The 2013 Oscars are a wrap but the winners will forevermore be known as Academy award-winning actors, a decidedly coveted distinction.
Jack Nicholson got some help from high places when he presented the biggest award of the night. In a live feed from the White House, First Lady Michelle Obama opened the sealed envelope and made Ben Affleck a very happy man.
She said, “And now for the moment we have all been waiting for…. and the Oscar goes to Argo.”
Best Picture honors went to the dramatic thriller based on the rescue of six U.S. diplomats from Iran in 1979, a film directed by Ben Affleck and produced by Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney.
In what is likely to go down as the biggest blunder in the history of the Academy Awards, Affleck was not nominated in the Best Director category.
Show host Seth MacFarlane joked about the snub: “The story was so top secret that the film’s director is unknown to the Academy.” He received applause as the camera panned to a very uncomfortable Ben Affleck. MacFarlane added, “They know they screwed up. Ben, that’s not your fault.”
Other winners: Best Actress Jennifer Lawrence ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, Best Actor Daniel Day-Lewis ‘Lincoln’, Best Supporting Actress Anne Hathaway ‘Les Miserables’, Best Supporting Actor Christopher Waltz ‘Django Unchained’, Original Song Adele Adkins ‘Skyfall’.
In an upset victory, Ang Lee won Best Director for ‘Life of Pi.’ Many felt that with Affleck not named in the category, Steven Spielberg was a shoe-in to win for ‘Lincoln’.
Check it MacFarlane’s commentary regarding the Affleck snub and a summary of the evenings best moments in a quick clip below:
Photos: WENN