The 2024 Academy Awards, known to most as the Oscars, took place on Sunday, March 10. I love watching the Oscars every year, and something about this year’s ceremony felt extra special. In honor of celebrating the joy of cinema and getting everyone’s favorite celebrities in one room, here are my top six moments from the 2024 Oscars.
1) Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance
While Oppenheimer took home many of the night’s top prizes, many are claiming the real winner of the night was Ryan Gosling, who took to the stage to sing his nominated hit, “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie. Backed by cowboy Ken backup dancers, Barbie head cutouts, and accompanied on guitar by Slash, Gosling turned the Oscars into a party. My personal favorite part of the performance was when he made his way to the audience, and shared the mic with Barbie stars Margot Robbie and America Ferrera, as well as director Greta Gerwig. Robbie could not contain her laughter while Gerwig looked like a proud mom. Overall, I give this performance a “Ken” out of ten.
2) Past winners announcing the major acting categories
In all four major acting categories (Supporting and Lead Actor and Actress respectively), five past Oscar winners took the stage to introduce each of the nominees. Among these sweet moments included 92 year old legend Rita Moreno introducing America Ferrera from Barbie. Moreno called back to her Oscar winning role as Anita in West Side Story by singing America’s name, a la Anita’s big musical number entitled “America.”
3) History made by Billie Eilish and Finneas
With their win in the category of “Best Original Song” for their hit “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, sibling duo Billie Eilish and Finneas became the youngest people to win two Oscars. In a sweet acceptance speech, Eilish expressed her disbelief at the award, and thanked her school choir and dance teacher, as well as her childhood best friend for playing Barbies with her.
4) Messi the dog from Anatomy of a Fall
While all the people in the room at the Dolby Theater looked stunning, none shined more than Messi from Anatomy of a Fall. Messi, the seven-year-old Border Collie, looked sharp in a black bow tie and could be seen smiling and wagging his tail throughout the program.
5) John Mulaney’s presentation for “Best Sound” award
In presenting the award for “Best Sound,” comedian John Mulaney cooked up a hilarious monologue in which he took shots at the recent flop Marvel movie Madame Web, and went on a tangent about the movie Field of Dreams. While Jimmy Kimmel, the host of the event, did a decent job overall, the hilarious moment had many fans wishing Mulaney hosted the broadcast instead.
6) Emma Stone’s win and dress malfunction
As she took to the stage to accept her “Best Actress in a Leading Role” award for her role as Bella Baxter in Poor Things, Emma Stone candidly shared that her dress ripped in the back. The star began her speech by claiming that it broke during Gosling’s performance. Gosling and Stone’s interaction during that number sparked joy in the hearts of La La Land fans such as myself, who love any interaction between the two actors. Additionally Stone’s speech was wildly earnest, and highlighted her genuine spirit and love of the art form.