Women Who Rocked Oscars This Year

Twitterati is buzzing about Leonardo Di Caprio not getting any Oscar award yet again and Gravity and 12 years a slave stealing the show completely. But what is it that we loved the most? Ellen DeGeneres! Yes, you read it right. Ellen hosted the Oscars for the second time after 2006.

 Ellen just belongs there, she proved it. She just killed the opening monologue; she was funny, honest, serious and bold. We don’t get to see many women hosting the Oscars and especially after last year’s rather misogynistic show with host Seth Macfarlane, this was refreshing.

Cate Blanchett, who was up against Sandra Bullock, Amy Adams, Meryl Streep and Judi Dench took away the best actress award for Blue Jasmine. This was despite a late-season challenge by Dylan Farrow, who wrote publicly that Woody Allen and his films should be shunned because he had sexually molested Cate as a child. Allen, her adoptive father, strongly  challenged the charge.

 “Thank you so much, Woody, for casting me,” said Ms. Blanchett, who never mentioned the blow-up, but made a point of thanking Mr. Allen for using “Blue Jasmine” to tell a woman’s story.

Angela Lansbury was deservedly given an Honorary Award for her many years of acting service. David Gritten picked her ten greatest performances on stage, screen and television.

Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o who was attending her first Oscars, won the Best Supporting Actress Award for 12 Years a Slave.  Nyong'o received rave reviews for her performance, and has been nominated for several awards including a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and two Screen Actors Guild Awards including Best Supporting Actress, which she won

A tribute was paid to Sarah Jones, a 27-year-old assistant cameraperson; Sarah Jones was killed in a train accident near Savannah, Georgia, on the set of the film MIDNIGHT RIDER. The accident also injured half a dozen crew. Sarah’s death resonated with tens of thousands of filmmakers from around the world and spurred a rallying cry for greater on-set safety.  

From the oldest and youngest Oscar-nominated actresses to true powerhouse performers, it has truly been an extraordinary year for women in film.