This year’s Academy Awards was met with great turbulence weeks before the show even happened. Less than a day after comedian Kevin Hart was announced as this year’s host, his past homophobic tweets was brought back into the spotlight, causing Hart to step down from his duties.
A lot of people were skeptical about how the show will go, as this year’s Academy Awards is the first in almost 30 years to have a hostless show, but the show must definitely go on; and so it did.
Here are the highlights at this year’s Academy Awards.
Queen and Adam Lambert Opens the Show
The legendary rock band and American Idol singer opened the show with a rousing rendition of Queen’s iconic song We Will Rock You, which was met with a standing ovation, followed by the inspiring We Are the Champions, with the image of the late Freddie Mercury being projected with cascading fireworks as backdrop as the performance came to a close.
Petition for Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler to be Next Year’s Hosts
Since the Oscars were going hostless this year, that meant that no one’s going to do a monologue. But Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, and Amy Poehler came to save the show. “So just a quick update, in case you’re confused: there is no host tonight, there won’t be a popular movie category. And Mexico is not paying for the wall.” quipped Rudolph. The trio then proceeded to exchange banters and threw punch lines not only at the expense of the nominees but also themselves.
No Host? No Problem!
There were a lot of skepticism leading up to the Awards night; how will the producers pull off such a big show? Who will entertain the crowd for 3 straight hours? But generally, this year’s Academy awards show was actually not bad! A lot of time were given to the winners to show their appreciation and gratitude, instead of being hurriedly ushered off the stage just to accommodate the host’s next skit.
The fast-paced show was also lauded by viewers, as well as the absence of awkward gimmicks and political jabs.
Black Panther Continues to Make History
The Marvel Studios movie already made history when it got nominated for the Best Picture award at this year’s Academy awards, as well as in other categories, but it continued its success when the film won in multiple categories.
Ruth Carter won in the Costume Design category, making her the first black woman to win the said category, stating that “Adding vibranium to costumes is very expensive!”
We’re Forever Stanning Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga
These two! We know they’ve got great chemistry (and what a great singing voice Bradley has!), and these two brought their chemistry center stage as they performed the top ten hit Shallow from A Star Is Born. And it’s safe to say that the whole of Hollywood fell in love with them and their performance.
‘The Favourite’ Definitely Won the Competition
Glenn Close has been winning awards left and right leading up to the Academy awards, so it was a surprise that Olivia Colman won the Best Actress award for The Favourite. It was a shock as well for Colman, who gave out a hilarious speech that was surely the highlight of the night.
Spike Lee Definitely Stole the Whole Show
The brilliant filmmaker took home his first Academy award for BlacKkKlansman, and the award was long overdue after making several influential films throughout decades. Spike Lee‘s speech was also the most political one, reminding the audience that the 2020 elections is just around the corner and to “do the right thing!”
A Surprising Best Picture Winner
Green Book took home the top award and was named as this year’s Best Picture. Not everyone was ecstatic with the win, as the film was wrought with several controversies, including its anachronistic take on racial issues.
What’s your favorite moment? Share it with us in the comments below!
