The 89th Academy Awards (or the 2017 Oscars in less formal terms) proved, as always, to be a film and/or fashion lover’s most coveted night of the year. This year’s awards had a few setbacks (best picture mishap, anyone?) but, all in all, proved to be an amazing ceremony to watch. Here are 5 ways this year’s Oscars one-upped themselves.
5. The year of the Mom
Sometimes a celebrity’s plus-one at an awards ceremony is their equally famous husband or wife, both dressed to the nines, looking absolutely fabulous. At other times, like this year, they bring the person who is always thanked in the acceptance speech to the actual ceremony, as Dev Patel and Lin-Manuel Miranda both did by bringing their mothers. It’s cuteness overload, proving that even the most talented people are still just mama’s boys at heart, and don’t forget how much they owe to their parents.
4. The fashion
The various outfits worn by celebs, strutting their stuff on the red carpet, is always one of the most talked about topics before, during and after the actual awards ceremony. This year’s ceremony proved itself really well on that count, from Janelle Monae’s fabulous embroidered dress to Emma Stone keeping it simple in gold Givenchy. And the men’s suits were pretty awesome too!
3. Viola Davis
Receiving an award at any particular ceremony means you get to give an acceptance speech that will probably be analysed beyond reason. There are some speeches that can go on for quite a long time, with the person thanking everyone they’ve ever met. And then are those speeches that just mark you in a very special way, like Viola Davis’s speech about the power of actors and acting. If anyone finally deserved an Oscar, it’s this woman!
2. The performances of “Best Original Song”
Ok, yes, Moana didn’t win Best Animated Film, but the performance of its Oscar-nominated song “How Far I’ll Go” is a sight to behold. An original rap by the writer of the song himself, Lin-Manuel Miranda, was followed by an awe-inspiring performance by Auli’i Cravalho – understated, yet powerful. And let’s not forget the La La Land medley we received, which gave people a chance to relive the beauty and magic of the film’s score.
1. The diversity: Moonlight
Forget everything the press and the celebs themselves are saying about the Best Picture blunder, the simple fact that Moonlight won this prestigious award over predicted favourite La La Land is a sign that certain views and prejudices that really shouldn’t exist anymore may actually be changing. For once, we have a racially diverse group of winners, and the Oscars clearly weren’t as #SoWhite this year.