Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come! Award season is finally upon us, with the Oscars 2024 just taking place on 10 March 2024. Whether you’re an avid watcher of films or love to keep up with the latest in popular culture, I’m sure you’ve heard all about what went down during the biggest and most important night in film history!
The Oscars have always been one of the most watched and highly coveted nights of the year – I’m sure your social media is flooded with news from the night. If you’re not in the know about what went down during the Oscars, we’ve got you covered. Allow me to catch you up to speed and summarise everything that happened that night – the biggest winners, the yays and the nays! I’m ready when you are!
Fashion
With the Oscars being one of the biggest pop culture events of the year, celebrities go all out – decking themselves in the most gorgeous pieces. And everyone knows that the Oscars start as soon as you step foot on the red carpet, so let’s look at five of the best get-ups of the day!
Lupita Nyong’o
The acclaimed actress wore an icy blue dress adorned with jewels to drive that “ice” element home. The dress—made by Armani—was punctuated around the waist and the bottom with feathers! As if that wasn’t elegant and gorgeous enough, the dress she chose paid homage to the dress she wore a decade ago on the same Oscar’s red carpet. It is a beautiful dress with an even more beautiful meaning—no one does it like Lupita Nyong’o!
Colmon Domingo
I’ll be the first to admit that men’s formal fashion options are limited compared to that of women’s but I always hated when male celebrities turned up to big events in a plain ol’ tuxedo and called it a day. With that being said, Colmon Domingo showed them how it’s done with the outfit he chose to wear to the Oscars!
He wore a fitted Louis Vuitton tuxedo that looked to be tapered at the waist and further accessorised with silver jewellery. It was elevated with the inclusion of a watch and a brooch! Now, we can’t ignore the shoes that he chose as well. To match the sleekness of the outfit, he wore boots that I could picture the main character of a classic Western wearing. The perfect shoes to tie the whole look together!
Vanessa Hudgens
If you’re old enough to have grown up watching ‘High School Musical’, this one will make your heart swell!
Vanessa Hudgens took to the red carpet in a Vera Wang gown. The all-black gown flowed to the floor and pooled into a train. The dress was fitted and accentuated her baby bump. Yes, you read that right – baby bump. The actress took to the red carpet to debut the fact that she’s expecting! The baby hasn’t even been born, and it’s already iconic!
Ariana Grande
The actress-turned-singer hasn’t been to an award show since 2020, but Ariana Grande is back and better than ever! Covering herself from shoulder to floor in pink, she pays homage to her character, Glinda, in Wicked.
She wore a pink strapless gown designed by Giambattista Valli, accompanied by the biggest and puffiest sleeves. I have no idea how she managed to move in the gown, but she stunned with the outfit—it’s all anyone can talk about!
Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó
Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó were easily the cutest pair at the Oscars! The pair were the stars of Grandma and Grandma by Sean Wang, their grandson. They literally rolled onto the red carpet and brought the vibe with them! Wài Pó was dressed in a red suit with bamboo prints paired with tortoiseshell sunnies! Beside her was Nǎi Nai, who chose a quieter outfit, opting for a black suit and a pink undershirt – which adorned a floral print.
In my humble opinion, their outfits were easily the best. Just one look at their outfits, and you can guess their personalities—which is what fashion is all about: self-expression.
Awards
Now that we have covered what went down outside the Dolby Theatres, we can cover the main event: The Awards Ceremony. The entire ceremony lasted three hours, and if we had covered every award, this article would never end. So let me spare you all that boredom and include the biggest awards of the night!
Best Picture
Starting with the Best Picture, which was won by none other than Oppenheimer—beating other big names like Barbie, Past Lives, and Killer of the Flower Moon out of the running—the film follows the life of J Robert Oppenheimer, who was coined the father of the atomic bomb that was dropped on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War 2.
The tail end of 2023 was filled with people rushing to the cinema to catch Oppenheimer in IMAX theatres, so it wasn’t that much of a shock for them to take home the title. Perhaps the only surprising thing is the manner in which it was announced; Al Pacino certainly had a unique way of unveiling the winner!
There have been some reactions to Oppenheimer taking home the gold, but the award for Best Picture is, after all, for the best production. While Barbie might have had the more interesting and popular storyline, Oppenheimer absolutely crushed the competition when it came to production – for many, Oppenheimer was the more organic and unique film.
Best Actor
It’s no secret that Oppenheimer swept the competition, taking home seven of the original 13 awards they were nominated for. One of the seven was the award for Best Actor, which ultimately went home to Cillian Murphy for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer. Even with the duration of the film, I was kept captivated by Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of the main character.
Every move, word, and expression further solidified Cillian Murphy’s chances of winning that Oscar, and I do have to admit that it feels very well deserved. I can’t think of a better person to have won this award. And would you believe that this is his first Oscar? God knows an actor as talented as Cillian Murphy deserved this recognition sooner. But hey, better late than never, right?
Best Actress
The Best Actress award gave us a little break from the Oppenheimer frenzy, with the award going to Emma Stone for her role as Bella Baxter in the film Poor Things. The film was based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray and follows the life of Emma Stone’s character as she navigates her way through life after being brought back to life by a scientist. If I had to describe the film in one word, it would be: quirky.
The internet has been sent into a frenzy with the award going to Emma Stone. Everyone expected the award to go to Lily Gladstone for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon. Although everyone is surprised, no one is upset—thankfully. Lily Gladstone’s portrayal was outstanding, but that shouldn’t take away from Emma Stone’s Bella Baxter.
Best Directing
Next, the award for Best Director was left in the hands of Christopher Nolan, the director of the biggest winner of the night: Oppenheimer.
Christopher Nolan has a long and impressive resume, having directed films like Interstellar, Inception, and Dunkirk. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that this is his first Oscar win after eight nominations—I know, crazy! It seems like Oppenheimer has gifted many deserving talents their first Oscar, and I’m all for it!
Best Supporting Actor
The Oppenheimer domination didn’t stop there, with Robert Downey Jr. taking home the trophy for his role as Lewis Strauss – the “antagonist” of the film, if you will. To take the award home, Robert Downey Jr. had to beat big names like Robert De Niro and Ryan Gosling, but alas, he won the prize, and everyone seemed to agree that it was very well deserved.
Oppenheimer was undoubtedly the biggest winner this year—the film not only helped Cillian Murphy and Christoper Nolan win their first Academy Award but also Robert Downey Jr.! When I watched Oppenheimer in the theatres, my blood boiled anytime Lewis Strauss came on screen, which speaks volumes about Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal!
Best Supporting Actress
At the end of the night, the award for Best Supporting Actress went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for her role as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers. The film is a wholesome Christmas film that lightly dances around the trope of found families—which is always a hit if done right. After this win, Da’Vine Joy Randolph has become one of the few African American women to win this award!
Not only did she win the award for Best Supporting Actress, but to me, she had one of the best acceptance speeches of the night! I was moved almost to tears when she stood on stage to receive the award. I can’t wait to see what other roles she has up her sleeves!
Best Adapted Screenplay
While Oppenheimer is a nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay, it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that it’d win. Many other big names on the list had a feasible chance of winning, namely the mega-popular Barbie or the ultra-serious The Zone of Interest. Still, the actual winner was one that many would not have predicted.
American Fiction took home the award for Oscars 2024, but while many may not have seen the film, you most likely have seen the other works from the man behind it. Cord Jefferson also wrote for TV shows like The Good Place, Succession, and Watchmen – excellent shows with great writing in their own right, so perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise that he is the latest award recipient! With that pedigree and now an Academy Award in the cabinet, I can’t wait to see what Cord Jefferson comes up with next.
Best Original Screenplay
Now, this is a real toss-up. There are five nominees for Best Original Screenplay, and either could have been the winner. Would it be the heart-tugging tale of childhood love in Past Lives, the multi-layered drama about inappropriate relationships in May December, the engaging crime whodunnit Anatomy of a Fall, the bittersweet story of a teacher and student in The Holdoversm, or the intimate biographical journey of real-life composer Leonard Bernstein in Maestro?
In the end, there could only be one name in the envelope: Anatomy of a Fall. Few would argue that it didn’t deserve it, though. The film’s plot may be simple, but the manner in which writer-director Justine Triet weaves the story has everyone on the edge of their seats. A worthy holder of the golden statuette!
Snubs
If this is your first rodeo, allow me to guide you through the topic of snubs. In the court of public opinion, especially regarding award season, you’ll have a handful of people who are unhappy and disagree with the winners list. Now, just a disclaimer before we begin this section: getting nominated for an award at the Oscars is an achievement in itself. Whether your pick actually won or not, that doesn’t take away from the hours of work that went into making the films that we all loved and enjoyed!
Lily Gladstone
Lily Gladstone was one of the frontrunners for the Best Actress award, though Emma Stone ultimately won. Everyone—and I mean everyone—was shocked by the winner. Even Emma Stone herself said that her win was to be shared with Lily Gladstone. If that doesn’t tell you how good of an actress she was in the film Killers of the Flower Moon.
The internet was in uproar over the academy’s decision for the trophy to go home with Emma Stone, but to say she was undeserving is a lie. After Lily Gladstone’s moving portrayal of Mollie Burkhart, there’s no doubt in my mind that an Oscar win is on the horizon for her!
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
I’m confident that everyone has watched Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and if you haven’t, go watch it now! It was one of the best animated films I’ve ever seen. Forget what you’ve ever known about animation, and let this blow you away!
During those two hours, every boundary of animation was pushed, which is why everyone was surprised that the award went to Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki for their film The Boy and the Heron. Of course, being a Hayao Miyazaki film, the film was also fantastic! However, many felt that the award should have gone to Spider-Man instead.
At least the team behind Spider-Man can feel some satisfaction knowing that they captured the hearts of millions worldwide and set new and almost impossible standards in the realm of animation.
Barbie
Of course, this portion wouldn’t be complete without talking about how Barbie was completely snubbed by the overall lack of nominations during this round of the Oscars. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film completely captivate an audience the way Barbie did. With its emotional plot and superb storytelling, Barbie highlighted the plights of women across the world and generations.
Barbie and Oppenheimer were released on the same day; thus, the term “Barbenheimer” was born. Theatres were flooded, memes were made, and lives were changed. I would argue that the popularity of both of these films was fairly matched—which is why everyone was shocked by Barbie’s lack of nominations!
Not to mention Ryan Gosling’s nomination for Best Actor but Margot Robbie’s absence in the Best Actress category, even though she is Barbie! How ironic is that?
Performances and Moments
The Oscars is the biggest night in entertainment. Of course, there’s going to be a list of the best moments and performances! This year’s host was Jimmy Kimmel, the famous late-night host who has captured the hearts of millions. Beyond his exceptional hosting skills, which set the tone for the entire award ceremony, we’ll delve into a few golden moments here and there.
John Cena
If you’ve been on social media in the last few days, I’m sure you know where I’m going with this one. During Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue, he made a reference to the streaker that ran across the Oscar stage in 1974. In a moment reminiscent of that fateful day, John Cena presented the award for Best Costume Design in nothing but a pair of Birkenstocks.
When I say nothing, I mean nothing—nothing but the announcement card over his privates and the shoes on his feet. In a way, having him present the award bare helped to highlight the importance of costume designers on film sets!
I’m Just Ken
It wouldn’t be Oscars season if we didn’t mention Barbie and its mark on popular culture since its release. Barbie made waves with its heart-tugging and emotional storyline, which highlighted the plights of women all over the world.
Barbie introduced us to the world of Ken, the blonde himbo who worships Barbie. If you’ve seen the film, I know you remember the I’m Just Ken song and dance number. To everyone’s surprise, Ryan Gosling took to the Oscar stage to give us a real-life rendition of his iconic I’m Just Ken performance—which was nothing short of fantastic! You can take the man out of the role, but you can’t take the role out of the man.
What Was I Made For?
While we’re on the topic of Barbie, we can’t forget to mention Billie Eilish’s gut-wrenching live performance of her song What Was I Made For? – specifically written for Barbie. The song, which also won Best Music (Original Song), has won Billie Eilish multiple awards over the past few months, but this might be the biggest one of the lot.
Her performance of the hit song at the Oscars 2024 on Monday won her a standing ovation from her fellow celebrities. As soon as she sang the last note, the place went crazy with thunderous applause, which is all Billie Eilish deserves!\
And scene! That’s a wrap on what went down during the 96th Annual Oscars! The night was spent honouring the talents of the teams who made films that moved, touched, and inspired us all. Even if your faves may have gone home empty-handed, getting nominated is a win on its own! Till next year, everyone!
If you want a full list of the winners, head on over to the official list of Oscars winners here! We also talked to some of TikTok Asia’s biggest creators about Oscars 2024! To learn if their predictions were correct, check out our socials on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok!
Visuals courtesy of American Broadcasting Company (ABC), Apple TV+, and Sony Pictures Animation.
