For 46 years, the Grammys have been bringing the music community together for one night a year. Some may think that the Grammys are a lost cause, but we think it is “Where It’s At,” and we could not “Turn Away” from the show this year. If you didn’t see what we did there, you are part of the majority of the population who has no idea who underdog Grammy winner Beck is and has probably heard none of his songs. Beck winning Album of the Year, robbing Beyoncé’s cleverly titled album Beyoncé, among others, came as one of the biggest shocks of the night. However, we cannot think of Beyoncé as a Loser, as she did take home three Grammys, just one shy of the big winner of the night: Sam Smith.
A year ago, nobody knew who British singer/songwriter Sam Smith was, but that did not stop him from winning big at this year’s Grammys. He won Grammys for Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album, thanks to a little motivation from his ex-boyfriend. He was able to “Latch” on to the American public, and will hopefully stay with us for awhile. His soulful songs were some of the favorite radio hits of the year, even though he is commonly confused for a Gospel choir, or Tom Petty.
Other viewers were surprised when Taylor Swift ended the night empty handed. However, this is because her new album, 1989, was released after the Grammy nomination deadline, leaving only the single “Shake it Off.” Taylor did achieve victory in her quest to reconcile with Kanye West after his outburst at the Video Music Award in 2009. However, Kanye pulled another Kanye about “FourFiveSeconds” after Beck won Album of the Year.
While Kanye West has no problem showing his face in public, Sia prefers to keep her face hidden under large wigs due to her professed “hatred of fame.” Sia, Maddie Ziegler, and Kristen Wiig performed a theatrical rendition of “Chandelier.” However, we were shocked that Sia did not win anything for her smash hit “Chandelier,” despite it being nominated in four categories. Our hollaback girl, Gwen Stefani, did not meet our expectations during her performance alongside Adam Levine. Our other challah (in reference to her braided updo) back girl, Iggy Azalea, did not take home any Grammys or perform, nor did fellow female rapper Nicki Minaj.
The Grammys are not the only major awards show this time of year. The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, also aired this February. The Oscars focus on big screen hits of the past year, and celebrate the cast and crew of these films. Much like the Grammys, the night was filled with victories, disappointments, and surprises.
Over the years, the Oscars have been hosted by many beloved celebrities. This year, Neil Patrick Harris showed us his love for movies and musical numbers, as well as as a lot of skin when he came out in his underwear (a comedic nod to a memorable scene from Best Picture winner Birdman). Despite Neil’s entertaining acts and plethora of jokes, the number of viewers came in at a meager 36.6 million. This is the lowest number of Oscars viewers since 2009 and may be because the Oscars have begun to face harsh criticism from fans, saying that the Academy, much like Hollywood, is dominated by white males. This lack of diversity is clear in the lack of recognition at the show for the powerful film Selma, as well as the complete lack of nominees of color in the acting categories.
The LEGO Movie was also snubbed for a best animated feature nomination. Luckily, a hilarious and frenetic performance of “Everything is Awesome” treated fans of the deserving movie.
That being said, some of the major winners of the night included Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) for Best Picture, Eddie Redmayne for Best Actor (for his role in The Theory of Everything), Alejandro G. Iñárritu for Best Director (for his work on Birdman), and Julianne Moore for Best Actress (for her work in Still Alice). Many were shocked when Birdman gained such high altitude and expected one of the two awards it won to be awarded to the highly regarded film Boyhood; however, despite its six nominations, Boyhood only managed to take home a single award.
Though many considered Best Actress winner Julianne Moore a shoo-in, some were shocked when Eddie Redmayne took home the Best Actor award—not to say he did not deserve it. Both of the aforementioned awards were given for portraying a character dealing with grave illness. Redmayne portrayed famed physicist Stephen Hawking, who suffered from ALS, while Moore acted as a Columbia University professor diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
All in all, the 87th Academy Awards proved an entertaining and surprising night for all involved.