Cut | , | February 26, 2019

 

So, it turns out, the Oscars don’t even need a host! After the seemingly endless controversy surrounding Kevin Hart dropping out as host, the Oscars this year moved at a refreshingly brisk pace, with minimal awkward skits and interruptions.

 

Who knew that the only thing the Oscars, which are constantly being criticised for being stale and out-of-touch, needed to feel relevant again was a break from tradition?

 

Here are the nine biggest moments from this year’s Oscars.

 

Amy, Maya and, Tina Made A Case For Hosting Next Year

The lead up to this year’s ceremony were a complete mess. Among the several controversies was the decision to have the Oscars go host-less (for some reason) after Kevin Hart dropped out. So, when Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Tina Fey stepped out to present the first awards it left us aching for what we could have had. Maybe next year?

 

 

Black Panther’s Historic Wins

Early in the night, Black Panther picked up two history-making awards. First, Ruth Carter picked up the award for Best Costumes, the first time a Marvel Studios film to ever win an Oscar. Then, Hannah Beachler (alongside set decorator Jay Hart) won the award for Best Production Design, making both Carter and Beachler the first black woman to win in each of their categories.

 

 

 

There Were Some Onstage Call-Outs

The first presenters of the night Poehler, Rudolph, and Fey came out swinging, immediately referencing the host-less ceremony as well as the Academy’s much-maligned and quickly abandoned plans to introduce a Popular Film category and air certain awards during commercial breaks. While presenting awards, Tyler Perry also called the Academy out for its commercial break snafu, and Trevor Noah reminded the audience that working actor/director Mel Gibson is still very much a racist.

 

 

Keegan-Michael Key Was the Mary Poppins Of Our Dreams

He entered from the ceiling with an umbrella to introduce Bette Midler’s performance of a song from Mary Poppins Returns. This is the kind of stunts and drama we expect for a night all about the magic of movies.

 

 

Lady Gaga Brought the House Down

Not gonna lie, we were on the verge of Lady Gaga fatigue this award season. Not only has the pop star been meme-d to death, but her A Star is Born cut Shallow has been pretty much inescapable. But when her and Bradley Cooper performed the song, it reminded us why the song won Best Original Song and, of course, that there can be 100 people in a room…

 

 

Olivia Coleman wins Best Actress

The upset of the night. With stacked competition like Glenn Close, who is long overdue for an Oscar, and Lady Gaga, who is an international popstar, Coleman took the award for her high strung take on Queen Anne in The Favourite. She also ended her speech by saying “Lady Gaga!” for no apparent reason. Side note: if you haven’t seen The Favourite yet, it’s amazing and you need to get on that.

 

 

Billy Porter Wore This Incredible Tuxedo Dress

Pose actor Billy Porter decided to push the envelope to a new level on the red carpet, by wearing a crazy tuxedo dress designed by Christian Siriano. Safe to say this is an Oscar moment we’ll never forget, incred.

 

 

Spike Lee (Finally) Wins an Oscar

After literal decades in the business, Spike Lee finally won an Oscar. He received an honorary Oscar in 2016, but this is his first for a specific film. It’s about time. He used his acceptance speech to tribute Black History Month and also reminding the audience of the impending 2020 US Presidential election. Also, never one to hide his feelings, Lee also apparently had a less-than-enthusiastic reaction to this year’s controversial Best Picture winner. Speaking of which…

 

 

Green Book Wins Best Picture, and the Internet Hated It

Hated it. If you were paying attention to your social media feeds towards the end of the ceremony, you may have caught on to a wave of collective confusion. The most meh of all this year’s nominees won the night’s biggest award, against much more memorable competition like Black Panther, Black KKKlansman,and Roma. There’s always next year.

 

 

 

We might just need Awkwafina to pass us her purse after that.

 

 

 

Cover image via Twitter @lukeleifeste.

 

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