By Scarlet Sproson, CONTACT: 19ssproson@wghs.org.uk
It is no surprise that once again, the Oscars truly were a night to remember, as it became a night filled with chaos and delight. From performances of ‘I’m Just Ken’ by Ryan Gosling and the Best Actress award given to Emma Stone for “Poor Things”. It was indeed an evening that will be considered historic and I will be delving into what I would say were the top five best moments of the evening…
1: Historic Achievement for the Irish film industry
Without a doubt, the best actor award being delivered to Cillian Murphy easily makes this list; an icon who is best known for his role in Peaky Blinders, as Tommy Shelby and now as Oppenheimer’s leading man. Cillian Murphy made history when he officially became the first Irish citizen to win an Oscar for best leading role. A speech delivered with passion and emotion, brought tears into people’s eyes, with him showing much gratitude to his co-stars and director, Christopher Nolan, with him being in “awe” to be up against such incredible nominees. He stated that he was a “very proud Irish man”, proving his love for his country and how he could not have done it without his wife and children. This was a pivotal moment for his acting career, as he finally received the recognition on his work that he truly deserved, from an outstanding performance that felt real to the millions of cinema-goers who and re-watched the film.
2: A Musical Moment that Made History
Another moment that became a real treat to witness, was Billie Eilish and FINNEAS making history by becoming the youngest people to win two Oscars for their music in films. An excited Ariana Grande delivered the award with a gasp, which then led to Billie and FINNEAS receiving a standing ovation, as they held hands walking onto the stage. The siblings were indeed consumed with elation, as the song “What Was I Made For?” became their second Oscar, with the first being from their James Bond sensation, “No time to die”. Their win was then followed up by a gut-wrenching performance of “What Was I Made For?”, with Billie Eilish being accompanied by her brother FINNEAS on piano, and also with a full orchestra behind her. Margot Robbie (or Barbie herself) was holding tears in her eyes as she applauded their performance. The 22- year- old Billie Eilish, then shared a smile and a hug with her brother as she realised the what she had just achieved. The song definitely empowers women and girls as it explores themes of identity and belonging, with women constantly trying to please others and it never being enough. The song was very relatable for many audiences of the film (Barbie) and was therefore much deserving of its award, as it touched many hearts, making people cry, as for some this was the first time that they had felt heard.
3: A Comedic Dose of Chaos
A presentation of an award, definitely makes the list of the top five best moments as Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt took to the stage, plaguing the room with laughter and joy as they “argued” of the summer’s cultural phenomenon “Barbenheimer”, which began with Ryan Gosling saying “hello, Emily”, which Emily Blunt jokingly regarded as rather “frosty”. The sketch discussed of “finally putting the rivalry behind” them, with Blunt replying that it “wasn’t much of a rivalry anyways”, which made many of their movie co-stars laugh, as Oppenheimer dominated the Oscars this year, by winning seven Oscars after being nominated in thirteen. However, this did not stop Ryan from having the final comeback as he described that “they called it “Barbenheimer” and not “Oppenbarbie” because they were riding Barbie’s coattails all summer.” Emily simply followed this up by saying that she had just experienced another dose of “Kensplaining”, causing Ryan to ‘fake-glare’, indeed becoming the comedic highlight of the ceremony. The dynamic duo will be hard to forget as they presented the award for Best Stunt Performance, with audiences expecting chaos, and so were indeed not disappointed!
4: The Incredibly Unexpected Announcement
The talk of the Oscar’s red carpet would be none other than the reveal of the High School Musical Star, Vanessa Hudgens’, pregnancy, with her husband Cole Tucker! She graced the red carpet in a gorgeous, strapless, floral gown that showed off her baby bump of her soon to be first child. Vanessa was glowing, with a constant smile painted on her face, a sure indicator of her excitement for her soon future with her newborn. Love between her and her husband began to blossom from the moment they met in 2020, on a Zoom Meditation group, with Vanessa describing him as being “perfect for her”, with them later getting married in December 2023. There were months of speculation of pregnancy, and so what a way it was to announce it!
5: Ryan Gosling Delivered the Performance of the Century
The performance that dominated the evening was none other than Ryan Gosling’s culturally iconic performance of ‘I’m Just Ken’ from the hit ‘Barbie’ movie sensation. Ryan took to the stage in his bright pink suit, due to its nomination for best original song. He began in the audience before slowly making his way to the stage like a true ‘rock-star’, causing uncontrollable laughs in countless audience members, but most iconically, the laughs of Billie Eilish, Margot Robbie and Emma Stone drew in the most attention, with Emma exclaiming that “her dress was broken” due to “Ryan Gosling’s performance of ‘I’m Just Ken’” and because of vibing with him. Ryan was joined on stage by incredible backing dancers, including some of his Barbie Movie co-star Kens including, Scott Evans, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Ncuti Gatwa. Also, a brilliant moment occurred between Ryan and Slash on guitar, which was considered “flawless!”. This moment is my personal favourite due to Ryan’s impeccable and hilarious delivery of the song, proving that anything could become a musical masterpiece!
It’s safe to say the Oscars 2024 was a jam- packed evening, filled with countless memorable moments, but what was YOUR favourite moment?
