The 94th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theater on Sunday night, with a separate pre-show for the technical categories, a fan vote, and triple hosting duties. Ariana DeBose was the best supporting actress for West Side Story. The best and worst moments of the night are here.
Troy Kotsur is the first blind man to win an acting Oscar. When Youn Yuh-Jung announced his name, Kotsur was overcome with emotion. He has been acting in low-budget theater productions for decades, and told a story about his father becoming paralyzed from a car accident, leaving him unable to perform sign language.
DUNE editor Joe Walker delivers the funniest speech of the night, about how his kids used his Oscar nomination to expertly clown on him pic.twitter.com/CYItMjHBgm
— Kyle Buchanan (@kylebuchanan) March 27, 2022
If you need more proof that the Oscars should have aired the awards for best cinematography, best makeup and hairstyling, and the like on TV rather than handing out the trophies before the show, look no further than a witty speech from Dune's editor, Joe Walker. Walker said that working on one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful films of the year isn't enough to save you from the sting of a teen's insult.
You may not know that a skilled 17-year-old can be used as an insult if they say they're nominated for an Oscar.
And that’s that! The 8! Now I’m gonna scour for canapes!!
— Guillermo del Toro (@RealGDT) March 27, 2022
The show couldn't have started with a bigger bang if Venus and Serena Williams hadn't introduced Bey.
An aerial shot before the performance showed a young woman riding a horse and going to the courts. The band, all dressed in tennis ball yellow, had a similar sound to Dr. Dre's song.
At the beginning of the show, Amy Schumer took a moment to roast a few of the nominees. Schumer ruled the standup scene for a while.
She joked about the comedy Don't Look Up.
What can I say about Leonardo DiCaprio? She said that he had done so much to fight climate change and leave behind a cleaner, greener planet for his girlfriends.
She roasted Sorkin for making a movie about a famous person.
Schumer's co-hosts, Hall and Sykes, were equally fearless in going after big targets and delivering raunchy punchlines for a slightly nervous crowd. After Hall made a joke about Lebron James, Sykes responded by roasting Samuel L. Jackson.
Hall was given a few minutes to shamelessly hit on several of Hollywood's leading men, including Simu Liu and Timothee Chalamet, under the guise of giving out COVID tests.
The speeches for awards given out before the Academy Awards broadcast were frequently cut during the broadcast. The chyron remained as if they were happening in real-time. Cutting between live and taped footage felt a little too realistic.
This year, the Oscars invited combinations of stars with pre-established relationships and played to their strengths, instead of using their presenter slots to trot out awkward pairs of en-vogue celebrities. Daniel and H.E.R., who won an Oscar last year for Judas and the Black Messiah, weren't asked to tell any jokes, but rather vibe off each other.
The Jump power trio of Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez, and Wesley Snipes delivered a shaggy and joyful routine, with Perez playfully barking at Snipes for botching a cue. Harrelson cracked that he has been nominated three times and yet was speaking on stage for the first time as a presenter.
The Dune co-stars palled around on the stage when Josh Brolin asked if he'd ever been nominated for an Oscar. There is something to be said for charming actors. They are movie stars.
Eliana Dockterman can be reached at eliana.dockterman@time.com.
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