That’s a Wrap! The 2014 Oscar Highlights

Well that’s a wrap! The Oscars have been handed out! The Wolf didn’t howl, the pizza delivery-man wasn’t Hustled, Gravity rose to the top, and 12 Years a Slave took best picture!  So many great moments! Ellen rocked the show with her biting humor, pizza delivery, and selfie (or do we call it an “us-ie”?).  What a great sense of fun she brought to the evening.

We had a great time watching the show and enjoyed all the munchies that I laid out.  Friends came by to watch and brought the steak bites to share.  Because it has been a busy weekend, I simplified my earlier menu that I had planned.  What I did prepare turned out delicious.  I was able to make the pesto pizza (Her), meteorite meatballs (gravity), lobster bisque (Wolf of Wall Street), berry blossoms (12 Years a Slave), and salad with croutons (Philomena); my friend brought the the steak bites (Nebraska).  The berry blossoms were a swap out from the sweet potato pie and represented 12 Years a Slave.  This is connected to when Solomon Northup wrote his letter in the juice of blackberries.  A few movies got left out – I did not make the chocolate sheet cake (Dallas Buyers Club) or the chicken picatta (American Hustle). We had more than enough food already for our small gathering.  You can find the recipes for this menu here.

Some of my favorite highlights were Mathew McConaughey’s speech ~ Who do you look up to, what do you look forward to, and who is your hero?  I loved, loved, loved Pink’s rendition of Somewhere over the Rainbow.  Bette Midler looked stunning! Sidney Poitier is truly an icon – it was wonderful seeing him on stage.I love the theme of heroes (in movies) that was highlighted throughout the night.  My overarching teaching theme this year is the Hero’s Journey; it is tied to Joseph Campbell’s monomyth.  I loved the visual montage they put together about the many heroes and the heroes’ journeys.  I wonder how many of my students noticed the connection?

Surprise for the night: I was really surprised that Gravity received so many awards! I know it was all the talk in Hollywood, and I really enjoyed the movie. It was a great film.  I just thought the wealth might have been spread around a bit.  There were many great films this year! Another surprise? How many women in beautiful gowns ate a piece of pizza! I loved that Meryl Streep took a piece of pizza!It was fun watching Lupita Nyong’o, Meryl Streep, and Amy Adams stand up and dance with Pharrell to his performance of Happy – the whole night was a whole lotta fun! And the hat? Looking like the Arby’s logo? Arby bought the hat last Sunday for $44,100 and is giving the money to Pharrell’s charity, From One Hand to Another. They were tweeting last night that they want  “their” hat back. Fun!

On a closing note, the take away for everyone – Lupita’s closing lines to her acceptance speech…

When I look down at this golden statue, 
may it remind me and every little child that no matter where you’re from, 
your dreams are valid. Thank you.