‘Argo,’ ‘Life of Pi,’ Daniel Day Lewis, Jennifer Lawrence, Anne Hathaway the big Oscar winners (PHOTOS)

"Argo," directed by Oscar wunderkind Ben Affleck, took the top honor at the 85th annual Academy Award announced Sunday in Los Angeles.

First lady Michelle Obama joined Jack Nicholson in a live video appearance from the White House to help present the final prize for best picture, a move dismissed by Iran as a Zionist plot to misrepresent a memorable moment in the Islamic Revolution.

An emotional Affleck told the audience:

"There are eight great films that have every right, as much a right to be up here as we do."

The Washington Post cited Fars News as writing:

"In a rare occasion in Oscar history, the First Lady announced the winner for Best Picture for the anti-Iran Film ‘Argo,’ which is produced by the Zionist company Warner Bros."

More from GlobalPost: Iran calls Oscar for 'Argo,' awarded by Michelle Obama, an ad for CIA

Meanwhile, "Life of Pi" won four awards, the most of any film. "Les Miserables" won three Academy Awards, and "Django Unchained" and "Skyfall" two each. "Amour" took the prize for best foreign language film.

Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for his performance in the title role of Steven Spielberg's epic on the life of America's 16th president, while Jennifer Lawrence won best actress for her portrayal of a troubled young widow in "Silver Linings Playbook."

Hathaway, who played the dying prostitute Fantine in "Les Miserables," beat out a strong field for best supporting actress, which included Amy Adams in "The Master," Sally Field in "Lincoln," Helen Hunt in "The Sessions" and Jacki Weaver in "Silver Linings Playbook." 

Upon receiving her Oscar statuette, Hathaway said:

"It came true. Here's hoping that sometime in the not-so-distant future the misfortunes of Fantine will only be found in stories, and not in real life."

As the night wore on, the near-Oscar-tradition of famous tweeting body parts took the stage online. A Twitter account called @HathawayNipples popped up moments after Hathaway walked the red carpet in a sheer pink Prada dress.

At last year's Oscars, "an account purporting to be Angelina Jolie's right leg gathered tens of thousands of followers," Sky News wrote.

@HathawayNipples was suspended within hours, but not before it got in reported quips like:

"Anyone else feeling a little chilly? #oscars."

Here's a list of the night's notable "bests," as listed on the Academy Awards website:

Picture: "Argo."

Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln."

Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook."

Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained."

Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables."

Directing: Ang Lee, "Life of Pi."

Foreign Language Film: "Amour."

Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio, "Argo."

Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, "Django Unchained."

Animated Feature Film: "Brave."