A., guys.
BEST: Kate Hudson’s Dress
The 34-year-old actress may not have been nominated for an Academy Award, but she won the red carpet with her sheer white Atelier Versace gown.
See photos: Oscars Red Carpet Arrivals
WORST: Pharrell Forgot His Pants
It’s not clear if the fashion-forward musician was trying to be trendy or wet his tuxedo pants earlier in the night when he strolled into the Oscars wearing shorts. Even his wife, Helen Lasichanh, was smart enough to wear pants to Hollywood’s classiest event of the year.
BEST: Jared Leto and June Squib Are Dating?!
The night’s red carpet interviews were largely boring and might as well have been scripted, but the eventual Best Supporting Actor winner dropping in on the 84-year-old nominee and flirting up a storm was a breath of fresh air. More of this next year, please.
See photos: Oscars Red Carpet Arrivals
BEST and WORST: Jennifer Lawrence Eats Turf, Again
Jennifer Lawrence is a certified action star, but she just can’t seem to keep her balance. Then again, the quirky actress owns her spills, and it made for some good monologue fodder for Ellen DeGeneres.
See photos: Oscars Red Carpet Arrivals
WORST: Liza Is Streaking
Liza Minnelli went with an over-the-top Smurf-themed motif with a sonic blue hair-dyed streak and a cerulean dress. The 67-year-old screen legend might have gone too outre with this ensemble.
See photos: Oscars Red Carpet Arrivals
BEST: Lupita Exits Car, Social Media Goes Nuts
Lupita Nyong’o’s fashion hasn’t disappointed all awards season. But, the first peek of her getting out of a car sent social media aflutter.
BEST: Benedict Cumberbatch Photobombs U2 on the Red Carpet
#nuffsaid
See photos: Oscars Red Carpet Arrivals
WORST: Leonardo DiCaprio Changes History
On the red carpet, DiCaprio described his obsession with a novel called “The Wolf of Wall Street,” the book on which the Oscar-nominated film is based. There’s just one problem: that book is a memoir.
BEST: Respect Thy Elders — or Not
Host Ellen DeGeneres referred to Liza Minnelli as “sir” and earned her first “boo” of the night. Well, we’re sure Liza can take it.
See photos: Oscars Red Carpet Arrivals
BEST: You Can’t Joke About ’12 Years’ and Not Sound Racist
Host Ellen DeGeneres answered the host question of the season: Can you joke about “12 Years a Slave” without sounding like a racist? She just faced it head on by saying if “12 Years a Slave” didn’t win best picture, the whole Academy was racist.
BEST: Jared Leto Thanks His Mom
Jared Leto set a high bar for every other winner when he recounted the tale of his mom, a teenage girl who had two children in rural Louisiana. He praised his mom for “teaching me how to dream.”
BEST: Pharrell Busts a Move With Oscar’s Ladies
The performer livened up the room and social media when he got Meryl Streep, Amy Adams and Lupita Nyong’o on their feet during “Happy.”
BEST: Ellen Broke Twitter
Host Ellen DeGeneres got together a group of stars including Meryl Streep, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and more. She then dared viewers to make it the most retweeted photo in history. Then, Twitter just couldn’t handle it and went down. BETTER? Lupita Nyong’o’s brother photobombed the photo.
See photos: Oscars Red Carpet Arrivals
BEST: Karen O’s Short and Sweet Rendition of ‘The Moon Song’
Karen O’s “Moon Song,” which she co-wrote with Spike Jonze for “Her,” may only be constructed out of a few simple chords, but her duet with Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig was simply amazing. O’s performance was so good, it sounded like she was hardly trying at all.
WORST: Darlene Love Sings Her Heart Out
Love — one of several back-up singers in Best Documentary winner, “20 Feet From Stardom” — has been loving the spotlight the film has given her. And she really milked it when she put her powerful pipes on display to sing her acceptance speech.
Best: Lupita Nyong’o Inspires
In her joyful acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress for “12 Years a Slave,” Nyong’o will be fueling dreams for years when she said, “No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.”
BEST: Ellen DeGeneres Throws a Pizza Party
Host Ellen DeGeneres, wisely realizing that the evening’s guests would have precious little access to food, provided pizza for the audience. It wasn’t quite to the level of Oprah’s infamous “You get a car!” moment, but hey — you can’t eat a car.
WORST: John Travolta’s Name-Game Fail
To paraphrase Vinnie Barbarino, John Travolta was soooo confuuuused on Sunday, when he attempted to introduce “Let It Go” singer Idina Menzel, and ended up introducing … well, no one’s really quite sure.
BEST: Bill Murray Buries Beef, Remembers Ramis
While handing out the award for Achievement in Cinematography, Bill Murray went off prompter to give a touching tribute to his old friend and collaborator. “Oh, we forgot one,” Murray said. “Harold Ramis for ‘Caddyshack,’ ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Groundhog Day.’” Cue applause.
WORST: Academy Makes Odd In Memoriam Choice
The In Memoriam segment included Philip Seymour Hoffman last, and froze on his card — though he wasn’t the most recent person on the list to die. The choice seemed to prioritize him above the others who passed. Why not chronological or alphabetical order? There has to be a better way.
WORST: Jamie “Too Crazy Like a” Foxx
It wasn’t quite clear what Jamie Foxx was doing on stage during his award presentation, besides a seemingly endless display of goofy mugging, culminating in a slow-motion “Chariots of Fire” spoof. Perhaps he was rendered temporarily addlepated by the beauty of his “Stealth” co-star Jessica Biel.
WORST: Matthew McConaughey’s Glaring Omission
Matthew McConaughey’s wide-ranging acceptance speech for Best Actor mentioned many things. What he didn’t mention was HIV — the illness at the center of “Dallas Buyers Club.” Compared to his co-star Jared Leto’s eloquent reflection on the AIDS crisis, McConaughey came off as tone-deaf on that front.
BEST: EGOT Club Gets Its Youngest Member
Songwriter Robert Lopez won the Best Original Song Oscar for “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen.” That “O” completes his EGOT — a combination of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards. Backstage, his wife and co-writer Kristen Anderson-Lopez presented him with a pasta necklace that spells out the sweet four-letter acronym.
WORST: ‘American Hustle’ After-party
“American Hustle” entered the Oscars with a ton of noms. The cast and crew left the awards show with exactly zero trophies — that could make for a pretty somber after-party. Attendees will find out exactly how much of a joy it really is just to be nominated.
BEST and WORST: Ellen DeGeneres as Host
We’ll start with the good: she was far less offensive than Seth MacFarlane, and showed some love to Big Momma’s & Papa’s, a local pizza chain. Now for the bad: yaaaaaaaawn.