Meryl Streep wins her THIRD Oscar

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The 84th annual Academy Awards were handed out Sunday night in Los Angeles.

Thirty three years after she grasped her first gold statuette, Meryl Streep has secured her hat-trick of Academy Awards. 

It came on a night that saw a film with just two singular words of speech in its script sweep the board, as The Artist was named Best Picture, Jean Dujardin Best Actor and the Best Directing gong went to Michel Hazanavicius.

With awards for best score and best costume design, too, it was undoubtedly the Franco-American film's night. But it was an historical ceremony in more ways than one, as veteran actor Christopher Plummer became the Academy's oldest winner taking the Best Supporting Actor laurels for, ironically enough, film Beginners.

Big star: Meryl Streep scooped her third Oscar at the 84th Academy Awards. The actress was presented the gong for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady

Leading lady through the decades: Meryl in 1979 as they celebrate her win for Kramer Vs. Kramer and last night she donned a gold Lanvin dress to pick up her award

But not even their success could distract from Meryl's towering achievement.

Aptly, the Golden Lady of Hollywood earned her third honour for her performance of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She won a supporting actress gong in 1979 and the top award in 1982 for Kramer Vs Kramer and Sophie's Choice respectively. She had lost 12 times in a row since then. 

Looking more golden lady than iron in a draped metallic gown, Meryl thanked her husband after opening with the self-deprecating statement statement: 

'When they called my name, I had this feeling I could hear half of America go, "Oh, no, why her again?" But whatever,' Streep said, laughing.

Bosom buddies: 2012's Best Actress and Best Actor Meryl and Jean bond over their golden moment backstage

One man and his dog: Jean Dujardin and Uggie celebrated after he beats Clooney and Pitt to Best Actor, then The Artist trounced both their films

With the emotion clearly getting to her, Meryl said that standing at the winners podium she 'sees my life before my eyes,' and insisted that her friends are what she holds dear from her career, more than the prizes it brings.

She said: 'I really understand I'll never be up here again. I really want to think all my colleagues, my friends. I look out here and I see my life before my eyes, my old friends, my new friends.

'Really, this is such a great honor but the think that counts the most with me is the friendship and the love and the sheer job we've shared making moves together,' said Streep, who is the record-holder with 17 acting nominations.

OSCARS 2012: FULL LIST OF WINNERS

  Best Picture: The Artist

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help

Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Directing: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist

Cinematography: Hugo

Art Direction: Hugo

Costume Design: The Artist

Makeup: The Iron Lady

Foreign Language Film: A Separation, Iran.

Film Editing: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Sound Editing: Hugo

Sound Mixing: Hugo

Documentary Feature: Undefeated

Animated Feature Film: Rango

Visual Effects: Hugo

Original Score: The Artist

Original Song: Man or Muppet from The Muppets

Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants

Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Live Action Short Film: The Shore

Documentary (short subject): Saving Face

Animated Short Film: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore

Passing the baton: Last year's best actor Colin Firth and actress Natalie Portman presented awards to their successors Meryl Streep and Jean Dujardin

At the heart of the action: Tom Cruise presented the award for Best Picture while Christian Bale delighted Octavia Spencer by giving her Best Supporting Actress

The Iron Lady star is only the fifth performer to receive three Oscars. Jack Nicholson, Ingrid Bergman and Walter Brennan all earned three, while Katharine Hepburn won four.

'So thank-you to my friends. The ones that are departed and the ones that are here. Thank-you.'

It was a night that went as expected, with front-runners claiming key prizes. Streep's triumph provided a bit of drama, since she had been in a two-woman race with Viola Davis for The Help.

Popular choice: Octavia Spencer accepts the Oscar for best actor in a supporting role for The Help during the 84th Academy Awards

Resounding applause: Octavia received a standing ovation from her peers including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

A new friend would surely be The Artist's Jean Dujardin, the first man to win an Oscar by uttering two words - and who had the Gallic temerity to beat All American boys, favourite George Clooney and his dear friend Brad Pitt.

He bounded to the stage, shaking his fist and beaming from ear-to-ear.

'I love your country,' he declared and then went on to thank director Hazanavicius, co-star Berenice Bejo, and his wife in the audience.

Dujardin says just two words in the film 'thank' and 'you,' which was handy for tonight as he repeated them vociferously while plunging the pewter repeatedly into the air.

Black and white: Monochrome was the hot theme of the night as presenters Angelina Jolie and Milla Jovovich proved

He finished up by speaking for his alter-ego in the movie and yelled: 'If George Valentin could speak, he would say: Merci! Formidable!'

It got even better for Jean... and of course, Uggie the dog (arguably the real star of the show) as The Artist received the gong for Best Picture.

Octavia Spencer was one of the first big winners at tonight's Academy Awards, and if she was a predictable choice for Best Supporting Actress... she was also a popular one.

Billy Crystal's staid intro veered from mocking the recession to an awkwardly awful song and dance number: 'Nothing can take the sting out of the economic crisis like watching millionaires give each other gold statues,' he said to a squirming auditorium. 

'Where have you been all my life?' Christopher Plummer is the oldest ever Academy Award winner at 82, he scooped the Best Support Actor gong for Beginners

Presenting duos: Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jnr and Ben Stiller with Emma Stone made for stellar powered presentations tonight

Then there was the wholly expected yet joyfully received win for Octavia Spencer, who was rewarded for her performance in The Help.

Resplendent in white sequins Octavia held her hand to her mouth as the great and the good of Hollywood jumped to their feet for her, led by Angelina Jolie - who could be seen heartily cheering for the actress from one of the front rows.

Horribly, after this wonderful moment, Crystal misfired with a gag that saw him say Octavia's performance made him want to hug the first black woman he found which 'from Beverly Hills is a 45 minute drive.'

The dubious joke was met with a weak laugh, but the actress's heartfelt speech ensured a better taste was left in the mouth.

Touching displays of friendship, new and old: Sandra Bullock wiped her friend George Clooney's face before the ceremony got under way and Octavia Spencer thanked the Academy for giving her Christian Bale as a presenter - the pair seemed to really hit it off as they chatted backstage

Academy talents: Former Best Supporting Actress Melissa Leo, who won for 2010's The Fighter, and Flight of the Conchords star Bret McKenzie, who penned Best Song Muppet or a Man for The Muppets, can now bond over being Academy Award winners

Spencer wept throughout her breathless monologue, in which she apologised for her disarray between bursts of laughing and crying.

'Thank you, academy, for putting me with the hottest guy in the room,' Spencer said, referring to last year’s supporting-actor winner Christian Bale, who presented her Oscar, the pair seemed to get on famously and later enjoyed a friendly kiss.

Before taking the stage, Spencer puckered up with The Help co-stars Viola Davis, a best-actress nominee, and Jessica Chastain, a fellow supporting nominee.

'I share this with everybody,' Spencer said.

The legendary Christoper Plummer matched Octavia in the Best Supporting Actor category.

Plummer is the oldest acting winner ever at 82.

'You’re only two years older than me, darling, where have you been all my life?' Plummer said as he held aloft the statuette.

Gone but not forgotten: The Awards also paid tribute to those stars lost in 2011 including Elizabeth Taylor)

Paying tribute: Steve Jobs and Whitney Houston were also remember in the video montage

He joked that he has spent his life rehearsing his acceptance speech: 'I'm so proud to be in your company,' he said to his fellow nominees.

He also caused the audience to well up by thanking his wife 'for coming to my rescue every day of my life.'
Earlier, a nervous George Clooney was reassured by his friend, Sandra Bullock.

The motherly actress, who referenced her German heritage to great comic effect as she presented the award for best foreign language film which went to Iran's A Separation, tenderly wiped the actor's face as they chatted before the ceremony began. 

His friends Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt seemed more relaxed, they mingled with fellow stars excitedly - chatting particularly at length with Meryl Streep.

Golden couple: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were on sparkling form, they arrived at the event with Brad's parents but he was denied the chance to celebrate a Best Oscar win after the juggernaut of success that is The Artist saw Jean Dujardin reap the honour

(dailymail.co.uk)

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