The much awaited 88th annual Academy Awards took place yesterday and many of us were glued to the live coverage on Astro’s HBO feed. And let’s just get this out of the way early – YES TO LEO’S OSCAR’S WIN!
Social media was abuzz with celebration for Leo’s win (finally), and for a second we thought he would break the internet. Live video reactions, memes, snapshots and videos of his speech… the entire world rejoiced for the much deserved win, but so did the Dolby theatre in Los Angeles, with a standing ovation. But we’ll get to that later.
We’ve compiled some of the biggest Oscar’s moments including the big wins, some of the best beauty looks and red carpet fashion, to the performances of the night and Sam Smith’s blunder, and we’re also sharing some of the moments from the audience that we didn’t see on TV.
On the Red Carpet
The Best Looks of the Oscars
Honestly, everyone at the Oscars seemed to be on point. Could it be that we’re all just slowly embracing what it means to be beautiful (rather than trying too hard?). Or maybe it’s just that the Oscars is deserving of everyone to be on their best.
Olivia Wilde with her side braid and 20s inspired look
Alicia Vikander and her half-bun
Jennifer Lawrence in simple classics and looking stunning
Margot Robbie going for gold
Lady Gaga in her purest beauty
Chrissy Teigen can do no wrong
Olivia Munn in a dash of bright orange. Love it!
The BIG wins
Spotlight took home the Oscar for Best Picture, an investigative-journalism biopic. Oscar for Best Actor to Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Best Actress to Brie Larson (Room), and Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu recognised with Best Directing for The Revenant. Mad Max: Fury Road swept a whopping six wins throughout the night!
Here’s a complete list of the winners.
How did Leo celebrate his first Oscar win?
In all its finest glory, Leo celebrated with other fellow actors and actresses by his side at the Vanity Fair after-party. He was swarmed with well-wishes and congratulatory praises, only to also pass around the Oscar statue for everyone to have a chance to hold it. What a man!
Read more about the Vanity Fair party here.
Music of the Oscars 2016
Sam Smith performed “Writings on the Wall”, the theme song for the Spectre Bond film. Though we’d argue about how great the performance was, the song did win the Oscar for Best Original Song, which Sam Smith co-wrote with Jimmy Napes. Smith dedicated his win to the LGBT community, while also saying that he believed he was the first openly gay man to win an Oscar.
Image: mashable.com
Dave Grohl performs Blackbird for the ‘In Memoriam’ portion
The Foo Fighters frontman may be known for his lively stage presence, but he slowed things down for the show’s In Memoriam portion. Grohl delivered a subdued rendition of The Beatles’ “Blackbird,” giving the spotlight instead to those we’ve lost in the past year. B.B. King, Ben E. King, David Bowie, Alan Rickman and Christopher Lee were among the over 100 names remembered in the montage.
Issues take center stage #OscarsSoPolitical
The Oscar’s this year seemed to be a global platform for many of the actors and high-profile members to bring very real issues of our world today to center stage. And on second thought, why not? This is single-handedly one of the best platforms to capture your audience (aside from all the political forums our world leaders speak at), they’re reaching many of the youth and those who may actually care enough to make a difference.
Climate change and DiCaprio’s win
But the most-talked about has to be Leo’s great win. After five nominations, he finally got his Oscar – we suppose the fifth time is the charm in this case and what more, he used this opportunity to share his concerns about planet Earth with the world.
During his acceptance speech, he called for action to combat global warming. “Climate change is real. It is happening right now,” DiCaprio said. “It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters or the big corporations” but for all people.
DiCaprio said he is as obsessed with the issue as he is with filmmaking, and appreciated having the chance to reach millions of Oscar viewers with his message.
Racial commentary by host Chris Rock #OscarsSoWhite
Throughout the entire feed, Chris Rock did not lose a moment to remind the audience (and the world alike) about the lack of diversity in this year’s nominations. The comedian dedicated the majority of his 10-minute monologue to the subject, calling the gala the “White People’s Choice Awards”.
His sentiments were echoed by others, including the Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “The Oscars celebrate the storytellers who have the opportunity to work in the powerful medium of film,” the President said. “And with that opportunity comes responsibility. Our audiences are global and rich in diversity, and every facet of our industry should be as well.”
Rape survivors on-stage with Lady Gaga
Vice President Joe Biden gave a powerful speech drawing attention to the rape culture on college campuses when introducing a performance by Lady Gaga, who, in turn, welcomed a chorus of sexual-assault survivors onstage with her for her nominated song “‘Til It Happens to You.” The song is still a difficult one for Lady Gaga to perform as it brings back memories of her being raped when she was 19.
With all these very REAL issues being highlighted on center stage, perhaps there is still hope for Hollywood and we’re not all completely lost in the chase of glitz and glamour and riches.
