THE 96th ACADEMY AWARDS – THE WINNERS

And the Oscar goes to…

Best Picture
“Oppenheimer”

Best Director
Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”)

Best Actress
Emma Stone (“Poor Things”)

Best Actor
Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”)

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr (“Oppenheimer”)

Best Supporting Actress
Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”)

Best International Feature Film
“The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom)

Best Cinematography
Hoyte Van Hotema (“Oppenheimer”)

Best Original Screenplay
Justine Triet, Arthur Harari (“Anatomy of a Fall”)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”)

Best Original Score
Ludwig Goransson (“Oppenheimer”)

Best Original Song
“What Was I Made For?” (Barbie)

Best Animated Feature
“The Boy and the Heron”

Best Animated Short Film
“War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko”

Best Live Action Short Film
“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”

Best Visual Effects
“Godzilla Minus One”

Best Editing
“Oppenheimer”

Best Production Design
“Poor Things”

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Poor Things”

Best Costume Design
“Poor Things”

Best Sound
“The Zone of Interest”

Best Documentary Short
“The Last Repair Shop”

Best Documentary Feature Film
“20 Days in Marriupol”

And just like that, we bid adieu to another award season as Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer was named Best Picture. It was no real surprise that Nolan’s massive film would win given it dominated all of award season. It walked away with seven Oscars including Best Director for Nolan, Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey, Jr.), Best Score (Ludwig Göransson), Best Editing (Jennifer Lame), and Best Cinematography (Hoyte von Hoytema). Da’Vine Joy Randolph was a deserved and expected win for her work in The Holdovers. The closest and most watched race of the night was for Best Actress, which found Emma Stone beating out Lily Gladstone. Stone picked up her second Oscar for Best Actress having won for La La Land a few years ago. Host Jimmy Kimmel even made a joke about the envelopes after Stone won given her envelope last time caused the Best Picture debacle between La La Land and Moonlight. Her win in Poor Things was one of that film’s four Oscars including Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, and Best Hair and Makeup.

The broadcast itself was fairly successful. Kimmel’s opening monologue was fairly tame celebrating the year’s big successes. No real hard hitting jabs throughout the night except two for Madame Web and one toward Donald Trump. The back stage transition material with David Alan Grier seemed clunky given its location was right in the hallway where winners were coming off the stage who then seemed caught off guard. John Cena’s streaking bit was funny as he completely sold the comedy. No, he wasn’t completely naked. Behind the scenes photos showed a cloth fabric that was very strategically placed without the use of strings around the waist. The highlights of the night came down to having past acting Oscar winners present this year’s nominees. They’ve done this in the past and really need to incorporate this every year. It’s a beautiful tribute from one actor to the next, and you could see some nominees teary expressions throughout it. There’s something powerful about having five winners grace the stage and cheer on the next winner, as they welcome them to the club. Another big highlight of the night was the Best Original Song performances. While some songs seemed truncated like “The Fire Inside”, the producers let Barbie’s two songs “What Was I Made For?” and “I’m Just Ken” have full production numbers. Ryan Gosling tore the roof off the auditorium with his committed performance of “I’m Just Ken” bringing on back up dancers, Slash, and even co-stars like Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, and Scott Evans performed with him. It was an absolute blast. In the end, Billie Eilish and Finneas took home the Best Original Song Oscar making it their second in recent years after their James Bond theme “No Time to Die.” The biggest head scratcher of the night happened when Al Pacino presented Best Picture. Michelle Pfeiffer was originally slated to present with him for a Scarface reunion, but couldn’t make it due to a family emergency. Pacino stumbled over his words and then read the winner without recapping the names of the nominees.

Here’s to another great Oscars! Do you have any favorite moments from the night? Let me know on social media! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok!