"Everything Is Awesome" Was the Awesomest (and Danciest) Part of the Oscars

Every year we get SO EXCITED about the Oscars—and then, inevitably, disappointed by them. What show could possibly live up to our crazy expectations, pushed ever-higher by breathless red carpet specials? And how could any broadcast that drags on for a bajillion hours, as the Oscars broadcast tends to do, keep from losing momentum?

But during last’s nights big show—like an oasis in the desert of NPH’s (surprisingly) awful jokes and John Travolta’s weird face-touching—there was a life-affirming performance of “Everything Is Awesome,” from The Lego Movie. While the earwormy tune may not have won Best Original Song (that prize went to the wonderful-in-a-totally-different-way “Glory” from Selma), it won Best Pretty Much Everything Else, and singlehandedly redeemed the Oscars.

The Lonely Island joined songwriters Tegan and Sara for the production—”production” being the only word that fully encapsulates this kind of amazingness explosion. For starters, there was a horde of b-boys dressed as Lego cowboys (cow-b-boys?):

Will Arnett made a cameo as Batman, and Questlove rocked out on the drums:

Lego Oscars were distributed to Steve Carrell and Channing Tatum and, naturally, Oprah:

And, perhaps most awesomely, an Awesome Possum did the Running Man (Awesome Possum dancer: the new Left Shark?):

Basically? For a few minutes, at least, EVERYTHING WAS AWESOME.