THE OSCARS: REPORT CARD 2014

Special to AMFM Magazine by Jimmy Willden

The 2014 Academy Awards aired on Sunday, Mar. 2, and they were full of surprises (such as Jennifer Lawrence tripping (again) on the red carpet, Ellen DeGeneres ordering pizza and breaking twitter with the most retweeted post/selfie off all time), and, of course, the deeply emotional and heartwarming acceptance speeches (I’m looking at you Lupita and Jared).

But when it came down to the awards, there were no big surprises. Gravity swept every single technical award, as expected, taking home seven statues, including Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron. 12 Years a Slave followed suit with three Oscars, including the top prize! In the end, the biggest surprise of the night is the fact that nine-time Oscar-nominated American Hustle went home completely empty-handed.

Not to pat my own back (as I do so anyway), but I also beat my overall score last year, predicting 18.5 out of the 20 categories I covered correctly. Grade: A- (92.5%)

Without further ado, here are Oscar Sunday’s Winners:

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
PREDICTION (who I thought would win): Her, Spike Jonze; Runner-up: American Hustle, Eric Warren Singer & David O. Russell
WINNER: Her, Spike Jonze

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
PREDICTION: 12 Years a Slave, John Ridley; Runner-Up: Philomena, Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope
WINNER: 12 Years a Slave, John Ridley

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
PREDICTION: “Let It Go”, Frozen; Runner-Up: “Ordinary Love”, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
WINNER: “Let It Go”, Frozen

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
PREDICTION: Gravity, Steven Price; Runner-Up: Her, William Butler & Owen Pallett
WINNER: Gravity, Steven Price

BEST ANIMATED FILM
PREDICTION: Frozen, Jennifer Lee & Peter Del Vecho – no contest.
WINNER: Frozen, Jennifer Lee & Peter Del Vecho

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
PREDICTION: The Great Beauty, Italy – no contest.
WINNER: The Great Beauty, Italy

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
PREDICTION: The Act of Killing, Joshua Oppenheimer & Signe Byrge Sorensen — no contest.
WINNER: 20 Feet From Stardom, Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
PREDICTION: The Great Gatsby, Catherine Martin (Production Design), Beverly Dunn (Set Decoration); Runner-Up: Her, K.K. Barrett (Production Design), Gene Serdena (Set Decoration)
WINNER: The Great Gatsby, Catherine Martin (Production Design), Beverly Dunn (Set Decoration)

BEST MAKEUP & HAIR DESIGN
PREDICTION: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, Stephen Poutry; Runner-Up: Dallas Buyers Club, Adruitha Lee & Robin Mathews
WINNER: Dallas Buyers Club, Adruitha Lee & Robin Mathews

strong>BEST FILM EDITING
PREDICTION: Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron & Mark Sanger; Runner-Up: Captain Phillips, Christopher Rouse
WINNER: Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron & Mark Sanger

BEST SOUND EDITING
PREDICTION: Gravity, Glenn Freemantle; Runner-Up: Captain Phillips, Oliver Tarney
WINNER: Gravity, Glenn Freemantle

BEST SOUND MIXING
PREDICTION: Gravity, Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead & Chris Munro – no contest
WINNER: Gravity, Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead & Chris Munro

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
PREDICTION: Gravity, Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk & Neil Corbould – no contest.
WINNER: Gravity, Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk & Neil Corbould

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
PREDICTION: Gravity, Emmanuel Lubezki; Runner-Up: Inside Llewyn Davis, Bruno Delbonnel
WINNER: Gravity, Emmanuel Lubezki

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
PREDICTION: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave; Runner-Up: Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
WINNER: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
PREDICTION: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club ; Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
WINNER: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST ACTRESS
PREDICTION: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine; Runner-Up: Amy Adams, American Hustle
WINNER: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

BEST ACTOR
PREDICTION: Mathew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club – no contest.
WINNER: Mathew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST DIRECTOR
PREDICTION: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity; Runner-Up: Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
WINNER: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity

BEST PICTURE
PREDICTION: 12 Years a Slave; Runner-Up: Gravity
POSSIBLE CURVEBALL WIN: American Hustle or Philomena (but not likely).
WINNER: 12 Years a Slave