NEW YORK
"Birdman" led the 87th annual Academy Awards Sunday night with four honors, including the top prize of best picture.
The thematically rich showbiz satire also took home original screenplay and best director honors for its director, Alejandro G. Inarritu, as well as winning best cinematography.
"Maybe next year there will be some immigration rules to the Academy. Two Mexicans in a row is suspicious," Inarritu joked as he accepted the most prestigious award, best picture. He was referring to Alfonso Cuaron's best director win for “Gravity” last year.
Starring Michael Keaton, the technically strong black comedy, Birdman, is about a superhero attempting to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play.
"The Grand Budapest Hotel," a film about a renowned concierge wrongfully accused of murder, also picked up four Oscars: costume design, production design, makeup/hairstyling, and best original score.
Eddie Redmayne took home best actor for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in “The Theory of Everything,” and Julianne Moore won best actress for "Still Alice," in which she portrayed a respected linguistics professor diagnosed with the early-onset of Alzheimer's disease.
"I read somewhere that winning an Oscar can lead to you living five years longer - if that's true, I would like to thank the Academy as my husband is younger than me," Moore said as she accepted the award.
British actor Redmayne said: "I don't think I'm capable of articulating how I feel. I am fully aware I am a lucky, lucky man." He dedicated the award to the Hawking family.
Singer-songwriter John Legend and rapper Common won the award for best original song for “Glory,” a protest anthem written for "Selma," a historical drama set during the height of the American civil-rights movement.
The best supporting actress winner was Patricia Arquette, who portrayed a struggling single mom in coming-of-age drama "Boyhood."
J.K. Simmons won best actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of a music teacher notorious for his caustic approach in the classroom in the musical drama "Whiplash."
Hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, the 87th Academy Awards took place at the 3,300-seat Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
