chiwetel ejiofor, classic tuxedo style. >> which is how you like it? ed that you talk. chiwetel has gotten a haircut because he had little bit more of a 'fro through award season. john legend always keeps it classy as well. we also saw -- >> the two kristens. >> coming through. >> both got the same memo. cavalli. >> embracing cavalli. we're seeing the wide range of cavalli style. kristen bell looked really pretty. hers was pretty. kristen chenoweth edgier. we're going to piers, apparently he has something good. >> nischelle i'm cutting you right off, because an exciting development, amy adams joins me. how are you? >> i'm very well, how are you? >> lie zoo minnelli told me she gets nervous. >> i woke up at 5:00 a.m., couldn't get back to sleep. i don't know why i'm nervous, it's the oscars so everyone does. >> obviously everyone loved your performance this year. do you think about winning or is it just about being nominated? >> it's definitely about being nominated. the actresses that i am alongside this year have been people that i've admired to are so

. >> chiwetel ejiofor. chiwetel. >> i'm going to call him chewy. that's his nickname. >> that's what anthony mackie told us earlier. we're going to fill out our oscar ballots right now. so here's yours, here's mine. >> thank you, hodi. >> here's your pen. >> okay. we're going to pick -- are we saying who we're picking? >> no. >> why not? >> then it is a boring quiet moment. i'm picking leonardo dicaprio. i'm going with meryl streep. >> i'm going with cate blanchett. >> oscar best picture i'm of course going with "philomena" which i have not seen. >> and i'm going with "12 years a slave" which i saw yesterday. >> we're going to -- put your three cards in. >> three cards? >> we're going to put them in here and hand them off to alex. >> here's the problem with that, i don't trust alex, all right? not since the day i set my eyes on this guy. would you trust this face? look at him. >> no. >> okay. alex, take these. >> you going to sleep with that box? >> not leaving the studio. see you when you return. >> see what i'm saying about him? not going to end

"i can tell you're afraid to spell chiwetel ejiofor." [ laughter ] whenever you're ready. >> chiwetel >> seth: i'm not nodding for the right reasons. [ laughter ] >> e-d-g-e-f-o-r-d >> seth: put him out of his misery! [ buzzer ] [ laughter and applause ] that's what we in the spelling bee business call incorrect. contestant number two. your celebrity name is matthew mcconaughey. would you like to know the country of origin? >> yes, please. >> seth: the country of origin is the underside of a surfboard. [ laughter ] matthew mcconaughey. >> matthew mcconaughey. m-a-t-t-h- >> seth: you can race through this first part. this is not the trick. [ laughter ] >> e-w >> seth: yep. >> m-c-h-o-n-a >> seth: he knows! let him hear it. [ buzzer ] there you go. [ cheers and applause ] as matthew mcconaughey would say, "not right, not right, not right." [ laughter ] contestant three, your celebrity name is tom hanks. tom hanks. tom hanks. >> t-o-m h-a-n-k-s [ ding ] [ cheers and applause ] >> seth: all right! you are in the lead with one point, contestant number -- three. cassandra, the names for rou

all right, sir, have a good night. >> that's chiwetel ejiofor.st picture tonight. >> he was brilliant in that movie. a cup the tweets from bet m midler. i said i feel like i just won the olympics, and she said jennifer lawrence is so charming, she could run me over with her car and i would still send her a thank you note. let's take a short break. hollywood out in big style tonight. we'll have more winners and speeches after this. ♪ iwe don't back down. we only know one direction: up so we're up early. up late. thinking up game-changing ideas, like this: dozens of tax free zones across new york state. move here. expand here. or start a new business here... and pay no taxes for 10 years. with new jobs, new opportunities and a new tax free plan. there's only one way for your business to go. up. find out if your business can qualify at start-upny.com we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement, standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual at... today.

>> reporter: co-star matthew mcconaughey could join him if he y u8vst-time nominee chiwetel ejiofor.t so much pleasure gratitude just making the film. when i was over i was full. >> reporter: familiar faces fill out the best actress at category. amy adams is the only nominee without an oscar here.kmbákh? ellen degeneres returns for her q0blb?; indication, expect plenty of o surprises to round out hollywood's biggest night. and in addition to some singing and dancing from ellen we're expecting big named performances tonight from t1fóadina%xÑ zell,# pink, farrell and bette midler. live in hollywood, akiko fujita, abc 7 news. >>> another big name katie marzullo is in los angeles now and will join us live with the oscar winners tonight on abc 7 news atjz ÷uw9d oscar updatrñx @ka÷ hhll% pick" ñqÛ91(rjjutcÔ)gÑofr÷ >> reporter: san francisco has been getting all of its drinking water from the hetch hetchy áúj reservoir in yosemite for years. 5:íágroundwater, too.y on the plan is to drill as many as six wells on the city's west bu ground is set to break this foul. >> reporter: the san

they're going to need to send in the national guard because i ain't going nowhere. [ applause ] >> chiwetel ejiofor -- i'll survive. i will not offer in the snare. i will offer up my talents. i will repeat myself until freedom is opportune. >> matthew mcconaughey, "dallas buyers club." >> the healthy that you've got. and getting the hiv. and they got al-721 over in israel. i need to get some of this. >> none of those drugs have been approved by the fda. >> screw the fda. i'm going to be d.o.a. i have to sue the hospital to get my medicine? [ applause ] and the oscar goes to -- matthew mcconaughey. [ applause ] ♪ >> yeah. thank you. thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. for the academy for this. all 6,000 members. thank you to the other nominees. all these performances were impeccable, in my opinion. i didn't see a false note anywhere. i would like to thank jean-marc valet. i want to thank jared leto and jennifer garner, who i worked with daily. a few things, about three things to my account, that i need each day. one of them is something to look up to. another is something to look forward to.

among those screenwriter, supporting actor weikel fassbender, supporting actress, .irector and chiwetel ejiofor are a fine actor. i am trying to get a sense of how you first responded. >> i was intimidated. weight of thethe responsibility of it. i had never seen a story from inside the experience. i had never seen a film inside the slave experience in this way. you come to a point where you think there is not going to be of film inside this experience because the received information is that it is too difficult to make, too difficult to finance. it -- take itlk from in and all that is more a bleak. went through the experience. when i recognized steve was going to make this film, i recognized it was an opportunity to do something that hadn't been done before. were feelingings the responsibility and the self-doubt and not wanting to be the guy-i would have to look back on the experience and question whether i was the guy to do that. you know what i mean? i felt those were the questions in my head, and that is why i , once a moment of pause steve asked me about it. then i went back to the book. so

for chiwetel -- what's your last name? >> ejiofor. >> ejiofor?at's next for chiwetel echifo? >> yeah. various things i think. but we'll see. >> can i call you bob? >> no. >> your name is too hard. >> oh, i'm sorry. >> and he leo! leo! >> where's your tequila? >> you want one? >> of course. >> tell leo to come over here. >> so you're just using me to get leo over here? [ laughter ] >> leo! >> leo! >> hey, leo. >> hey, leo. >> guess it doesn't work. >> sandra, what will you do if there is no tomorrow? >> take louis to a dentist appointment. >> wow. >> you have magic water. sure. >> you feel magic? >> you don't have a magic lime that goes with that, do you? >> what's next for chewy egiafor? >> i'm sorry. i don't know what you said. >> what's next for chiwetel ejiofor? >> i don't have the faintest idea. >> me either. >> okay. good luck. >> i have no idea. what's next for him. [ cheers and applause ] >> very well done, guillermo. how many shots did you have? >> like 17. >> jimmy: 17. all right. and what's the guy from "12 years a slave's" name again?

chiwetel ejiofor portrays solomon northrup, who wrote about a life of slavery. at the table was michael fassbender, who played a brutal plantation owner, and best director nominee steve mcqueen. >> at a certain point, i wanted to make a movie about slavery. to me, there was a hole in the canon of cinema about the subject. reference was not there for me. i wanted to investigate that. i wanted to find out about that in a way which was not predicting, or putting my stance on it, but investigating. solomon northrup was a man who was living in the north, who was pulled into slavery. my wife said, why don't you look at true accounts of slavery? we both did some research, and she found this out, "12 years a slave." she said, i think i have got it. it was a total understatement. every page was a revelation. >> i just read the script. it just moved me to tears by the end of it. i called him up and was like, i want to be part of this. having read it, i was like, i would like to play epps. i did not for one minute assume it was a shoe in. i just wanted to be part of it. it

and it becomes a story because, you know, i had amazing actors like michael fassbender and chiwetel ejioforyou get lost in the narrative. so yeah, it had its effect. but it's the solomon northup story. you know, all i was doing was representing solomon northup's story. so solomon is the one whose -- who is the actual author really. >> you can see our complete discussion at the united nations on our website, thelastword.msnbc.com. chris hayes is up next. >>> good evening from new york, i'm credit hayes. tonight all eyes are on the situation in ukraine. a senior obama administration official tells nbc news that president obama has been meeting with his national security council discussing potential options with ukraine. tensions remain extremely high as russia steps up its occupation of crimea, a semi autonomous region located on the black sea in the southern section of the country. russian president vladimir putin shows no sign of backing down, despite mounting pressure from the u.s., nato and the eu. this standoff has escalated incredibly quickly with a steady string of major developments s

matthew mcconaughey could join him if he beats out hollywood veterans and first-time nominee chiwetel ejiofor>> i got so much pleasure a gratitude just making the film. when i was over i was full. >> reporter: familiar faces fill out the best actress at category. amy adams is the only nominee without an oscar here. ellen degeneres returns for her second stint as oscars host this year. if past shows are any indication, expect plenty of singing and dancing and some surprises to round out hollywood's biggest night. southern california has been dealing with a massive storm the last few days. crews constructed a plastic tent to protect the red carpet all week but they brought that down overnight and forecasters say skies are expected to clear in time for the big show. akiko fujita, abc news, hollywood. >>> abc 7 news reporter katie marzullo is in los angeles right now. she will join us live with the oscar winners tonight on abc 7 news at 11:00. katie is tweeting oscar updates @katieabc7. abc 7 is the only place where you can see the oscars, coverage begins at 2:00 p.m. visit abc7news.com, click on

and it becomes a story because, you know, i had amazing actors like michael fassbender and chiwetel ejioforso yeah, it had its effect. but it's the solomon northup story. you know, all i was doing was representing solomon northup's story. so solomon is the one whose -- who is the actual author really. >> you can see our complete discussion at the united nations on our website, thelastword.msnbc.com. chris hayes is up next. >>> the hawks are flying. let's play "hardball." >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews up in new york. let me start tonight with -- can you hear the bugles blowing? can you hear the loud bursts of trumpets, the threatening blasts at the president if he dare not rattle the saber at moscow? they are the same buglers who sent our troops dashing off to the disaster in iraq, who wanted us in libya. well, this time the same voices

important actors branch loves.he transformed himself completely.bringing him the oscar from chiwetel ejioforleonardo dicaprio.mcconaughey has a group of good performances that this just builds on.oscar loves to reward past work, too. the affectionate, feisty transgender prostitute played by jared leto takes supporting actor.though 12 year michael fassbender was so hateful.i wanted to jump out of my seat and strangle him.he deserves it, blue jasmine: when blue jasmine came out last summer, the oscar talk for cate blanchett as best actress was there. the controversy about woody allen and dylan farrow's abuse allegations has divided some voters, but most do not blame blanchett. it is such a sensitive, unforgetable performance of a soliality who starts spinning out of control until madness seems the only way left. it's a strong year for actresses, and the fans of american hustle are fighting for amy adams.but it's hard to find anything better than the depth and mental illness of blanchett's performance. 12 years a slave: even though the divinely funny jennifer laurence has won the bafta and gold