INSIDE EDITION was in the middle of all the action at the Oscars and caught up with the stars on Hollywood’s biggest night.
What a dramatic Oscar night it was with rain and the tightest security ever.
The stars ducked under umbrellas as they made their way to the red carpet. How bad was it? Mops with long extended arms had to be used to push the water off the canopy.
Steve Carell told INSIDE EDITION, "I think some people got doused, it was really coming down."
INSIDE EDITION had a bird’s eye view from none other than Chopper Zoey Tur, America’s first transgender reporter.
INSIDE EDITION's Deborah Norville asked Tur, "We are down here on the red carpet and it is a little bit crazy. What do you see where you are?"
She said from up in the sky, "Looking down below is just a sea of black umbrellas and people wearing rain coats. As people arrive in their limousines and are quickly whisked to the red carpet under those umbrellas just to get to a dry spot."
In the wake of recent terror attacks overseas, Tur also noticed extra security.
She said, "You can see that their is a police helicopter overhead. There are sharp shooters on top of buildings."
Back on the red carpet, INSIDE EDITION caught up with one of the night's biggest winners, The Theory of Everything's Eddie Redmayne.
Norville asked, "It seems like the entire world has enjoyed your performance. What does this support for this accolade mean to you?"
He replied, "It means a huge amount. As actors you always pour your heart into everything and it doesn't always work or it doesn't always connect. So, the fact that people have enjoyed this one it means a great deal."
He was overcome by his Best Actor win. Stephen Hawking himself took to his Facebook page to offer his congrats: "Well done Eddie, I’m very proud of you."
It was a tight race between Redmayne and Birdman's Michael Keaton.
Keaton told Norville, "I am a guy who likes to win, trust me. You keep your eye on the ball, just do the job, show up and when it starts to get like that it becomes no fun. You have got to finish strong."
As for Oscar’s leading ladies, a social media campaign #AskHerMore, was championed by Best Actress nominee Reese Witherspoon. It urged reporters to ask actresses more than just the designer of their dresses.
Selma's Carmen Ejogo played Coretta Scott King. She told INSIDE EDITION's Deborah Norville, "I am in a movie where there is so much more to talk about and express. So, I am grateful to talk about it."
Norville then asked, "That said!"
Ejogo played along, and said, "That said, who am I wearing? Chopard diamonds and Houghton dress."
A highlight of the night was Common and John Legend singing their song “Glory,” the theme from Selma. Their stirring rendition received a standing ovation and brought tears to the eyes of Selma star David Oyelowo.
Just moments after their performance came the announcement of Best Song. The singers were announced by their birth names. John Stephens is John Legend's real name and Common was born Lonnie Lynn.
The Oscars were a family affair for so many. Emma Stone brought her mom, Krista.
So did Bradley Cooper, and he also brought his model girlfriend Suki Waterhouse.
Lady Gaga brought her dad.
Laura Dern walked the red carpet with her dad, the veteran actor Bruce Dern.
Norville asked Bruce, "It is always special when a father gets to take his daughter out. So, tonight must be super special?"
He said, "I have never had a better date."
Laura said, "It is really incredible. Extraordinary. We brought my two children and so, we are sharing it together as a family tonight, which is really sweet."
Jennifer Aniston was in a playful mood and gave fiancé Justin Theroux a shoulder rub. She also photo-bombed Jennifer Lopez.
On the red carpet, Oprah ditched a security line by ducking a velvet rope.
This year the Academy got some flack for the lack of diversity in the major categories. Host Neil Patrick Harris joked "Tonight, we honor Hollywood’s best and whitest. Sorry, brightest!"
But protests outside the show ended up being canceled at the request of Selma director Ava DuVernay.
INSIDE EDITION spoke to Black Eyed Peas' Will I Am on the topic. He said, "I try not to let my emotions get stirred up because only white people were nominated in the Oscars. I think a majority of the folks choosing are white, so, obviously there are going to be all white folks."
In the Best Supporting Actor categories, it was a night of triumph for J.K. Simmons.
He told INSIDE EDITION's Jim Moret, "I am most grateful my category is announced early on, so I can kick back and root for my other guys and relax after that."
Boyhood's Patricia Arquette's speech had Meryl Streep jumping out of her seat. She said, "It is our time to have wage equality once and for all! And equal rights for women in the United States of America!"
Best Actress for Still Alice, Julianne Moore, also used her speech to convey an emotional message. She said, "People with Alzheimer's deserve to be seen so we can find a cure."
The winner of the screenwriting award gave what's being called the most emotional speech of the night. Graham Moore won for The Imitation Game.
In his speech he said, "When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird, and I felt alone and now I am standing here."
It turns out, Moore has a major White House connection. His mother is Susan Sher, Michelle Obama’s former Chief of Staff.
Birdman soared, winning Best Picture and tying The Grand Budapest Hotel for the most Oscar wins.
INSIDE EDITION spoke to Grand Budapest actor Jeff Goldblum who at age 62 is becoming a dad for the first time.
Moret asked him, "How is married life?"
Goldblum replied, 'Fantastic! Fantastic!"
Neil Patrick Harris had hosting duties for the first time at the Oscars. So, how did he do?
He opened the show with a song and dance tribute to Hollywood. He's getting a lot of points for going for broke when he appeared in his skivvies, a shout-out to a scene from Birdman.
There was also a controversial zinger. It came after the winner of Best Documentary Short Subject dedicated her award to her late son, who said, "We lost him to suicide. We should talk about suicide out loud. This is for him!"
He then said, “It takes a lot of balls to wear that dress."
Inappropriate? Some thought so.
Today, The Hollywood Reporter says Harris showed "winning charm" but the New York Daily News says, "Neil Patrick Harris wasn't truly award worthy."
Did the Oscars diss the late Joan Rivers? Robin Williams was mentioned in the in memoriam segment. So was MIke Nichols, and lots of others. But no Joan Rivers. The Academy defended the decision in a statement: "Joan Rivers is among the many worthy artists and filmmakers we were unfortunately unable to feature...she is, however, included in our in memoriam gallery on oscar.com."
As usual, social media went crazy during the show. The most tweeted-about moment? Lady Gaga's tribute to The Sound of Music. The great Julie Andrews herself joined her on stage. Backstage, Gaga broke down in tears of joy.
The second most tweeted moment came when Birdman won Best Picture.
And the third most tweeted moment? Patricia Arquette's rally cry for wage equality for women.
Watch INSIDE EDITION's Red Carpet Coverage
