Julie Andrews (R) hugs Lady Gaga on stage at the 87th Oscars February 22, 2015 in Hollywood, California. AFP PHOTO / Robyn BECK
By Terry Fredrickson
Lady Gaga performed a flawless medley of hits from "The Sound of Music" at yesterday's Academy Awards and then was joined by Julie Andrews on stage for the 50th anniversary of the musical, probably the all-time favourite among English learners.
Facebook says Lady Gaga's performance and Julie Harris's hug was talked about by 214,000 people per minute globally. Add that to 60,000 tweets per minute and the 'Sound of Music' tribute was easily the social media hit of the night.
Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning
Click button to listen rightclick to download
Lady Gaga in moving 'Sound of Music' Oscars tribute
There was considerable surprise among the social media crowd last night at Lady Gaga's flawless performance.Their nearly unanimous verdict: That woman can really sing. AFP PHOTO / Kevin Winter
Hollywood, AFP – The Academy Awards hailed the 50th anniversary of its all-time greatest musical Sunday, recruiting Lady Gaga to gracefully sing a medley of memorable tunes from "The Sound of Music."
Starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the cinematic tale of the musical von Trapp family in Austria and their mischievous governess is a Hollywood classic.
In contrast to her own flamboyant concerts, Lady Gaga was all about the voice as she sang highlights from the beloved 1965 movie to the accompaniment of a string combo and a choir.
Not convinced that Lady Gaga is a superb singer? Watch this:
She then gave way to Andrews, 79, to announce the winner of the Oscar for best original score – Alexandre Desplat, for "The Grand Budapest Hotel."
"Dear Lady Gaga, thank you for that wonderful tribute. Oh my god, it really warmed my heart," said the British-born thespian.
Looking back at the making of "The Sound of Music," Andrews said it was "really hard to believe" that a half-century had passed.
"I blinked, and suddenly here I am," she said.
Those involved in making the picture, she said, "all really felt blessed to have been a part of it. As for me, how lucky can a girl get?"
"It's a very special tribute performance," Gaga – wearing a white Azzedine Alaia gown – told ABC television earlier Sunday.
"I really put my heart into preparing for it," said the 28-year-old singer-songwriter.
"The Sound of Music" collected five Oscars in 1965, including best picture and best director.
Several of its Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein songs – like "Edelweiss," "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi" and the title track – are enduring classics.
Vocabulary
Academy Awards: the awards given every year by the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievement in the making of films/movies - รางวัลอะแคเดมี (ภาพยนตร์)
accompaniment: music that is played to support singing or another instrument - สิ่งประกอบ, ร้องร่วม, สิ่งที่เสริมเข้ามา
anniversary: a date when you celebrate something that happened in a previous year that is important to you - วันครบรอบ
beloved: loved very much by somebody; very popular with somebody - เป็นที่รัก, ที่รักมาก
blessed: lucky, having a sense of peace or a feeling of freedom from anxiety or pain - มีโชค, มีความสุข
blink: to close and then open your eyes quickly once or several times, - กะพริบตา
century: a period of one hundred years - ศตวรรษ
choir: a group of people who sing together, for example in church services or public performances - คณะประสานเสียง
cinematic: connected with films/movies and how they are made - เกี่ยวกับภาพยนต์
classic: a book, film/movie or song which is well known and considered to be of very high quality - งานทางศิลปะแบบคลาสสิค
combo: a small group of musicians, a small band that plays jazz or dance music - วงดนตรีแจ๊สขนาดเล็ก
contrast: a noticeable difference - ความแตกต่าง
convinced: certain; sure - แน่ใจ, มั่นใจ
director: a person in charge of a film/movie or play who tells the actors and staff what to do - ผู้กำกับ (ทางภาพยนตร์)
enduring: lasting for a long time - ที่เป็นเวลานาน
flamboyant: different, confident and exciting in a way that attracts attention - มีสีสัน
globally: throughout the world - ทั่วโลก
governess: (especially in the past) a woman employed to teach the children of a rich family in their home and to live with them - พี่เลี้ยงเด็ก
gown: a woman's dress, especially a long one for special occasions - เสื้อคลุม
gracefully: in a controlled, attractive way; showing a smooth, attractive form - อย่างนุ่มนวล, อย่างอ่อนช้อย, อย่างสง่างาม
hail: to praise; to say good things about - ชื่นชม
highlight: the most exciting, impressive, or interesting part of an event - เหตุการณ์สำคัญ, จุดสำคัญ
hug: to put your arms round someone - กอด
involved: taking part or having a role in something - เกี่ยวข้อง
medley: a piece of music consisting of several songs or tunes played or sung one after the other - เพลงผสม
memorable: likely to be remembered or worth remembering - ซึ่งมีค่าน่าจดจำ, โดดเด่น
mischievous: enjoying playing tricks and annoying people - ซน, ซุกซน, เกเร
moving: causing to have strong feelings, especially of sympathy or sadness - สะเทือนใจ, ตื่นตัน, กระทบกระเทือนใจ
performance: the act of carrying out some type of entertainment or sport - การแสดง
recruit: to persuade someone to join in something - จัดหาคนใหม่
score: a written or printed version of a piece of music showing what each instrument is to play or what each voice is to sing - โน้ตเพลง
social media: the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue, e.g., Facebook, Twitter, etc. - เครือข่ายสังคมออนไลน์
stage: a raised area, usually in a theatre, etc. where actors, dancers, speakers etc. perform - เวที
string: consisting of musical instruments that have strings; connected with these musical instruments - เกี่ยวกับเครื่องดนตรีประเภทสาย
superb: of the highest quality - ยอดเยีี่ยม
tale: story - เรื่องเล่า
thespian: an actor - ผู้แสดง
title track: a song which is also the name of the title of the movie, play or album it comes from -
tribute: something that you do, say, or build to show that you respect and admire someone or something - การแสดงความเคารพ ยกย่องต่อ
tunes: songs - เพลง
