From the first few moments Ellen DeGeneres walked onto that Oscar stage as host, she had the audience laughing.
One of the funny comments from DeGeneres was, “For those around the world, it has been a tough couple of days here — it’s raining. We’re fine, thank you for your prayers.”
In general, she teased more than anything else, making only one truly bold joke: That the evening would end in two possible ways. “Possibility number one, 12 Years a Slave wins best picture. Possibility two: you’re all racists.” Which generated uneasiness, as well as laughter.
A memorable moment was when a star-studded group photo DeGeneres shared on twitter on Sunday night became the most ” retweeted” photograph ever, racing past a record held by President Obama.
If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014
Although she was insulting in comical Ellen manner, shooting off, “I did some research, and between all of you here tonight, you have made 1,400 films, and have gone to a total of six years of college.” But she focused on Amy Adams, who admitted she did not attend college, and then referred to Jennifer Lawrence’s fall as she was getting out of the car to attend the ceremony, also mentioning Lawrence’s fall during the 2013 Oscars, saying “this year maybe we should bring the Oscar to you.” Lawrence laughed it off, and appeared to take the joke well.
She acknowledged a special tribute to mark the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz and its star, Judy Garland, pointing out her children (Minnelli is one), by saying that it included the “best Liza Minnelli Impersonator I have ever seen” which generated an especially uneasy face on Minnelli. It obviously insulted her, however, Minnelli appeared to laugh after the initial shock.
#Besties #Oscars2014 pic.twitter.com/gpg9PX5i2H
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014
Probably one of the funniest stunts was when DeGeneres ordered pizza after asking those on the A-list if they were hungry. It appeared to be a joke, however, the pizza actually showed up – and she began handing out slices. Nominees who were spotted eating pizza were August Osage County stars Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep, American Hustle actors Jennifer Lawrence and Christian Bale, and The Wolf of Wall Street director Martin Scorsese, although his movie’s star, Leonardo DiCaprio, declined a slice.
Then came the comment, “I don’t have any money,” she said, eliciting laughter from the audience. “Sandy?” she said to Gravity star Sandra Bullock.
“You’ve got a lot of money,” she said, perhaps referring to the report that the actress is set to earn $70 million for her 2013 blockbuster. “You can tip him, right?”
DeGeneres later roamed the aisles asking for the celebrities to chip in to pay for the pizzas using Pharrell Williams’ big brown hat, that he wore that evening in his musical performance.
She was able to collect money from Weinstein, Pitt, Ejiofo, Kevin Spacey, and John Travolta, while Lupita Nyong’o, who earlier in the broadcast won a best supporting actress Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, contributed lip balm, which DeGeneres stated was “worth something” and stuck in her pocket.
Although she was required to do so, she changed her clothes several times, making mention of her new outfit each time, which gained a hardy laughs each time. The biggest crack-up was when she came out, just after the Wizard of Oz tribute, as Glenda the Good Witch of the West, saying, “Oh, did I miss it!?” The crowd roared.
DeGeneres obviously had a good time, and made the show less boring than previous hosts (no names need mention). She is getting a lot of flack, but she made the long, tense show bearable.
Image via YouTube