ABC/Ed HerreraA Star Is Born was all but shut out at the 91st Annual Academy Awards Sunday night, but Lady Gaga did take home her first Oscar — not for Best Actress, but for Best Original Song.
Gaga and her three co-writers, including Mark Ronson, picked up the trophy for “Shallow,” the hit duet her and Bradley Cooper‘s characters sing in the movie at the start of their relationship. She’d previously been nominated for co-writing the song “Til It Happens to You.”
The emotional star thanked her family and her sister, whom she called her “soulmate,” and told Cooper, “There is not a single person on the planet that could have sang this song with me but you.”
She then continued, “If you are at home…watching this right now, all I have to say is that this is hard work. I have worked hard for a long time and it’s not about winning…what it’s about is not giving up.”
“If you have a dream, fight for it,” she continued. “It’s not about how many times you get rejected or you fall down or you’re beaten up. It’s about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep on going.”
Gaga also provided one of the highlights of the telecast with the first-ever TV performance of “Shallow” with Cooper. The two began the performance by walking out of the audience and onto the stage, he in his tuxedo and her in her strapless black Alexander McQueen gown. The intense, tender performance was shot from behind, as it was in the movie, so we saw them as well as the audience.
Gaga even made Oscar history, albeit on the red carpet. According to E!, she accessorized her gown with a $30 million Tiffany necklace, featuring the 141-year-old, 128 carat, yellow Tiffany diamond. It was the first time it’s been worn on a red carpet. The last time it was worn at all was by the late screen legend Audrey Hepburn, for a Breakfast at Tiffany‘s publicity photo.
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