Oscars 2015: 16 Most Memorable Moments

01 of 16

Neil Patrick Harris starts strong

First-time Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris opened with a zinger that called attention to the awards' lack of diversity: ''Tonight we honor Hollywood's best and whitest—sorry, brightest.'' From there, he segued into an upbeat opening number, because upbeat opening numbers are NPH’s sweet spot. Not everything that followed lived up to that opener (which Harris joked was ''completely improvised''), but he did return to glory with this immortal line: "Benedict Cumberbatch is not only the most awesome name in show business, it's also the sound you get when you ask John Travolta to pronounce 'Ben Affleck.'"—Kelly Connolly

02 of 16

J.K. Simmons asks us to call home

J.K. Simmons wants everyone to call Mom and Dad. Like, right now. The now Oscar-winning actor urged the audience and viewers at home to call their parents during his Best Actor in a Supporting Role acceptance speech for ''Whiplash.'' ''Don’t text. Don’t email. Call them on the phone,'' Simmons said. ''Tell 'em you love 'em, and thank them, and listen to them for as long as they want to talk to you.'' Simmons ended his speech with a special shout-out to his own parents. What a classy way to kick off a night of heartfelt speeches, J.K.—Megan Daley

03 of 16

The sound of diss-chord

Awards shows are known for cueing up music when winners' speeches go too long, but the band was cutting speeches a little too short in the beginning of the show—first for Polish-British filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski, then for Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry, accepting the award for ''Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1,'' a documentary short subject. Perry ended her speech with a dedication to her son Evan, whom she and her family lost to suicide. Despite the sensitive subject matter, the Academy still tried to play her off. ''We should talk about suicide out loud,'' Perry said over the music. ''This is for him.''—Ariana Bacle

04 of 16

Doughnuts get their moment in the sun

While accepting the award for Best Live Action Short for ''The Phone Call,'' British director Mat Kirkby was grateful for all the right reasons: ''This now means I can get a free doughnut at my local bakery,'' he exclaimed. Kirkby was very insistent that the shop makes fantastic doughnuts. Executive Producer James Lucas had to lean over to the mic to be sure that he and his partner thanked the Academy—but really, we think Kirkby had his priorities in line.—Kelly Connolly

05 of 16

'Everything is Awesome' lives up to its name

''The Lego Movie'' may have been snubbed from contention for Best Animated Movie (and hey, Best Picture too!), but that performance of nominated song ''Everything Is Awesome'' more than made up for the slight. Tegan and Sara played their Platonic ideal of happy pop songs alongside a LEGO choir and a tuxedo-clad The Lonely Island. An army of cowboys handed out LEGO Oscars to an ecstatic Oprah. Will Arnett was there to remind us that he might actually be the best movie Batman ever—and Questlove was dressed as Robin, just like in your dreams. The whole thing was just as over-the-top, ecstatic, and smile-inducing as ''The LEGO Movie'' itself—a beautiful reminder of that sunny parallel Earth where this smart fable got the recognition it deserved.—Christian Holub

06 of 16

Neil Patrick Harris spoofs 'Birdman'

Neil Patrick Harris rushing around backstage in his tighty whities just might top Ellen's viral celebrity selfie from last year. Spoofing Best Picture nominee ''Birdman,'' the underdressed Oscar host tried to make his way to the stage, getting snapped by paparazzi and signing autographs in the process. He also ran into Miles Teller, who just happened to be jamming out on a sweet set of drums, and leaned in to tell the younger star, ''Not my tempo.'' Perhaps Harris wasn't a fan of the eventual Best Picture winner's soundtrack, which Teller was playing. At least he didn’t have to wander through Times Square like Michael Keaton. —Keisha Hatchett

07 of 16

Equal rights earn a standing O from Meryl

"It's our time to have wage equality once and for all, and equal rights for women in the United States of America," Patricia Arquette proclaimed at the end of her Best Supporting Actress acceptance speech. The audience replied with applause—and Meryl Streep replied by clapping her hands together in agreement, directing a "you go, girl!" motion toward the stage. If it wasn't obvious before, now we know: Ladies, Meryl Streep's on our side.—Ariana Bacle

08 of 16

'Glory' makes everyone cry

John Legend and Common’s performance of "Glory," from ''Selma,'' brought the entirety of Dolby Theatre to its feet. The powerful song struck a chord throughout the crowd—as the camera panned across the audience, ''Selma'' star David Oyelowo and Chris Pine of ''Into the Woods'' were both in tears. The display was incredibly moving, and moments later, the tune snagged the award for Best Original Song. It made for one of the night's most stirring moments.—Megan Daley

09 of 16

Idina Menzel turns the tables on John Travolta

How does John Travolta top "Adele Dazeem?" He grabs Idina Menzel's face. Travolta was invited back onto the Oscars stage to make fun of last year's gaffe by Menzel herself, who introduced him as "Glom Gazingo." Travolta emerged, gave Menzel a hug, and said, "I deserved that." Then he started awkwardly caressing her face, continuing their patter: "But you, you my darling, my beautiful, my wickedly talented, Idina Menzel." —Esther Zuckerman

10 of 16

Terrence Howard has a lot of feelings

''Empire'' star Terrence Howard got weirdly emotional while introducing Best Picture nominees ''Whiplash,'' ''The Imitation Game,'' and ''Selma.'' "Our next film," he began... before pausing dramatically. Then sighing. Then pausing dramatically once again. "Our next film is amazing," he said, then laughed and paused again. "I’m blown away right now myself." Watching this, you'd think he was auditioning for a drama he really, really wanted a part in. But, nope, he was just presenting the clip package for ''The Imitation Game.'' —Ariana Bacle

11 of 16

Lady Gaga soars through a tribute to 'The Sound of Music'

Does Lady Gaga belong on Broadway? The pop star went full theater kid during her time on the Oscar stage, singing a medley in honor of the film's 50th anniversary—and putting ''The Sound of Music Live!'' star Carrie Underwood to shame. Though Gaga's performance was ultimately superflulous—and certainly added to the length of the ceremony—all was forgiven when Julie Andrews emerged, hugged Gaga, and began speaking in her own effortlessly gorgeous voice.—Esther Zuckerman

12 of 16

Screenwriter Graham Moore encourages young viewers

‘'The Imitation Game’' screenwriter Graham Moore used his Best Adapted Screenplay acceptance speech as an opportunity to address those who feel like they’re outsiders—and to tell them it’ll all be okay. Moore began on a brutally honest note, saying he attempted suicide when he was 16 because he felt '‘weird’' and ‘'different.'’ ‘'I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere,'’ he continued. ‘'Yes, you do. I promise you do. Stay weird, stay different.'’ His heartfelt demands earned a standing ovation—and quickly became the night’s most inspiring (and tweeted) speech. —Ariana Bacle

13 of 16

Eddie Redmayne emotes

Eddie Redmayne's full Best Actor acceptance speech is worth a watch, but it's the few seconds when he loses control that are worth watching over and over again. ''The Theory of Everything'' star starts a sentence before essentially flipping out, taking a look at his Oscar and gasping an emotional "wow." This moment of raw emotion was a welcome departure from the night’s staged jokes and memorized speeches—and a reminder of how endearing Redmayne can be. —Ariana Bacle

14 of 16

Sean Penn makes things awkward

The honor of announcing the night's last award went to Sean Penn, who milked his moment for all it was worth. After an uncomfortably long pause, Penn capitalized on the anticipation with .... political commentary? "Who gave this son of a bitch his green card?" he asked. And with that, Alejandro Inarritu’s ''Birdman'' won Best Picture. Hopefully Inarritu received a warmer welcome from his fellow attendees. (For the record, Penn and Inarritu are old pals—and Inarritu said backstage after the win that he thought Penn's quip was ''hilarious.'') —Kelly Connolly

15 of 16

The night runs long—waaaay long

Even with the impatient band, the ceremony managed to run nearly 40 minutes long. Winners were enthusiastically wordy, musical tributes took their time, and presenters spent entirely too much time grabbing each other's faces (looking at you, Travolta). In related news, Monday morning coffee sales were off the charts. —Kelly Connolly

16 of 16

HONORABLE MENTION: McDonald's goes for movie magic

Everyone knows that most contemporary movies can be broken down into simplistic formulas ("Spider-Man,'' ''Superman,'' ''Jedi Man,'' ''Sequel Man,'' as Jack Black angrily sang during the opening number). But this McDonald’s commercial proved that past cinematic touchstones can be broken down into mathematical formulas as well. For example, "King Kong" = Big Apple + big ape + normal-sized lady. "The Silence of the Lambs" = fava beans + chianti + people. The whole thing was topped off with the classic Big Mac formula, the message being that…um, Big Macs are art, we guess? —Christian Holub

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