The Oscars: to know it is to love it…or is it? Although many, including myself, have a complicated love-hate relationship with the Academy, this never seems to stop viewers from tuning in to Hollywood’s biggest night.
The Oscars are well known for their award snubs, celebrity tributes, and iconic moments, all of which define popular culture. Whether it’s the Will Smith slap or the Best Picture mix-up with La La Land and Moonlight that you recall, these iconic, often controversial events remain relevant and are remembered by countless viewers for years.
The 97th Academy Awards were no different. Hosted by Conan O’Brien, the awards ceremony took place on March 2. With a highly anticipated award season, a competitive year for film, and scandalous nominated actors, this night was bound to get interesting. Here are the highlights from this year’s award ceremony:
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo’s Opening Performance
Two incredible singers, one stage. To kick the night off, Ariana Grande opened the 97th Academy Awards with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” She then passed the torch to Cynthia Erivo, who sang “Home,” and the two joined together to sing “Defying Gravity” as their grand finale. These wickedly talented women received a standing ovation following their brilliant seven-minute performance.
Conan O’Brien’s Twitter Joke
Host Conan O’Brien addressed the recent controversy involving Karla Sofía Gascón, who was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Emilia Pérez. For some background, the Emilia Pérez actress was recently and widely criticized due to her past social media posts on X, or Twitter. These posts mostly contained her views on Muslims, George Floyd, and a past Oscar ceremony.
O’Brien decided to approach this issue in his opening monologue. After poking fun at Gascón and her publicist, he addressed the actress directly. “Karla, if you’re going to tweet about the Oscars, remember, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.” Though it was based on controversy, I found the joke to be surprisingly tame and harmless.
Historic Win for Best Costume Design
Part one of the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked received 10 Academy Award nominations. The film took home two Academy Awards for Production and Costume Design. The Costume Designer, Paul Tazewell, became the first black man to win an Oscar in this category. What a historic night!
Documentary Feature Film Winner
The film No Other Land, made by people of Palestinian and Israeli descent, won an Academy Award for Documentary Feature Film. The film shows the destruction of the West Bank and an alliance that forms between a Palestinian and an Israeli journalist, Basel Adra, and Yuval Abraham. In their acceptance speech, co-director Yuval Abraham notably stated, “We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together our voices are stronger.”
Anora Sweep
Anora, a film about a sex worker and Russian oligarch romance, was nominated for six Academy Awards. It won five, taking home more Oscars than any other film that night, including Best Directing, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture. Mikey Madison, the lead actress of the movie, won her first Oscar for her breakout role in the film. Sean Baker, the film’s director, screenplay writer, and film editor, took home four Oscars.
Though some of these wins or moments might’ve been unexpected, the 97th Oscars mostly consisted of positive and heartwarming moments. More than likely, some viewers could be upset over a few wins or minor moments from this year’s ceremony; however, I thoroughly enjoyed this year’s show and felt that it ran much smoother than in years past. This year’s Oscars will be remembered for years to come!
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