The Oscars seemingly had something for everyone this year.
For those who are into the awards themselves, director Ben Affleck's political thriller Argo lived up to its favorite status and won three honors, including best picture, at the 85th Academy Awards. Another favorite was Daniel Day-Lewis, who made history with his third best-actor statue, this time for Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Among those he thanked was out playwright Tony Kushner, who penned the script.
Jennifer Lawrence made her first Oscar win a memorable one (for Silver Linings Playbook) as she stumbled up the steps on her way to accepting the award. "You guys are just standing up because I fell and you feel sorry for me," she said. Also, Anne Hathaway won Best Supporting Actress for Les Miserables while Christoph Waltz (in a mild surprise) took Best Supporting Actor for Django Unchained, edging four others who had already won Oscars, including Robert DeNiro.
Another upset occurred when Ang Lee won Best Director for Life of Pi. Steven Spielberg had been favored for Lincoln.
There was also the sixth tie in Oscar history, according to USA Today, this time in sound editing, between Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall.
The night was also heavy in music, with Dame Shirley Bassey, 76, singing the title song to the 1960s James Bond movie Goldfinger. Adele (who won for Best Original Song) also performed a Bond tune: the title song from last year's Skyfall.
However, music fans had plenty of other options, including Catherine Zeta-Jones reviving her Chicago performance of "All that Jazz"; the cast of Les Miserables serenading the crowd with a medley from the movie; and past Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson showcasing her powerhouse voice in "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from Dreamgirls. And, as if that wasn't enough, Barbra Streisand took to the Oscars stage for the first time in 36 years to perform "The Way We Were" following the "In Memoriam" tribute.
Surprise presenter First Lady Michelle Obama appeared via satellite to award Best Picture honors (courtesy of an introduction from Jack Nicholson)—possibly as a response to former President Bill Clinton being part of this year's Golden Globes.
The night's host was Seth MacFarlane—who had been best known as the creator of TV's Family Guy. He mixed comedy and music, with an opening montage that featured everything from Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron dancing together to MacFarlane singing with the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.
