Oscars top moments from Lady Gaga's Oscar win to 'Black Panther' making MCU history

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Monday, February 25, 2019
Oscars top moments: Lady Gaga, Spike Lee, 'Roma'
The 91st Oscars may have lacked a host, but it was chock full of moments that had social media buzzing.

LOS ANGELES -- The 91st Oscars may have lacked a host, but it was chock full of moments that had social media buzzing.

From Spike Lee's first official Oscar win to a superhero movie taking home some gold, here are some of the biggest moments from the awards show.

Spike Lee wins his 1st official Oscar

With a career spanning more than three decades, Spike Lee won his first competitive Oscar for best adapted screenplay for "BlackKklansman."

As Lee walked up the stairs to the podium, presenter Samuel L. Jackson couldn't contain his excitement for Lee's win. Lee jumped into Jackson's arms and the two shared a tight, fun-loving hug over the monumental win.

Lee started his acceptance speech with some profanity that was covered up in the live telecast, but at the end of it he called for people to "Make the moral choice between love and hate. Let's do the right thing!"

"Before the world tonight, I give praise to the ancestors who built this country," Lee said. "We all connect with our ancestors who will have love, wisdom regained. We'll regain our humanity, it will be a powerful moment. The 2020 presidential election is around the corner. Let's all mobilize. Let's all be on the right side of history."

Lady Gaga performs 'Shallow,' wins Oscar for original song

One of the most talked about moments of the night was Lady Gaga's performance of her song "Shallow" with Bradley Cooper.

The pair walked up on stage, where they sang and Gaga played the piano. Not long after that performance came another surprise for Gaga - she won for best original song.

Shocked by the win, the singer burst into tears and hugged everyone around her before walking up on stage to accept the coveted golden statue.

"If you have a dream, fight for it. If there's a discipline for passion, it's not about how many times you are rejected or you fall down or you're beaten up, it's about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep going," she said.

"Shallow" was written by Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt.

Alfonso Cuaron wins big for 'Roma'

Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron also won big during the Oscars ceremony and took home three statues for "Roma."

Cuaron won for best cinematography, best foreign film and best director. He also became the first director to win for serving as his own director of photography.

"Thank you so much. Being here doesn't get old," Cuaron said. "I want to thank the Academy for recognizing a film centered around an indigenous woman, one of the 70 million domestic workers around the world without work rights, a character that had been regulated. Our job as artists are to look where others don't. This responsibility is more important in times where we are being encouraged to look away. Muchas Gracias, Mexico."

"Roma" became the first film from Mexico to win the best foreign language film category. The movie's dialogue is in Spanish and Mixtec.

'Black Panther' brings Oscars gold to the MCU

It was a great night for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with "Black Panther" winning three Oscars.

Those gold statues - for best costume design, production design and original score - are the first for the MCU.

Ruth E. Carter also became the first African-American costume designer to win in the best costume design category. She was previously nominated for her work on "Amistad" and "Malcolm X."

"Spike Lee, thank you for my start," Carter said. "I hope this makes you proud. Marvel may have created the first black super hero, but in costume design, we turned him into an African King."

Production designer Hannah Beachler was also the first African-American winner in her category.

SoCal teacher, students get Oscar on short documentary on periods

A Southern California teacher and her students won an Academy Award for best documentary short subject.

The subject of the award-winning short? Menstruation. The documentary was originally a marketing tool for the groups' bigger vision - a nonprofit called the Pad Project. Their mission was to get a machine that creates biodegradable pads to a rural village in India.

They'd placed the documentary through the film festival circuit and ended up receiving the nomination.

When the film won on Sunday, producer and teacher Melissa Berton was floored and have a shout-out to her students.

"I share this with teachers and with students around the world. A period should end a sentence, not a girl's education," she said.

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