Oscars Recap Vocabulary and Expressions tribute bash radiant talisman winsome strain headband testimo

Oscars Recap
   On a ragged Oscars show, the Best Supporting Actress gave the year’s most powerful performance.
   " It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to the pain in someone else’s," said Lupita Nyong’o, accepting the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 12 Years a Slave. She paid tribute to Patsey, the doomed, winsome slave she played, and to her director, Steve McQueen, "for putting me in this position. "
   Tears of joy overwhelmed Nyong’o for a second, but she pressed on, emotion not impeding but rather, stoking her eloquence. "I’m certain that the dead [ slaves] are standing about you and watching, and they are grateful, and so am I. " She glanced at the award and added, "When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every little child that, no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid. " As she strode off stage to cheers from the Hollywood swells who, six months ago, didn’t know her name — she cradled the Oscar like her own newborn.
   Among the major awards show, the Academy bash is at a disadvantage. On the Grammy and Tony programs, performers sing the number that got them nominated. The Emmys are at least consistent: TV stars get prizes on TV, and the TV audience watches. But the Oscar winners, the famous ones, are actors who strain for one night to play the public version of themselves — unless a ray of genuine emotion fills this cathedral of self-congratulation, as with Nyong’o’s two minutes in the spotlight. Radiant in her ice-blue Prada gown, with a headband as a talisman of her Kenyan home, she gave testimony that was both nakedly honest and some kind of great acting. No wonder she won. Primed by her work in 12 Years a Slave, the voters wanted to see her give another passionate performance, and she rewarded their faith.