海角大神

Updated 12:05 a.m.

"Birdman," the story of a movie star struggling to rejuvenate his career with a play on Broadway, won Best Picture this evening at the Academy Awards.

Meanwhile, actor Eddie Redmayne took the Best Actor statuette for his work in the film "The Theory of Everything," in which he played Stephen Hawking. "I am fully aware I am a lucky, lucky man," he said. "[The Oscar statue] belongs to one exceptional family, Stephen, Jane, Jonathan, and the Hawking children, and I will be its custodian."聽Actress Julianne Moore of "Still Alice" won the Best Actress prize for her role as a woman who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. "There's no such thing as Best Actress, as is evidenced by the performances of my fellow nominees," she said.

Alejandro Gonz谩lez I帽谩rritu took Best Director for "Birdman." The other movies in his category "can't be compared, can't be labeled, can't be defeated because they exist," he said. "And our work only will be judged, as always, by time."

Actor Eddie Murphy presented the Best Original Screenplay Oscar to 鈥淏irdman," while Oprah Winfrey presented the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar to "The Imitation Game."

The secret of Harris's briefcase was revealed: the briefcase, which was apparently locked in a case, contained details of ceremony events. How did the magician do it?

Earlier in the show, after the In Memoriam reel was shown, displaying those involved in the industry who had died over the past year, actress and singer Jennifer Hudson performed the song 鈥淚 Can鈥檛 Let Go.鈥�

The Best Film Editing prize went to the film 鈥淲hiplash," while the Best Documentary Feature prize went to the movie 鈥淐itizenfour,鈥� the film about Edward Snowden.

Another Best Original Song was performed 鈥� singers John Legend and Common sang the song 鈥淕lory,鈥� which came from the movie 鈥淪elma.鈥� Common performed on a model of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, where those participating in the march to Selma, Ala. met law enforcement. 鈥淕lory鈥� ended up receiving the Best Original Song prize. 鈥淲e wrote this song for a film that was based on events that were 50 years ago, but we say that Selma is now,鈥� Legend said upon accepting the award.

A tribute to 鈥淭he Sound of Music,鈥� which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year, included a montage of scenes from the film and singer Lady Gaga impressively performing a medley of songs from the film. 鈥淢usic鈥� star Julie Andrews appeared to praise the medley and present a prize. 鈥淚t really warmed my heart,鈥� she said of the tribute. 鈥淲e all really felt blessed to be a part of [the movie].鈥� She presented the Best Original Score Oscar to 鈥淭he Grand Budapest Hotel.鈥�

Updated 10:26 p.m.

When reenacting a scene from the film 鈥淏irdman,鈥� Harris recruited actor Miles Teller, who plays a gifted drummer in 鈥淲hiplash,鈥� to play the drums for the portion. 鈥淏irdman鈥� featured a famously drum-heavy soundtrack.

And the film 鈥淲hiplash鈥� received even more recognition when it got the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing. Soon after, the movie 鈥淎merican Sniper鈥� got the statuette for Best Sound Editing.

And we learned who received the Best Supporting Actress prize. Actor Jared Leto, who won the Best Supporting Actor prize last year for the movie 鈥淒allas Buyers Club鈥� and announced this year鈥檚 Best Supporting Actress prize, joked that the nominees for Best Supporting Actress were four actresses and 鈥渋n accordance with California state law, Meryl Streep.鈥�

Actress Patricia Arquette won the prize for her work in 鈥淏oyhood.鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America,鈥� she said during her speech. This message got an especially enthusiastic response from Streep.

Later, singer Rita Ora performed the song 鈥淕rateful,鈥� which is nominated for Best Original Song and is from the movie 鈥淏eyond the Lights.鈥�

The Best Visual Effects award went to the space-set Christopher Nolan movie 鈥淚nterstellar.鈥�

Things soon turned visual with the announcement of some animated prizes. The Best Animated Short award went to the movie 鈥淔east,鈥� while the Best Animated Feature prize went to 鈥淏ig Hero 6.鈥� (Harris mentioned another snub when introducing the category. 鈥淭he LEGO Movie鈥� was not nominated 鈥� if anyone is at an Oscars party with the creators, Harris said, 鈥渘ow would be an excellent time to start distracting them.鈥�)

The Best Production Design prize went to 鈥淭he Grand Budapest Hotel,鈥� while the Best Cinematography award was given to the movie 鈥淏irdman.鈥�

Meanwhile, Harris keeps telling Spencer to keep an eye on that briefcase. What鈥檚 going to happen there?

Updated 9:45 p.m.

The movie 鈥淚da,鈥� which came from Poland, took the Best Foreign Language film prize. Meanwhile, host Harris took to the audience to interact with the people in the seats but encountered two seat-fillers (people who occupy seats if one is empty or if someone has to get up). However, he did chat with Steve Carell, who played along with Harris's questions about which famous person he was most excited about and said he was very glad to see "Birdman" actor Edward Norton.

Singing duo Tegan and Sara and the musical group The Lonely Island performed a version of the 鈥淟EGO Movie鈥� song 鈥淓verything Is Awesome." "LEGO" famously missed out on a Best Animated Feature nod but "Awesome" received a nomination for Best Original Song. The number included lots of flashing lights and dancers dressed as construction workers, while some audience members like Oprah Winfrey and Carell received Lego Oscar statuettes.

Later, Harris expressed confusion with some of this year鈥檚 film titles. One example? 鈥淗ow to Train Your Dragon 2.鈥� It gives away that the first film 鈥渄id an unsufficient job of helping people train their dragons,鈥� Harris says.

Meanwhile, the award for Best Live Action Short Film went to the movie 鈥淭he Phone Call鈥� and the award for Best Documentary Short Subject went to the film 鈥淐risis Hotline: Veterans Press 1.鈥�

Harris took to the audience again to chat with David Oyelowo (鈥淪ure, now you like him,鈥� he told the audience after there was applause, referencing Oyelowo鈥檚 lack of a Best Actor nomination for the movie 鈥淪elma鈥�) and asked him to help with a joke. 鈥淚 think it鈥檒l be way funnier because you鈥檙e a Brit,鈥� he said. Oyelowo then read that the year saw the end of some movie series, including the last 鈥淗obbit鈥� movie and 鈥渢he last-ever attempt to remake 鈥楢nnie.鈥欌�� 鈥淲ith a British accent, it鈥檚 not at all insulting,鈥� Harris assured him.

Singer Tim McGraw performed the song 鈥淚鈥檓 Not Gonna Miss You,鈥� which is nominated for Best Original Song and appeared in the film 鈥淕len Campbell: I鈥檒l Be Me.鈥�

Updated 9:04 p.m.

Host Neil Patrick Harris lost no time in commenting on the听肠辞苍迟谤辞惫别谤蝉测 over what critics say is a lack of racial and gender diversity in this year鈥檚 Oscar nominees.

鈥淭onight we honor Hollywood鈥檚 best and whitest,鈥� Harris said at the beginning of the show. 鈥淪orry, brightest.鈥�

Harris, the veteran host of various awards ceremonies and a Tony Award-winning actor, then launched into a song, 鈥淢oving Pictures,鈥� that found the actor jumping into scenes from 鈥淕host,鈥� 鈥淪tar Wars,鈥� and 鈥淭he Avengers,鈥� among many others. Clips from this year鈥檚 nominated films were shown as well. Harris聽was soon joined by actress Anna Kendrick, who showed off the singing talent she displayed in this year鈥檚 movie 鈥淚nto the Woods,鈥� in which she played Cinderella. The shoe she carried came in handy when actor Jack Black joined Harris and Kendrick to complain about the shortcomings of contemporary Hollywood and Kendrick threw it to get him off the stage.

Soon after, a big prize was given out when 鈥淲hiplash鈥� actor J.K. Simmons was awarded the Best Supporting Actor prize. He centered his acceptance speech on family, thanking his wife, children, and parents.

鈥淐all your mom, call your dad,鈥� the actor said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 text, don鈥檛 e-mail鈥� listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you.鈥�

Harris, who sometimes performs magic during the awards shows he hosts, also gave us what may be the introduction to one. He has put his guesses as to who will win what Oscar in a briefcase, which is inside a glass case. He鈥檚 assigned actress Octavia Spencer to watch it.

Meanwhile, Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine performed the song 鈥淟ost Stars,鈥� which is nominated for Best Original Song for its appearance in the film 鈥淏egin Again.鈥�

Other prizes given out include Best Costume Design, which was given to the Wes Anderson film 鈥淭he Grand Budapest Hotel,鈥� and Best Makeup and Hairstyling, which also went to 鈥淏udapest.鈥�

Stay tuned for more awards!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will the tale of a boy in Texas or a struggling actor trying to make his mark on Broadway be named as the best picture of 2014?聽

As聽Oscars聽night approaches, many are pointing to the movies 鈥淏oyhood鈥� and 鈥淏irdman鈥� as the two frontrunners in the Best Picture race. The two are very different films 鈥� 鈥淏oyhood鈥� was filmed over 12 years and follows a boy and his family, with star Ellar Coltrane and Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as his parents aging in real time, while 鈥淏irdman鈥� is the story of an actor (Michael Keaton) living in a magical-realism world where he is trying to revive his career by directing and starring in a Broadway play but is haunted by memories of his past glory playing a superhero.聽

We may have a fair idea of some of the acting winners already. Actress Julianne Moore has taken such prizes as the Best Actress in a Drama Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Best Actress award, so she seems a very good bet to take the Best Actress聽Oscar聽statuette for her work as someone diagnosed with Alzheimer鈥檚 in the movie 鈥淪till Alice.鈥� Similarly, Arquette won the Best Supporting Actress SAG Award and the Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe, while J.K. Simmons has taken the Best Supporting Actor SAG Award and Golden Globe for his role as a tough music instructor in the movie 鈥淲hiplash."聽

The Best Actor race may be a little harder to predict. Keaton won the Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical award at the Golden Globes, while Eddie Redmayne won the Best Actor in a Drama Golden Globe for his role as Stephen Hawking in the movie 鈥淭he Theory of Everything.鈥� When the two faced off in the same category at the SAG Awards, Redmayne took the prize, so he seems like he may have the stronger chance, but Keaton could come out on top.聽

It鈥檚 almost time to find out. Let鈥檚 discover which movies were the best of the year.