Oscars 2015: Winners, losers and highlights from Hollywood’s biggest night

SHOW-STOPPING performances, pantless moments, political speeches, snubs... it has been a big night at the Oscars. Who won the biggest awards?

Best Picture nominees ... Scenes from (clockwise from top left) American Sniper, Birdman, Imitation Game, Theory of Everything, Boyhood, Grand Budapest Hotel, Selma and Whiplash.

JULIANNE Moore was emotional, Eddie Redmayne was overwhelmed and the film Birdman soared above its competitors at this year’s Oscars.

Moore, who took out the Best Actress gong for her role in Still Alice, began her acceptance speech by saying she’d read an article that said Oscar winners lived five years longer than the rest of us.

“I’d really like to thank the Academy, because my husband is younger than me,” she joked.

Winner ... Eddie Redmayne played Stephen Hawking.

Grinner ... It’s the fifth time Julianne Moore has been nominated.

British rising star Redmayne, a first-time nominee, struggled to find the words while collecting his Best Actor statuette for The Theory of Everything but dedicated the win to the film’s inspiration, Stephen Hawking.

But the night really belonged to Birdman, the story of a washed-up superhero film star who tries to revive his career with a play on Broadway.

The film, which starred Michael Keaton, also won the Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Director.

Hat trick ... With a champagne in one hand, and one of his three Oscars in the other, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is living the dream.

THE FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

Best Supporting Actor — JK Simmons, Whiplash

Best Costume Design — The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Make-Up and Hairstyling — The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Foreign Language Film — Ida

Best Live Action Short Film — The Phone Call

Best Documentary Short Film — Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

Best Sound Mixing — Whiplash

Best Sound Editing — American Sniper

Best Supporting Actress — Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Best Visual Effects — Interstellar

Best Animated Short — Feast

Best Animated Feature — Big Hero 6

Quirky favourite ... The Grand Budapest Hotel was a huge hit. Frances Hannon and Mark Coulier won for Best Make-Up and Hairstyling.

Best Production Design — The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Cinematography — Birdman

Best Film Editing — Whiplash

Best Documentary Feature — CitizenFour

Best Original Song — Glory, Selma

Best Music — The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Original Screenplay — Birdman

Best Adapted Screenplay — The Imitation Game

Best Director — Alejandro G Inarritu, Birdman

Best Actor — Eddie Redmayne,The Theory of Everything

Best Actress — Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Best Film — Birdman

Birdman soars ... The cast of Birdman, including Aussie Naomi Watts, collects the Best Picture trophy on stage.

Birdman director Alejandro G Inarritu was one of several recipients to deliver a distinctly political acceptance speech while on stage, speaking of his hopes that Mexico would one day get the government it deserved.

Throughout the night, award winners touched on everything from racial issues to whistleblowing, women’s rights and growing up gay.

While collecting his Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game, writer Graham Moore spoke of his own struggles as a teen and had some in tears with his call for other creatives to “stay weird”.

Political ... Best Song recipients, Common, left, and John Legend, said the struggles of black America persisted today, long after the death of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Fed up ... Patricia Arquette, the Best Supporting Actres winner, said it’s time for equal pay.

‘Stay you’ ... Best Original Screenplay winner Graham Moore shared a heartbreaking personal story.

Patricia Arquette’s acceptance speech for the Best Supporting Actress award also saw social media — and many in the audience — light up.

The Boyhood actress used her time at the podium to demand equality for women in the workplace.

“It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all,” she said, to a huge roar of support from the Dolby Theatre.

Among the most vocal supporters was Arquette’s fellow nominee, Meryl Streep, who was whooping for the speech alongside Jennifer Lopez.

Naturally, Streep’s reaction has already been immortalised in gif by the world wide web.

This Meryl Street gif of her cheering on @PattyArquette's wage equality shout out deserves an #Oscar of it's own. pic.twitter.com/LTJCdlHD83

— Raheel Khursheed (@Raheelk) February 23, 2015

In contrast, JK Simmons, the first winner of the night — Best Supporting Actor for his role in Whiplash — used his time to remind people to phone, not text, their parents.

Call, don’t text ... JK Simmons reminded you to keep in touch.

Birdman clan ... Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki with his trophy.

Some of the biggest highlights of the night came away from the presentation of the Oscars themselves, including Lady Gaga’s flawless performance of a medley of songs from the classic film The Sound of Music.

Incredible performance ... the audience and social media erupted with praise for Lady Gaga. Picture: Getty Images

Another high point was the hilarious if not awkward reunion of Idina Menzel and John Travolta, who famously mispronounced her name on stage at last year’s Oscars.

They presented the gong for Best Original song to John Legend and Common for Glory, from the film Selma. The earlier performance of the track had actor Chris Pine in tears.

And only moments into the night, something quite... colourful occurred with an energetic performance of Everything Is Awesome, the theme song from The Lego Movie.

Tegan and Sara took to the stage with comedy trio The Lonely Island to smash out the eclectic act.

Lego Oscars ... Meryl Streep, you have enough real Oscars at home. You don’t need a toy one.

Musical act ... Tegan and Sara with The Lonely Island. Picture: Getty Images

Energetic ... Tegan and Sara perform on stage.

Burn those suits ... The funnymen of The Lonely Island.

But the tone paled in comparison to Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris emerging on stage in his underwear, to a roaring applause.

The skit began with the actor absent from stage, before a roaming camera found him locked out of his dressing room.

Who knew he was so ripped? Neil Patrick Harris in full Birdman regalia.

Harris kicked off the night in trademark showman fashion, with a hilarious song and dance toasting and roasting all of Tinseltown.

The charming opening number alluded to everything from Kanye’s recent awards-show antic to the apparent sexual tension between best mates Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

In a common Oscars trope, the first-time host inserted himself into many well-known scenes from some of history’s most famous films.

Let the show begin ... Neil Patrick Harris opens the 87th Academy Awards.

At the end of the elaborate song, funnyman Harris capped off the number by saying: “All of that, completely improvised.”

But there was one big upset that caused a storm on Twitter and Facebook — the exclusion of comedian Joan Rivers from the In Memoriam segment.

When the room paused to pay tribute to the long list of stars who passed away during the last year, Rivers’ name was a major one missing from the list.

Star lost ... Joan Rivers died on September 4, 2014 aged 81. Picture: AP

Apparently because the performer wasn’t a member of the Academy, she was ineligible for recognition.

That didn’t stop a storm of Tweets and Facebook messages directed at organisers of film’s night of nights.

Ok I'm biased & I know she wasn't a 'movie star' but I reckon Joan Rivers should have been included. She brought the red carpet to life.

— Peter Ford (@mrpford) February 23, 2015

I have to say my peace here. I am very saddened by the fact that @Joan_Rivers was not represented in the 'In Memoriam' section of #Oscars15

— Christina Bianco (@XtinaBianco1) February 23, 2015

I wish Joan Rivers was alive so we could hear her choice words about whoever decided to leave her out of the memorial segment.

— Devin Scillian (@DevinScillian) February 23, 2015

RED CARPET: All the looks as the stars arrive at the Dolby Theatre

Best Picture nominees ... Scenes from (clockwise from top left) American Sniper, Birdman, Imitation Game, Theory of Everything, Boyhood, Grand Budapest Hotel, Selma and Whiplash.

Originally published as Oscars 2015: Winners, losers and highlights from Hollywood’s biggest night