Oscars 2015: Most Heartfelt Speeches and Performances
There were plenty of golden moments at the 2015 Oscars.
Feb. 22, 2015— -- There were plenty of golden moments at the 2015 Oscars, from the speeches to the performances to host Neil Patrick Harris.
First-time host Harris kicked off the night with a bit of song and dance, as expected. He was joined by Anna Kendrick for an irreverent tribute to motion pictures. While Harris limited the jokes in his opening monologue, he got off quite a few good ones during the show, and even threw in a bit of magic at the end.
One of Harris' best moments of the night was a nod to the famous scene in "Birdman," in which Michael Keaton walks through Times Square in his underwear. Harris appeared on stage, wearing only in his underwear, after supposedly being locked out of his dressing room.
As the night progressed, "Birdman" came out the big winner, picking up the award for best picture, cinematography, original screenplay and director for Alejandro González Iñárritu.
"Boyhood" was mostly shut out, except for star Patricia Arquette's win as actress in a supporting role.
Arquette's speech was one of the most memorable of the night. Keep reading to find out the five top moments of the night.
Patricia Arquette
Arquette was expected to take home the prize for supporting actress, but during her speech, she gave an unexpected rallying call for equal rights for women that was cheered by Meryl Streep and more.
"To every woman who gave birth to every tax payer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else's equal rights," Arquette said after thanking the filmmakers and her family. "It's our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America."
'Glory'
John Legend and Common brought down the house once again with their Oscar-nominated song "Glory" from the film "Selma."
The pair’s performance featured an image of Selma's infamous Edmund Pettus bridge and a chorus marching behind the two musicians. Their moving rendition had the audience on their feet and many of them, including star David Oyelowo and actor Chris Pine, in tears.
After winning the Oscar, the pair got the crowd back on their feet with their spirited speeches. Common spoke about how the bridge was once a "landmark of a divided nation," but now "connects a kid from the South Side of Chicago to France." Afterward, Legend talked about how "Selma is now" and the struggle for justice continues---from voting rights being under fire to more black men being incarcerated now than in 1850, when they were in chains during slavery.
Lady Gaga made her Oscar debut with a show-stopping medley from the "Sound of Music." The "Born This Way" singer was nearly unrecognizable with flowing hair and a white ball gown, as she showed off her powerful pipes with classics like "The Sound of Music," "Do Re Mi," "Edelweiss" and "Climb Ev'ry Mountain."
The singer earned a much deserved standing ovation and a hug from the real "Sound of Music" star Julie Andrews.
"Dear Lady Gaga, thank you for that lovely tribute. It really warmed my heart," Andrews gushed, before launching into the nominees for best original score.
Winner of Adapted Screenplay
As always, it's the speeches which provide some of Oscar's best moments. Screenwriter Graham Moore, who won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for "The Imitation Game," the story of war hero Alan Turing who was later prosecuted for being gay, gave a heartfelt speech that brought the audience to its feet.
Referring to Turing, who is believed to have committed suicide, Moore revealed that, he too, tried to kill himself at 16, "because I felt weird and different and didn’t belong."
He went on to say, "I want this moment to be for that kid...stay weird, stay different and when it’s your turn...please pass the same message on."
Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore
After winning for best actor and best actress for playing two characters battling different illnesses, both Eddie Redmayne and Julianne Moore delivered moving speeches, remembering those who suffer from ALS and Alzheimer's diseases.
Redmayne dedicated his Oscar, for playing physicist Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything," to people with ALS, saying he will be the "custodian" of the award. "I will polish him and wait on him hand and foot," he said about his Oscar, adding to his new wife Hannah Bagshawe that they have a "new fella to share our apartment."
Meanwhile, Moore said she hoped her portrayal in the film "Still Alice" would allow people with Alzheimer's to "be seen."
She also noted that one study showed winning an Oscar could add five years to a person's life. "I’d really to thank the Academy, because my husband is younger than me," she joked, while thanking her hubby Bart Freundlich and their two children for "my life" and "for giving me a home."