Was that pizza they ate at the Oscars any good?
Apparently it’s just OK. Slate (quite geniusly) looked up Yelp reviews for the Hollywood location of Big Mama’s and Papa’s pizza that Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, and company were chowing down on. It’s got a three-and-a-half star rating on Yelp, and reviews that range, in the Yelp-ian way, from “literally the worst pizza ever” to “always the best pizza ever.” So the answer to whether it was any good is absolutely no and also yes very much so.
What did John Travolta say?
John Travolta introduced Idina Menzel’s performance of Best Original Song nominee “Let It Go” from Frozen. Rather, John Travolta was supposed to introduce Idina Menzel’s performance. Egregiously—c’mon this is the Oscars!—he totally butchered Menzel’s name, instead saying “Adele Dazim.” (Not even close, dude.) Or it may have been “Adela Dazeem.” It’s unclear which. Both are wrong. Both have parody Twitter accounts. Sarah Michelle Gellar was not pleased. Presumably Idina Menzel wasn’t too jazzed, either.
Did anyone else try to get in Ellen’s selfie?
There were celebrities everywhere! Surely more of them would’ve tried to get into the photo with Ellen. It’s not like she was sending out formal invitations. Well, at least one did try…and failed. And there’s sad photographic evidence to prove it. Sorry, Liza Minnelli.
Why was Brad Pitt accepting an Oscar?
Yeah, we all know he was in 12 Years a Slave, playing that Jesus as deus ex machina character. But why was he giving an acceptance speech when it won Best Picture? And why was he holding an Oscar? Well, he was also a credited producer on the film, along with Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, and Anthony Katagas. They all got Oscars. Brad Pitt got to speak, presumably, because he’s Brad Pitt and pretty.
Who was that scary lady with Matthew McConaughey?
That was Kim Novak delivering that cringe-inducing banter with Matthew McConaughey. She starred in Vertigo. She’s an acting legend. She’s 81. And her face did not always look like that. Novak’s alleged (but, you know, not-so alleged) plastic surgery caused waves with alarmed Twitter users, especially those who remember that at one time she was a total babe.One more little piece of trivia: when the score to The Artist won an Oscar in 2012, she was so appalled by its victory—she felt it sampled the score from Vertigo—that she compared it to rape.
Who was Jennifer Lawrence talking to?
While she was walking out to present Best Actress, Jennifer Lawrence kept pointing at someone in the audience, telling them to stop laughing. We all assumed that it had something to do with her fall up the Oscars steps last year. But we really had no idea. Well, Matthew McConaughey, of all people, cleared it all up in the press room. Apparently Ellen DeGeneres—who spun an entire bit out of Lawrence’s fall last year—was in the wings making a tripping motion as Lawrence walked to the microphone. Jared Leto, in the front row, could see DeGeneres and was laughing hysterically. Lawrence was teasing him to stop. There ya go!
Why did Cate Blanchett tell Julia Roberts to suck it?
Cate Blanchett graciously complimented her co-nominated actresses during her acceptance speech Sunday night, before also inexplicably looking at Julia Roberts and saying, “Julia, hashtag suck it. You know what I mean?” We certainly don’t. Care to enlighten us, Cate? In the press room after giving her speech, Blanchett remained cryptic: “It happened in the bar with Ms. Roberts. And that’s all I’m prepared to say.” So Cate Blanchett and Julia Roberts apparently have an inside joke. How glamorous.
Who was that singing during Best Documentary?
The film 20 Feet From Stardom, about the history and struggles of backup singers, won Best Documentary Feature. After the filmmakers said their thank yous, a woman with them walked up to the microphone and belted an impromptu, a capella version of “His Eye Is on the Sparrow.” That woman is Darlene Love. A major focus of 20 Feet From Stardom, she’s a trailblazing backup singer who made her mark working with Phil Spector. Her holiday song “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” is performed each year on Dave Letterman’s talk show. She co-starred in the Lethal Weapon movies. She’s been on Broadway. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame a few years ago. And, as we now all know, she can sing.