This year’s highly anticipated 96th Annual Academy Awards, better known as “The Oscars”, went down this past weekend and did not disappoint! The award show took place on Sunday, March 10th, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the event is always always a good time, featuring appearances from many different famous members of the film industry. The show is full of pop culture jokes and references, and the red carpet lets us see our favorite celebrities in their best looks!
As an avid award show viewer, I have been looking forward to this particular award season as it features the two rival hit films of the summer, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” Nominated for many of the same categories, the rivalry has continued into 2024. Needless to say, I was glued to my seat all night, anticipating the wins to come!
In case you missed it, here is a breakdown of the highlights (and my favorite moments) from The 96th Academy Awards:
Previous Winners Announced the Nominees
This year, the Academy Awards brought back an old tradition that was last seen in 2009. Instead of one singular presenter, five previous Oscar winners introduced the nominees in the acting categories. Each previous winner was designated a nominee, presenting a lovely introduction for them, honoring their work. This is a tradition I hope sticks around this time, as it is so exciting to see previous winners come back and honor the nominees with their kind words.
Barbenheimer Jokes: Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt
One of my favorite moments this year was a bit between Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, as they took the stage to present a montage celebrating stunt workers. The two stars of “Barbie” (Ryan Gosling) and “Oppenheimer” (Emily Blunt) began a fake cat-fight over their dueling movies, with Gosling saying, “I’m just happy we can finally put this Barbenheimer rivalry between us.” However, Blunt returned with, “The way this award season’s turned out, wasn’t that much of a rivalry, so, just let it go!” But I think my favorite line from this bit was Gosling’s joke, “I kind of figured out why they call it Barbenheimer and they didn’t call it Oppenbarbie…I think you guys are at the tail end of that because you were riding Barbie’s coattails all summer!”
John Cena Presents an Oscar (Naked!)
As a hilarious call back to the 46th Academy Awards in 1974, when the Oscars were famously interrupted by a streaker running across the stage, a naked John Cena presented the award for achievement in costume design. It began with Jimmy Kimmel referencing this historic incident, and jokingly prompting a repeat. After a few seconds of silence, we saw John Cena peeking around the stage corner admitting to Kimmel, “I changed my mind.” However, Kimmel talked him into it and Cena timidly side-stepped out to the microphone with only a giant envelope to cover himself. “Costumes are really important,” Cena said just before presenting the award.
Billie Eilish & FINNEAS performed “What Was I Made For?” (from the motion picture “Barbie”) and Won Oscar for Best Original Song
Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas performed their hit song from the Barbie soundtrack, “What Was I Made For?” with Eilish beautifully singing the emotional lyrics paired with Finneas at the piano. The duo also had an orchestra in the background to tie the performance together and received a standing ovation from the audience. Eilish even wore a tweed blazer and black skirt to complete the “Barbie” look. In addition to an absolutely heartwarming performance, the song also won the Oscar for Best Original Song making the siblings the youngest two-time Oscar winners!
Ryan Gosling gives a dazzling performance of “I’m Just Ken”
Perhaps the most fun moment of the night, Ryan Gosling delivered an amazing performance of “I’m Just Ken,” also from the Barbie soundtrack. Gosling started in the audience, singing next to his Barbie castmates who were all enthusiastically singing along. He wore a bedazzled hot pink suit and black sunglasses, and after making it to the stage, was surrounded by 65 dancers (the other Ken’s) in black suits with pink shirts. The visuals with these costumes served as a reference to Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” The performance concluded with features from Guns N’ Roses’ Slash and Wolfgang Van Halen with incredible guitar solos. It was a performance that perfectly lightened the mood and had the entire audience out of their seats dancing!
“Wicked” Costars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Present Together
We got a bit of a tease for the upcoming adaptation of “Wicked” when Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo presented the award for Best Original Song and Best Original Score. Grande and Erivo came out dressed in their character’s signature colors: Grande in a perfectly pink Galinda dress and Erivo in a classic green Elphaba dress. They teased their upcoming project with Grande saying, “…a great film score can leave a handprint on our hearts forever. It can ignite wonder and astonishment, make us feel sadness and longing, and can even transport us to new worlds.” Erivo added, “Or somewhere over the rainbow, where the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true,” quoting the classic “Wizard of Oz” song. The first part of the new “Wicked” adaptation is set to release on November 27th!
Emma Stone Wins Best Actress for “Poor Things”
Emma Stone was adorably shocked by her win for Best Actress as she stumbled up to the stage, admitting she had torn her dress during Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance. Stone was emotional as she thanked her family and her fellow nominees who she wished to share the award with. It was such a sweet moment and a great way to wrap up the show.
Vanessa Hudgens’ Pregnancy Reveal?!
My final highlight for the night looks back at the red carpet before the show when Vanessa Hudgens revealed her pregnancy by showing off her baby bump in a gorgeous black Vera Wang gown! She looked absolutely stunning and it was a perfect way to get the carpet buzzing with excitement for the night that was to come.
I think it’s safe to say the 2024 Oscars was the best award show of the year, giving us both heartwarming and hilarious moments, and honoring the hard work of the film industry this year. While there were definitely a couple of misses (a few bad jokes, Greta Gerwig’s snub, and some less-than-deserving wins), the 96th Academy Awards was overall a great night in Hollywood!