The “best part” of any award show is different for each and every viewer; some of us enjoy the fashion, some of us enjoy the heartfelt speeches, and some of us enjoy the quirky intros made by the hosts. Regardless, here are some highlight moments for a broad span of people and personalities; from those who like to gamble, to those who love music, to those who long for change.
Those Who Are True Fashionistas –
The people who favor the red carpet above all other parts of the Oscars probably loved the incredible dresses and suits of actors like Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lawrence, Zendaya, Chadwick Boseman, Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig, Mary J. Blige, Gal Gadot, Lupita Nyong’o, and Timothée Chalamet. All of the actors and actresses of the Oscars looked incredible, and really brought light to the stage.
Those Who Like to Gamble –
Risk takers and gamblers might have thought the best part of the Oscars was betting on which shows would win, and hopefully making a quick buck. This is a very American tradition, and we all partake in it at least once in our lives. I hope you chose The Shape of Water as best picture, and I hope the Oscars was a lucky night for you all.
Those Who Worship George Lucas –
Everyone can agree that Star Wars is pretty incredible, and for some people, these George Lucas masterpieces are seen as the best movies of all time. These people might argue that the highlight of the Oscars was when Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran, and BB-8 walked on stage together. This moment was full of laughs and surprises, and it definitely added to the brilliance of the 2018 Academy Awards.
Those Who Favor Short Speeches –
Some people prefer their award shows to be short and sweet, and those people probably really enjoyed Jimmy Kimmel’s idea to award a jet ski to the person with the shortest speech (which was 34 seconds long). While it didn’t shorten the Oscars very much, it was still really fun to watch Mark Bridges and Helen Mirren ride onto the Oscar stage on a jet ski.
Those Who Appreciate a Good Joke –
For those of you who didn’t watch the Oscars last year, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the wrong movie for the ‘Best Picture’ award. They announced that La La Land had won when it was actually supposed to be Moonlight. While this wasn’t so funny last year, it was the punchline for many of the jokes at the 2018 Oscars. Kimmel joked that people should wait for five seconds after being called to the stage and he also repeatedly said “What could go wrong?” in many of his ads and promotions for the show. However, Jimmy Kimmel was not the only one to take his shot at the La La Land cast. Mark Hamill from Star Wars was also seen muttering “don’t say La La Land,” several times right before he announced Coco as the winner for ‘Best Animation.’ It was probably a highlight for anyone who wasn’t a part of the La La Land crew.
Those Who Live and Breathe Music –
Music is a major aspect of any great movie, and the live performances at the Oscars helped bring the award show to life. Mary J. Blige, Miguel, Natalia Lafourcade, Gael Garcia Bernal, Sufjan Stevens, Common, Andra Day, Keala Settle, and Eddie Vedder all performed very admirably, and their songs were an Oscar highlight for many people.
Those Who Root for the Underdog –
Last year when Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced the wrong movie for the biggest award of the year, it was an absolute fiasco. However, it was really nice to see the Academy give them and Jimmy Kimmel (whose performance last year was greatly overshadowed by the incident) a second chance. Everyone had a few laughs about it this year, and all three of the actors did very well the second time around.
Those Who Appreciate Tradition –
Anyone who has been watching the Oscars for a long time, or has simply seen the movie West Side Story, can appreciate that Rita Moreno wore her dress from when she won an Oscar (1962) to the Academy Awards 56 years later. It is really impressive that she has kept her liveliness, figure, and spunk alive all these years, and I think it is pretty safe to say she looked just as good in that dress today as she did 56 years ago.
Those Who Value Change –
The Academy Awards have been getting a lot of heat for their lack of diversity in many of the categories. However, this year all of that changed. Tiffany Haddish and Maya Rudolph even joked saying “a few years ago, people were saying that Oscars were so white, and since then, some real progress has been made. When we came out together, we know some of you were thinking ‘are the Oscars too black now?’” This gave everyone a good laugh, and people were even happier to see what happened later that night. When Jordan Peele became the first African American writer to win the Oscar for ‘Best Original Screenplay,’ everyone went wild. Things are definitely looking up for the minorities.
Those Who Respect the Power of Women –
Just like in all of the other award shows this season, the women of Hollywood have made a very powerful stand. They have united together, and spoken out against the things holding them down, and that was no different for the Oscars. The event had many ‘Time’s Up’ supporters, and many of the women in attendance stood together to celebrate their success. Sandra Bullock and Emma Stone both highlighted the only female director, Greta Gerwig, in each of their presentations. They called her a trailblazing woman and singled her out from the other male nominees. However, the strongest moment for the women was when Frances McDormand gave her acceptance speech for ‘Best Actress.’ She started her speech with “I’ve got some things to say,” and then she asked all of the female nominees in every category to stand up with her and ended her speech with two powerful words: “Inclusion Rider.” This moment was very big for the women of Hollywood, and it will always be remembered.
Those Who Have Always Loved the Oscars –
For the true Oscar fans, your highlight of the night was probably watching Frances McDormand win Best Actress, Gary Oldman win Best Actor, Allison Janney win Best Supporting Actress, Sam Rockwell win Best Supporting Actor, and The Shape Of Water win Best Picture. Oscar fans love the movies and we will always continue to watch, even if it means we miss the Oscars and end up in the middle of the shows live taping. As crazy as it sounds, this actually happened for many people that night as Jimmy Kimmel and many others traveled to the theater next door and handed out snacks to a group of moviegoers watching “A Wrinkle In Time.” The Oscars is an award show full of people who support one another, and love their craft. The moviegoers support and appreciate the actors, and as Jimmy Kimmel showed, the actors support and appreciate the moviegoers.
No matter who you are, the Oscars are a pretty great time for all. Whether you loved the beautiful stage, the goofy jokes, seeing your favorite actors, or just being with family, we can all agree that the Oscars are great. It is a time for family, friends, movies, and fun, and I think we all need to support the Oscars, so we can hold onto Hollywood’s biggest night for years to come.
Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7