Ryan Gosling, who sang the eponymously titled synthy pop-rock tune ‘I’m Just Ken’ in Barbie, commanded a full production number complete with back-up dancers, musicians like Slash and karaoke-style audience participation.
Aside from the announcement of winners at the 96th Academy Awards, a.k.a. Oscars 2024, last Sunday night in Los Angeles, California (Monday morning in the Philippines), there were other noteworthy moments that kept viewers engrossed and entertained.
Program host Jimmy Kimmel right away addressed in his opening monologue the non-inclusion of "biggest movie of the year" Barbie's director Greta Gerwig and lead actress Margot Robbie in the list of nominees.
Kimmel said of the powerful effect of the movie based on the plastic doll, "Now Barbie is a feminist icon, thanks to Greta Gerwig, who many believe deserved to be nominated for Best Director. I know you're clapping, but you're the ones who didn't vote for her, by the way. Don't act like you had nothing to do with this. And I don't want to leave out Margot Robbie. Margot put this giant thing together."
Barbie managed to win one award — Best Original Song, courtesy of Billy Eilish's "What Was I Made For?" — out of eight nominations, including for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Costume Design and Production Design.
'Fab 5' Presenters format
In presenting the acting awards, five past awardees in the four categories (Actress in a Leading Role, Actor in a Leading Role, Actress in a Supporting Role, Actor in a Supporting Role) went on stage to introduce the nominees with a little tribute before announcing the winner. This format was actually borrowed from Oscars 2009 ceremony.
Last year's Best Actress winner Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) introduced Sandra Huller, as a nominee for Anatomy of a Fall. Two-time Oscar winner Sally Field (Norma Rae, 1980; Places in the Heart, 19985) introduced Poor Things star Emma Stone. Oscars 2013 winner Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) introduced Lily Gladstone of Killers of the Flower Moon. Then, Charlize Theron (Monster, 2004) introduced Annette Bening of Nyad, and Jessica Lange (Blue Sky, 1995) closed the category by introducing Carey Mulligan as a nominee for Maestro.
Finally, Yeoh announced Stone as recipient of the Oscar for Best Actress.
For Best Actor, last year's winner Brendan Fraser (The Whale, 2023) introduced Jeffrey Wright of American Fiction, while Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas, 1996) did the same for Paul Giamatti for The Holdovers. Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club, 2014) made the introduction for Bradley Cooper of Maestro; Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, 1983) for Cillian Murphy of Oppenheimer; and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland, 2006) for Colman Domingo of Rustin.
Fraser announced Murphy as the Best Actor winner.
In the Best Supporting Actress category, last year's winner Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2023) introduced Jodie Foster as a nominee for Nyad. Mary Steenburgen (Melvin and Howard, 1981) did the same for Emily Blunt of Oppenheimer, and Lupita N'yongo (12 Years A Slave, 2014) for Da'Vine Joy Randolph of The Holdovers. Rita Moreno (West Side Story, 1962) continued the sequence for America Ferrera of Barbie, and Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk, 2019) for Danielle Brooks of The Color Purple.
Curtis made the announcement that Randolph won Best Supporting Actress.
Last year's Best Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once, 2023) introduced this year's nominee Sterling K. Brown for American Fiction. Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, 2018) then introduced Robert Downey Jr. of Oppenheimer, and Tim Robbins (Mystic River, 2003) did the same for Robert de Niro of Killers of the Flower Moon. Two-time Oscar awardee Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds, 2009; Django Unchained, 2012) made the introduction for Ryan Gosling of Barbie, while another double Oscar winner Mahershala Ali (Moonlight, 2017; Green Book, 2019) introduced Mark Ruffalo of Poor Things.
Quan announced Downey Jr. as the winner of Best Supporting Award.
Show-stopping performances
As usual, the nominees in the Best Original Song were performed during the program. But Ryan Gosling, who sang the eponymously titled synthy pop-rock tune "I'm Just Ken" in Barbie, commanded a full production number complete with back-up dancers, musicians like Slash and karaoke-style audience participation.
Scott George and the Osage Singers gave a powerful performance of "Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)," which is featured in Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. Pop star Becky G brought out a children's choir to sing "The Fire Inside" from Flamin' Hot, while Jon Batiste rendered "It Never Went Away" from his documentary American Symphony.
Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell delivered a moving performance of the winning entry from Barbie, "What Was I Made For?"
Throwback bits and pieces
Kimmel made many references to past Oscars while hosting the program. He pointed out that De Niro and Foster, who were co-stars in 1976's Taxi Driver and nominees in the following year's Academy Awards, were once again nominated that night: De Niro of Killers of the Flower Moon for Best Supporting Actor and Foster of Nyad for Best Supporting Actress. Neither won, but they are already recipients of two Oscars each in the past.
Kimmel also recalled an incident in Oscars 1974, "David Niven was in the middle of introducing Elizabeth Taylor when a nude man, a streaker, ran across the stage. Can you imagine if a nude man ran across the stage today? Wouldn't that be crazy?"
Then John Cena emerged, peeking from the back, and called Kimmel's attention. The host then retorted, "What? I can't come out? Do the thing." He asked the audience to be excused and walked to Cena. "What's going on? You're supposed to run across the stage. What do you mean you don't want to do the streaker thing anymore?"
Cena replied, still peeking through the curtains: "I don't feel right about it. You should be ashamed now for suggesting such a distasteful idea…" Kimmel rebutted, "It's supposed to be a joke." Cena stressed, "The male body is not a joke." But Kimmel delivered the punch line: "Mine is."
After a little bit of discussion, Cena sheepishly walked towards the mike stand, holding a rectangular white paper to hide what's between his thighs. "Costumes, these are so important. Maybe the most important there is," he began introducing the nominees in Best Costume Design but not without asking for Kimmel's help. The award eventually went to Holly Waddington for Poor Things.
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