Edinburgh, Scotland -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2012 -- This week, those at Think Marketing’s Edinburgh office have been discussing the 84th Annual Academy Awards – commonly known as the Oscars! Despite being shown late at night in the UK, several people stayed up to watch this star-studded event, or caught up with the highlights over the weekend.
The much-hyped silent movie ‘The Artist’ triumphed as predicted, winning five awards on the night including best picture, best director and best actor for Jean Dujardin. A source from ThinkMarketing said ‘It really was an amazing film, which evoked all the wonder of the silent film age but was also fresh and funny. Everyone loved the dog too!’ Director Michel Hazanavicius, who won his first ever nomination, thanked the now-famous dog Uggie, who appears in the film, but added: ‘I don't think he cares.’ The film also won the Oscars for best original score and best costumes. 1929 was the last year that a silent movie won an Oscar. Also winning five Oscars was Martin Scorsese's ‘Hugo’, mainly in the technical categories.
Meryl Streep was another success story, winning best actress for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’ - her 17th Oscar nomination and third Oscar win. She thanked the Academy ‘for this inexplicably wonderful career’.
Canadian actor Christopher Plummer became the oldest Oscar winner at 82 by taking the best supporting actor prize. Plummer thanked his wife who, he said, deserved ‘the Nobel Peace Prize for coming to my rescue every day’. The best supporting actress prize was won by Octavia Spencer for ‘The Help’, who gave an emotional acceptance speech which received a standing ovation from the audience.
It wouldn’t be the Oscars without some controversy and Sasha Baron Cohen can always be relied on for this! On the red carpet, the British comedy actor turned up dressed in a white military uniform and sporting a beard and sunglasses, promoting his upcoming film The Dictator. Cohen arrived holding an urn he jokingly claimed contained the ashes of Kim Jong Il, the late leader of North Korea. Cohen then tipped the container on to American Idol host Ryan Seacrest before being escorted off by security.
Other than this, there was the usual fascination with the dress choices made by the stars, with particular attention being paid to Angelina Jolie. However, many have said that the Oscars this year offered no surprises and that everything that happened was fairly predictable. ‘It is always glamorous and star-studded’ stated a source from ThinkMarketing, ‘But this year was not the most exciting or unexpected ceremony’.
Nevertheless, the appeal of the Oscars for many lies in seeing their favourite stars on the red carpet, rather than who wins the awards and in that aspect the Oscars did not disappoint!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17174678
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/mar/01/oscars-2012
http://oscar.go.com/oscar-buzz