Stars, dresses, and Oscars galore! On Sunday, February 26, 2012, the 84th Annual Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, brought a close to the 2012 award season. This year’s host was Billy Crystal, who has hosted the Oscars eight times before. Originally, Eddie Murphy was set to be the show’s host, but later dropped out. There was much anticipation and speculation surrounding the Oscars, from what the stars would wear to who would win. This year there were 25 categories, ranging from Best Picture to Best Writing (Original Screenplay).
As in every other award show, there are always front-runners and favorites. This year, the favorite to win an Oscar in the category of Best Actress in a Supporting Role was The Help’s Octavia Spencer. She won this along with the Screen Actors Guild Award (SAG) and the Golden Globe for her performance as Minnie, a maid working in the south during the early 1960s. Melissa McCarthy was a fan favorite to win Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role as Megan in the hit comedy Bridesmaids, but the Academy does not usually give awards to comedy roles. There are always surprises like the silent movie, The Artist, which won the Best Picture and Best Actor in a Lead Role (Jean Dujardin). Meryl Streep, a seventeen-time nominee, won her third Academy Award for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.
All in all, the Academy Awards, albeit unexceptional, went off without a hitch. Many people were expecting much more from host Billy Crystal. The song that he sung in the beginning was expected. The favorites won their respective awards and nothing mind-blowing occurred. Next year, let’s hope that the Academy Awards are a bit more memorable by doing something that is truly unexpected.
