At the Tampa Theatre in downtown Tampa it was the 15th Annual Oscar Experience event. It’s one of 47 cities across the country sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS). The 2013 Oscars live telecast was presented on ABC Sunday night running on for three-and-a-half hours. Tampa Bay viewers who subscribe to Bright House Networks saw it on WFTS, channel 11.
First time host Seth MacFarlane at least looked and sounded the part. Meryl Streep must have peeked inside the envelope when they announced the nominees for Best Actor. She immediately stated Daniel Day-Lewis’ name as the winner, without opening the envelope.
Oscar history was made when the “Lincoln” Day-Lewis won his third Oscar in the Best Actor category. The only actress to win more than three Oscars was Katharine Hepburn. Her fourth Academy Award was a tie with Barbra Streisand. It was also the first time an actor portraying a U.S. president has won the coveted Oscar.
As mentioned earlier, ties have occurred rarely at the Academy Awards. On Sunday night’s broadcast the category for Best Sound Editing resulted in an unusual tie going to the films “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Skyfall.” On that note, pop music’s Adele won for the James Bond theme “Skyfall.” It was the first music Oscar for the Bond film franchise.
At times it seemed like watching the Grammys, because of the stellar musical performances. Adele gave an emotional rendition, while Streisand graced the stage in her loving tribute to Marvin Hamlisch’s “The Way We Were.” One of the most memorable highlights was the show-stopping musical numbers by Dame Shirley Bassey for “Goldfinger” and Jennifer Hudson “Dreamgirls” “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going.”
Closing out the Oscar ceremonies was a complete surprise. First Lady Michelle Obama co-presented along with Jack Nicholson for Best Picture. It was a live feed from the White House, while Nicholson was inside the Dolby Theatre. It was Michelle Obama who announced the winning picture, “Argo.” Ben Affleck graciously accepted his Oscar as one of the film’s producers, which made him emotional at the end.
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