14 DAY TRIAL // At this year’s Academy Awards, Kathryn Bigelow and “The Hurt Locker” were the undeniable winners, taking home no less than six statuettes, including those for Best Director and Best Picture. Sandra Bullock also got a nod for Best Actress, while Jeff Bridges was named Best Actor. Mo’Nique and Austrian-born Christoph Waltz won in the Best Supporting Actor categories, The Hollywood Reporter informs.
Jeff Bridges won for Best Leading Actor for his performance in the drama “Crazy Heart” and took to the stage to thank his parents for turning him to such a “groovy” profession as acting. In winning an Oscar, the win also went to his parents and not just to himself for his work on one particular film, the actor believed. This was his fifth nomination, so it was good to finally see his hard work had paid off.
Comedienne Mo’Nique who, late last week, said she would not speak of her acceptance speech for fear she might jinx the win, took home an award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as an abusive mother in “Precious,” last year’s critically acclaimed drama. She joked on the red carpet that all actresses who don’t shave their legs thus improve their chances of winning an Oscar but said she did not like to think of the newly received accolade as a means of furthering her acting career.
“Tonight, I feel you all over me, and it’s about time the world feels you all over them. I’m a stand-up comedian who won an Oscar! This role has shaped my life to allow me not to judge and to love unconditionally. Now if that goes into my career, great, and if it doesn’t and I’m the dynamic person that I strive to be every day, then I’ve won,” the star shared on the red carpet. In her acceptance speech, she thanked her husband for telling her not to go with what was popular and simply do what she believed in.
Another big winner of the night was Austrian-born Christoph Waltz, of whom audiences in the US had not heard of until Quentin Tarantino’s bloody war drama “Inglourious Basterds,” where he plays the charming and ruthless Colonel Hans Landa, also known as “The Jew Hunter.” Taken aback by the win, Waltz thanked everyone for making it possible saying, “This is your welcoming embrace. There’s no way I can thank you enough, but I can start right now. Thank you.”
Later, the actor admitted to the media he had not been prepared enough to hear his name on that stage, saying he found the awards season “dizzying.” “It’s mindboggling. It’s very intense and it takes a long time. I couldn’t have possibly imagined it would be like that. Tomorrow I’ll probably be sorry it’s over. This Oscar I didn’t see coming, I was too busy. I couldn’t think of awards. I would advise every beginning actor not to think of awards before starting the job,” Waltz said.