By Kat Herrera & Maeve Tuma, Staff Writers
The 94th Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, were recently held last Sunday, March 27th. Seen by many as the most prestigious awards in the entertainment industry; the academy gives out awards for artistic and technical merit. This year's Oscars have been inspiring and captivating to say the least. Hosted this year by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes, the event's comedy and wit stood high as audience members were left laughing and stuck with smiles on their faces.
Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger win Best Picture for CODA (Reuters)
The night featured musical performances by Billie Eilish and Finneas (who later won the Oscar for Best Original Song), Beyoncé, and Sebastián Yatra, as well as an impressive performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s Encanto with a surprise guest appearance from Megan Thee Stallion.
This year Dune received the most recognition, taking home a whopping six Oscars, for Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Production Design. Second to Dune was CODA, which accepted three Oscars for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor (Troy Kotsur). Kotsur became the first deaf actor to ever win an Oscar. “This is dedicated to the deaf community...this is our moment,” he said in his acceptance speech. For Best Supporting Actress, Ariana DeBose took home the prize for her role as Anita in West Side Story. In 1962, Rita Moreno won the same award for the same role. While it has happened before, actors winning an Oscar for playing the same role in different films is very rare. Jessica Chastain won Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which also won for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. For Best Costume Design, Jenny Beavan accepted her award for her breathtaking work in Cruella. Winning Best Actor in a Leading Role was Will Smith for King Richard, which tells the story of tennis superstars’ Serena & Venus Williams’ father and coach, Richard.
Halfway through the show, an unexpected incident took place between actors Will Smith and Chris Rock. While Chris Rock was announcing the award for Best Documentary, things took an unexpected turn. Having made a joke at the expense of Will Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, regarding her short hair, Rock unintentionally set up what will go down as one of the most bizarre moments in Oscars history. Though Rock’s joke earned some laughs from the audience, Jada did not find it amusing. The actress has been open about her struggles with alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. Moments after Rock delivered the joke, Will Smith stormed onto the stage to smack Rock across the face in front of the entire audience. Smith’s subsequent expletive-ridden warnings against Rock making jokes about Jada were censored in the American broadcast, though uncensored versions quickly spread all over the social media boards. Spectators and fans of Rock and Smith were left shocked and uncertain whether the incident was all an elaborate hoax or not. Some critics of Smith believed it would have been more appropriate for him to have taken action in a more private manner. Rock was able to play off the ensuing awkwardness reasonably well, though there was an underlying tension felt for the remaining duration of the awards. Despite the incident, Smith would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. In his speech, Smith offered his apologies to the Academy and his fellow nominees for the incident. Smith would make a public apology to Chris Rock via an Instagram post on Monday, 3/28. Rock has stated he will not be pressing charges, relieving concerns that the situation might escalate even further.
This year’s Oscars was, at the very least, a night to remember. Film lovers and general movie-goers eagerly anticipate what next year will have in store. The prestigious award show will continue to learn and grow from the years prior, but this year's event has definitely left its mark.