Wins best actor
Redmayne wins the Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.
I am fully aware that I am a lucky, lucky man. This belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS. It belongs to one exceptional family [the Hawkings]. […] I will be its custodian. I promise you I will look after him.
Ratings drop 16%
TV ratings for the Oscars drop 16%. The broadcast averages 36.6 million viewers, down from 43.7 million the previous year. The Washington Post writes:
It was bound to happen eventually. Neil Patrick Harris, the man who can host anything, finally stumbled. Even stripped to his skivvies in a ‘Birdman’ parody … (Harris) couldn’t deliver quite all the thrills needed to get through the three-hour, 38-minute Oscar folderol without a yawn.
Oscar congratulations
Hawking congratulates Redmayne on his Oscar win via a post on Hawking’s Facebook page.