The absolute night of nights for Hollywood has arrived — the 96th Academy Awards. In a year that featured a once-in-a-lifetime box office phenomenon in Barbenheimer, only to be shortly followed by an industry-stopping strike, we also managed to enjoy some of the most memorable movies in recent memory. These huge cinema moments were matched with huge moments at this year’s Oscars, from the red carpet to the ceremony, and we’ve got the rundown of them right here.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Opening Monologue
Jimmy Kimmel returned to the Oscars hosting gig for the fourth time tonight, and his opening monologue touched on all the things you’d expect – Messi the dog, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling being hot and movies being too long. But the greatest moment of the monologue came when Kimmel thanked those who too often go without thanks.
“We can be proud of the fact that this long and difficult work stoppage taught us that this very strange town of ours as pretentious and superficial as it could be, at its heart, is a union town,” he said, before being joined on stage by lighting and production staff that bring the Oscars to life.
“The reason we were able to make a deal is because of the people rallied beside us. Before we celebrate ourselves, let’s have a very well-deserved round of applause for the people who work behind the scenes.”
Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Best Supporting Actress Speech
Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s win for her performance in “The Holdovers” in the Best Supporting Actress category is hardly a surprise. She was widely predicted to win the award after absolutely dominating awards season. But, when she came to collect her prize, she spoke through tears and thanked the holy trinity: God, her mother, and… her publicist.
“I started off as a singer,” she said. “But my Mother said to me, ‘Go across that street to that theatre department. There’s something for you there.’ And I thank my mother for doing that.
“I have to give a special shout-out to my publicist. And I know y’all said don’t, but you don’t have a publicist like I have a publicist.”
Billie Eilish and Finneas’ Performance of “What Was I Made For?”
It’s a song that has dominated the entire year for its poignance and its resonance. But it’s never felt quite as powerful as it did when Billie Eilish performed it with her brother Finneas on the Oscars stage.
John Cena Naked on the Oscars Stage
At the 46th Oscars, a streaker famously took to the stage while David Niven was presenting Elizabeth Taylor. John Cena decided to replicate this moment while presenting the award for Best Costume Design.
Scott George and Osage Singers and Dancers Performing “Wahzhazhe”
With Lily Gladstone’s groundbreaking nomination for Best Actress this year, and “Killers of the Flower Moon” picking up multiple noms across the board, Native American artists were front and centre at this year’s Oscars. There was no better reflection of that than Scott George’s performance of “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)”, joined by singers and dancers of the Osage nation. Stirring and mesmerising, it’s a performance like the Oscars has never seen.
Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling Stoking the Barbenheimer Rivalry
Barbenheimer, a rivalry between Barbie and Oppenheimer after both films were released on the same day, was the biggest talking point of cinema in 2023 (that is – until movies stopped completely). Emily Blunt, nominated for Oppenheimer, and Ryan Gosling, nominated for Barbie, took to the stage to celebrate the year’s stunt work, but not without taking barbs at each other.
“I’m just happy we can put this Barbenheimer rivalry behind us,” Gosling said.
“…the way this award season turned out, it wasn’t that much of a rivalry,” Blunt cheekily responded, referring to Oppenheimer‘s sweeping of the season, as opposed to Barbie‘s mediocre performance.
But Gosling wasn’t too down, saying “I think I kind of figured out why it’s called ‘Barbenheimer’ and not ‘OppenarbieYou’re on the tail end because you rode the coattails of “Barbie” all summer.”
Ryan Gosling Performing “I’m Just Ken”
THE SUIT. THE GLASSES. SLASH. BILLIE EILISH CRACKING UP IN BACKGROUND. THE GRETA/MARGOT/AMERICA SING-A-LONG.
This is PERFORMANCE.
Billie Eilish Winning Her Second Oscar at Age 22
She is the moment.
The Arnold Schwarzenegger/Danny DeVito Reunion We Didn’t Know We Needed
It’s been almost 40 years since the iconic duo of Schwarzenegger and DeVito starred onscreen in “Twins”, and their surprise reunion onstage at the Oscars has us all clamouring for a sequel.
Emma Stone’s Semi-Surprise Win for “Poor Things”
While Lily Gladstone had just gotten the edge over Stone as the likely winner for Best Actress, Stone ended up winning the gold for her performance as Bella Baxter in “Poor Things.” Despite it being her second Oscar in the category, she looked just as shocked as anyone.
Al Pacino’s Iconic Best Picture Winner Announcement
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of “The Godfather: Part II”, Al Pacino was bestowed with the honour of presenting Best Picture. Now, “Oppenheimer” had the award pretty much locked up since the beginning of awards season, but Pacino’s bizarre delivery of the announcement helped raise the stakes until the very end.
Finally, Messi the Dog
The star of “Anatomy of a Fall” and perhaps the biggest snub for Best Supporting Actor, Messi the Dog’s appearance at this year’s Oscars proved we’re witnessing the birth of a new star. He milked every moment he was on camera. He rocked a tie better than anyone else in the room. He even applauded! Robert DeNiro should be scared.
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