The day after Oscarâs craziest, shocking moment ever, questions still linger about why âLa La Landâ was announced best picture when âMoonlightâ was the true winner.
L.A. Timesâ film critic Justin Chang comes to the conclusion that the two moviesâ fortunes were inextricable and the you-couldnât-have-scripted-it finale oddly enough made sense.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck at the Oscars: A bromance for the ages
What can be more special than attending the Oscars? Attending the Oscars with your best friend, if these images of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are anything to go by.
Affleck and Damon have been attending the Academy Awards on and off since they both won original screenplay for âGood Will Huntingâ back in 1997.
And at the 89th Academy Awards Affleck and Damon were together, yet again, and their friendship was captured backstage, in the crowd and all over the Oscar show.
The duo showcased their chemistry when they took to the stage to present the award for directing.
Even younger brother, and now Oscar winner, Casey Affleck was brought into the Matt and Ben embrace.
Really, this side hug speaks for itself.
Then there was the big âMoonlightâ surprise.
Letâs hear it for friendship everyone.
Compare the fashion sketches behind your favorite Oscar gowns to the red carpet reality
The best picture gaffe may have dropped jaws inside the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, but before the show, these are the dresses that turned heads on the red carpet.
Stylist Petra Flannery Instagrammed this concept illustration of the beaded Givenchy Haute Couture gown âLa La Landâ star Emma Stone accepted her lead actress award in. The hand-embroidered gown reportedly took 1,700 hours to make.
Another of the nightâs standout looks was this custom-made blue velvet Alberta Ferretti number worn by âHidden Figuresâ star Taraji P. Henson.
Check out our collection of fashion looks and their real life counterparts here.
Warren Beatty calls on motion picture academy president to âpublicly clarifyâ Oscar snafu
Two days after the Oscars, still facing questions about the best picture snafu in which he unwittingly found himself embroiled, Warren Beatty called on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to âpublicly clarifyâ what exactly happened.
In a statement released Tuesday to the Associated Press, the actor declined to comment further on the fumble in which he and fellow presenter Faye Dunaway mistakenly named âLa La Landâ the best picture winner rather than âMoonlight.â
âI feel it would be more appropriate for the president of the Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, to publicly clarify what happened as soon as possible,â Beatty said.
Beattyâs statement follows one issued Monday by the academy, apologizing for the mistake and saying that PricewaterhouseCoopers â the accounting firm that handles the Oscar envelopes â has âtaken full responsibility for the breaches of established protocols that took place during the ceremony.â
Indeed, just hours after the ceremony, PricewaterhouseCoopers issued its own statement apologizing for the fact that âthe presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope.â
Since then, The Times and other outlets have reported extensively â if not exhaustively â on the events that led to the Oscars gaffe.
The academy did not immediately respond to The Times on Tuesday to weigh in on Beattyâs statement.
Boone Isaacs has not yet commented publicly in any detail about the best picture bungle. But speaking with the New Yorker at the Governors Ball shortly after the show ended, she seemed as mystified as everyone else.
âI just thought, Oh, my God, how does this happen?â Boone Isaacs said. âHow. Does. This. Happen.â
Backstage peek: Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome embrace backstage after âMoonlightâsâ best picture win
Very few media outlets get backstage positions for their photographers at the Academy Awards, but the L.A. Times has enjoyed such access for many years now. Here, youâll get a peek at actors, actresses and filmmakers as they let their guards down, like Ashton Sanders, above left, and Jharrel Jerome embrace after âMoonlightâ was (eventually) named best picture.
PricewaterhouseCoopers managing partner Brian Cullinan, above right, was one of only two people responsible for handing presenters the correct envelopes. It was Cullinan who gave Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway the incorrect envelope for best picture.
Hello, you two! Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux head to the stage.
âMoanaâsâ Auliâi Cravalho, who performed âHow Far Iâll Goâ during the show, is all smiles backstage.
Mahershala Ali and Ryan Gosling share a moment after âMoonlightâ was named the Oscar winner for best picture.
Weâve also compiled a gallery focused on the historic, crazy best picture debacle.
After the Oscars, Calvin Klein celebrates âMoonlightâ cast in new menâs ad campaign
Turn your attention away from the best-picture envelope mishap at the Oscars on Sunday and check out the new black-and-white menâs underwear campaign from Calvin Klein, celebrating the Academy Award-winning âMoonlight.â
The ads are already causing a commotion on the Internet, leaving many to possibly swoon after seeing photos of Oscar winner (and shirtless Calvin Klein model) Mahershala Ali and Trevante Rhodes (wearing briefs).
Calvin Kleinâs new spring 2017 underwear campaign, honoring the actors of âMoonlight,â the first LGBTQ film to win best picture at the Academy Awards, will run as print advertisements and appear on billboards. The campaign could broaden visibility and appeal for the indie movie, which was made on a shoestring budget.
In a post-Oscars move, Calvin Klein unveiled the underwear campaign Monday. In the photos, the older actors of âMoonlightâ are dressed in what appear to be dark T-shirts and pants as well as in underwear.
The campaign shows Ali as well as actors Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Rhodes (the latter smiling and posing in black briefs in a club chair).
On a side note, the fashion label dressed four âMoonlightâ cast members â Naomie Harris in a white strapless sequin dress; and Rhodes, Sanders and Hibbert (who played lead character Chiron at different ages) in tuxedos â for the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday.
In a news release Monday, Raf Simons, Calvin Kleinâs new chief creative officer, called the underwear campaign an âacknowledgement of remarkable actors who are revealing something important of being a man today in what they do.â
For decades, Calvin Klein has been known for its provocative advertisements and assortment of underwear models with Hollywood ties, including Mark Wahlberg, Djimon Hounsou, Justin Bieber, Mehcad Brooks, Kellan Lutz and Antonio Sabato Jr.
According to the news release from Calvin Klein, the new campaign with the âMoonlightâ actors was shot by photographer Willy Vanderperre and styled by Olivier Rizzo.
Brie Larson and Emma Stoneâs Oscars hug shows us that friendship is magic
When Emma Stone won the Academy Award for actress in a leading role, Brie Larson was among the first people to congratulate the âLa La Landâ star in person.
âYou know whatâs better than winning? Watching your friends win,â said Larson on Twitter and Instagram of the emotional moment above.
As the many different angles shot of this heartfelt scene made the rounds, many fans commented that the tearful hug was among the highlights of the 2017 Oscars. Friendship is beautiful.
You can also watch a video of the hug seen âround the world below.
Days before schmoozing at the Oscars, âGary From Chicagoâ got out of prison
Jimmy Kimmel and the Oscars are unlikely to win any awards for casting.
Turns out viral sensation âGary From Chicago,â a.k.a. Gary Alan Coe, the first unsuspecting tourist Jimmy Kimmel introduced to front-row A-listers on Sunday night, was released from prison only three days before he was kissing Nicole Kidmanâs hand and getting âmarriedâ to fiancee Vickie Vines by Denzel Washington.
FULL STORY: From prison to the Oscars, âGary From Chicagoâ writes his own Hollywood ending
âI spent this afternoon laughing and crying with Gary and Vicky,â public defender Karen Nash posted Monday on Facebook. âFor those of you who missed it, I spent years working on Garyâs case. He got a life sentence for stealing perfume in 1997, and we finally won release this year. He got out on Friday, and was sight seeing with his lovely fiancĂŠ Vicky. If you watched the Oscars, you know the rest.â
The devil, of course, is in the details: It was a three-strikes conviction in 1997 on petty theft with violent priors, which included a 1985 robbery in Michigan, a 1982 robbery in Illinois and an attempted rape in 1978. That last one also put him in the Meganâs Law sex offendersâ database. Coe was resentenced earlier this year under Californiaâs Proposition 36 and was released Thursday.
The couple, who were plucked off Hollywood Boulevard on Sunday by the folks setting up Kimmelâs stunt, were chatting up Chicago media on Monday, and the Chicago Bulls tweeted, âGary from Chicago! Weâve got you covered if you want to come to a game!â
âJimmy Kimmel Liveâ dropped a planned bit with Coe from its Monday lineup, a spokesperson told the Chicago Tribune, after the show âmade the creative decision to focus on other topics.â
Dwayne Johnson and Busy Philipps explain their reactions in the Oscarsâ âMoonlightâ surprise crowd shot
Following the epic Oscars best picture mix-up on Sunday, a few high-profile seat fillers shared what it was like witnessing the historic gaffe firsthand. The Peopleâs eyebrow made an appearance at the Oscars, as did Busy Philipps.
Hereâs what the stars in our viral reaction shot had to say:
Dwayne Johnson (via Instagram):
âYou can literally see my wheels spinninâ on whether or not I should hit the stage and take down an Oscars producer who I thought went rogue and was trying to sabotage our final moment of the night as La La Land was accepting for Best Picture.â
âSeconds before this I saw out of the corner of my eye, the producer saying loudly, âNO ITâS MOONLIGHT, the winner is MOONLIGHT!â as he walked up onto the stage. When he walked on stage, I remember sitting up and saying to [Lauren Hashian] ââWhat the ... he doing?â She grabbed my arm and said, âOh my God, they made a mistake.â The rest was history.â
Actress Busy Philipps (via Instagram):
âJust woke up. 4000 of my closest friends have texted & emailed me about this picture. Iâm so glad thereâs visual evidence of what it was like to be sitting there in that moment. I MEAN!!!!â
According to Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel, he settled down next to actor and rival Matt Damon (whose mouth is agape in the photo) at the end of the show and Damon turned to Kimmel and said, âI think I heard the stage manager say they got the winner wrong.â
Incidentally, Kimmel, a notorious prankster, was accused of masterminding the whole incident.
âI was like, âHey, no, I didnât! I did not pull a prank!ââ Kimmel said Monday on his late-night show. âIf Iâd pulled a prank, I wouldnât have just had the wrong winnerâs name on the envelope. There would have been a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon in there.â
Casey Affleck and Nate Parker: How Hollywood handles race, power and privilege
Brie Larson did not applaud, which sparked speculation that she wasnât happy about Casey Affleckâs Oscar win for supporting actor.
The actress -- who won an Oscar last year for her portrayal of a survivor of rape -- stood unmoving as Affleck delivered his acceptance speech at Sundayâs Academy Awards.
Larson hugged him as she handed him the Oscar, but some interpreted her stance during his speech as a silent protest of sexual harassment. Affleckâs Oscar campaign had been dogged by two 2010 civil suits involving allegations of sexual harassment, both of which were later settled.
With Hollywoodâs renewed embrace of Mel Gibson after his public fall from grace, there is a question of which accusations of wrongdoing are too big for a career to overcome and whether those standards are applied equally.
In 2016, the Oscar hopes of âThe Birth of a Nationâ director and star Nate Parker were derailed after college rape charges resurfaced, even though he was found to be innocent.
Where one man triumphed, another faltered. How does Hollywood handle allegations of impropriety and how much do race, power and a willingness to play the game matter?
Times reporter Treâvell Anderson tackled the question in a commentary after Affleckâs Golden Globes victory in January.
For the record: A previous version of this story misstated that Affleck was accused of sexual assault. Affleck was accused of sexual misconduct and harassment in two settled civil suits.
After two years of #OscarsSoWhite, what did Sunday night really tell us about the state of diversity in Hollywood?
At Sunday nightâs Academy Awards, a last-minute fumble overshadowed a much larger, and more significant, event.
While everyone scrambled to absorb, and then deconstruct, the mistaken announcement of âLa La Landâ as best picture when âMoonlightâ had actually won, a thousand conversations about errant envelopes threatened to take the spotlight off the historic nature of the nightâs winners.
After two years of blistering criticism over back-to-back slates of all-white nominees, the motion picture academy spent the better part of last year attempting to broaden its membership and its sense of what it stood for as the public face of the movie business. Stung by last yearâs #OscarsSoWhite furor, the group headed into the 89th Academy Awards hoping to turn the page on the diversity debate â and perhaps find a moment of redemption.
And the best picture debacle notwithstanding, thatâs just what it did.
Did poor envelope design contribute to Oscarâs best picture disaster?
One of the most epic mix-ups in the history of the Academy Awards could have been the result of a faulty envelope design as much as bad backstage distribution.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were there to present the last award of the night, the Oscar for best picture. However, instead of the envelope for best picture, they were given a second envelope for lead actress, which was won by Emma Stone of âLa La Land,â causing Dunaway to announce that âLa La Landâ had won best picture, instead of âMoonlight.â
A new envelope design â red with the category embossed on the front in gold lettering â could have been a factor.
This was the first year since 2011 that Marc Friedland Couture Communications of Los Angeles did not design and print the Oscar envelopes.
Read MoreSEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
Watch all of the musical performances from the show
All of the original song nominees were performed during Sundayâs Academy Awards telecast, with Justin Timberlake performing âCanât Stop the Feelingâ from the movie âTrollsâ kicking off the night.
During the show, Lin-Manuel Miranda set the stage for Auliâi Cravalho, introducing the âMoanaâ star with an original rap before she sang âHow Far Iâll Go.â
John Legend pulled double-duty for âLa La Land,â performing an arrangement of the filmâs two nominated songs, âCity of Starsâ and âAudition,â and Sting took the stage for âThe Empty Chairâ from âJim: The James Foley Story.â
Sara Bareilles performed a rendition of Joni Mitchellâs âBoth Sides Nowâ during the Oscarsâ âIn Memoriumâ segment.
And if youâre still hungry for more Oscar music magic, you can see Timberlakeâs performance here.
Jimmy Kimmel explains how Denzel Washington saved âMoonlightâsâ Oscar speech
In his first opening monologue after the Oscars, Jimmy Kimmel used the time to clear up what happened at last nightâs Academy Awards. What really happened when the wrong movie was announced as best picture winner -- instead of âMoonlightâ -- and how did the celebrities react?
After a confused Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway announced âLa La Landâ as the winner, the pick was shortly debunked. Kimmel, who was watching from the crowd next to Matt Damon, knew something was off.
âThe audience is confused,â Kimmel said. âThe people standing around me are confused. I assume everyone at home is confused, and Iâm probably supposed to do something because no oneâs doing anything.â
After the mix-up was fixed, it wasnât a stage hand but Oscar winner (and nominee of the night) Denzel Washington who signaled to Kimmel to get out of the way and let âMoonlightâ director Barry Jenkins take the stage for his thank-you speech. Good job, Denzel!
Kimmel also addressed the popular notion that the mix-up was a prank he had orchestrated. No, definitely not, he said, and if he had done such a prank, âthere wouldâve been a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon inside.â
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
Motion picture academy issues apology for âmistakes that were madeâ in stunning Oscar snafu
A day after one of the most genuinely shocking moments in Oscar history â the incorrect announcement of âLa La Landâ instead of âMoonlightâ as this yearâs best picture â the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released an official message apologizing to the filmmakers, presenters and viewers alike for the snafu.
The statement follows apologies by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm responsible for handling the Oscars voting tabulation and winnersâ envelopes, for its role in the fumble at the climax of Sunday nightâs show.
Read the academyâs statement below:
âWe deeply regret the mistakes that were made during the presentation of the Best Picture category during last nightâs Oscar ceremony. We apologize to the entire cast and crew of âLa La Landâ and âMoonlightâ whose experience was profoundly altered by this error. We salute the tremendous grace they displayed under the circumstances. To all involved ââ including our presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, the filmmakers, and our fans watching worldwideâ ââ we apologize.
âFor the last 83 years, the Academy has entrusted PwC to handle the critical tabulation process, including the accurate delivery of results. PwC has taken full responsibility for the breaches of established protocols that took place during the ceremony. We have spent last night and today investigating the circumstances, and will determine what actions are appropriate going forward. We are unwaveringly committed to upholding the integrity of the Oscars and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.â
The many reactions when âMoonlightâ surprise won best picture at the Academy Awards
It was a wild night at the Oscars.
If this is your first time looking at the Internet since yesterday, hereâs the short version of what you missed: Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were handed the wrong card and erroneously announced âLa La Landâ had won best picture when, in fact, âMoonlightâ had won that honor. Hereâs the long version of what happened.
The Times photographer Al Seib was backstage at the exact moment the crowd learned that there had been a mistake. This is what it looked like.
Emma Stone, a deleted tweet and the failure of a failsafe: Tracking the Oscarsâ best picture blunder
The envelope debacle that stole the spotlight from âMoonlightâ at the end of the 89th Academy Awards ceremony sparked enough fury and fervor to cement the incident among the great Hollywood dramas of all time.
How did this happen? Who dropped the ball? What did the âLa La Landâ producers know and when did they know it? Was there a second set of envelopes from the grassy knoll? (Kind of.) Is this Hollywoodâs Zapruder film and, if so, who is Babushka Lady?
We watched and rewatched, fast-forwarded, rewound and froze frames. We observed the players and talked to some people backstage before, during and after the slow-motion wreck. We look forward to the documentary, which will surely win an Emmy. (Or will it?)
Dustin Lance Black responds to Tarell Alvin McCraney saying the Oscar-winning âMilkâ writer inspired him
In accepting his award (along with director Barry Jenkins) for best adapted screenplay for âMoonlightâ on Sunday night, Tarell Alvin McCraney paid homage to another gay Oscar winner whose triumph inspired him the way he hoped his would inspire others.
âI remember sitting back somewhere watching Dustin Lance Black accept for âMilkâ and thinking maybe one day that can be me,â he said backstage, Oscar in hand. âAnd here I am.â
Black, who nabbed his Academy Award in 2009 for original screenplay and wrote the LGBTQ rights miniseries âWhen We Rise,â premiering tonight on ABC, responded Monday in a statement exclusively to The Times:
ââMoonlightâsâ wins sent a message of inspiration and hope to so many last night, including me. I welled up every time it was honored. Every acknowledgement it received inspired me to work harder and to do better. So, if in some small way I helped encourage Tarell along his magnificent journey to create this masterpiece, well, thatâs the compliment of a lifetime.â
The film, about a poor black boy growing up in the projects of Miami grappling with his sexuality, is the first LGBTQ tale to win the best picture Oscar. McCraney hopes its success will encourage Hollywood to tell more stories like it, he continued backstage.
âThe hope that we have today about telling stories is that those people, the ones who weâre leaning on to make those stories, were watching and found a platform that they saw they could stand on,â he said. âI hope that the storytellers up here and their proud journey can imprint on someone out there watching that they too can stand here too, and also tell their stories daringly and as intimately as possible.â
More about Tarell Alvin McCraney and the play that became âMoonlightâ
Movies like âMoonlightâ donât win the Oscar for best picture â until they do
Movies like âMoonlightâ donât win the Oscar for best picture.
Movies about the conflicted desires of young gay men, captured with quiet tenderness and exquisite intimacy, donât win the Oscar for best picture. (Just ask âBrokeback Mountain.â)
Movies that tell modest coming-of-age stories, light on dramatic incident but rich in emotional rewards, donât win the Oscar for best picture. (Just ask âBoyhood.â)
Movies that subtly examine some of the social and psychological burdens that weigh heavily on too many African Americans today â poverty, parental abandonment, drug addiction and mass incarceration â donât win the Oscar for best picture.
Movies about black life that are not overtly about slavery donât win the Oscar for best picture.
Itâs hard to overstate just how culturally, economically, institutionally and statistically improbable an outcome âMoonlightâsâ best picture Oscar win represents.
All the red carpet fashion you need, in two minutes
While award shows are obviously about the golden statues given to all the nightâs honorees, the fashion is really all people care about. Because of course, no one wants to be on the dreaded worst-dressed list.
Check out a time-lapse of the Oscarsâ red carpet to see your favorite celebrity working it... or not.
#OscarsSoWhite creator: âThe wins that happened last night were not because of #OscarsSoWhiteâ
After two years of consecutive #OscarsSoWhite controversies, does Sunday nightâs best picture victory for âMoonlight,â among other wins for actors and filmmakers of color, represent a major breakthrough for the issue of diversity in Hollywood? Or could it ultimately prove to be just a blip?
We spoke to writer and activist April Reign, creator of the #OscarSoWhite hashtag, about what Sunday nightâs Oscar show says â and doesnât say â about the current state of inclusion in the film industry.
After two years of all-white nominees in the acting categories, what was your main takeaway from Sunday night?
April Reign: My main takeaway was that when quality films are made that reflect the diversity of experiences in this country, people will go to see them. They will receive critical acclaim and, in some cases, they will win what is considered the highest award in the film industry.
I think if one saw all nine nominees for best picture, it was clear that âMoonlightâ deserved to be nominated â and for me personally, it was the best film that I saw in 2016. But Iâm also incredibly encouraged about what happened in the lesser-known categories: adapted screenplay and best documentary and even the nominations that we had of black people in cinematography and editing.
All that said, itâs just one night out of 90 nights of lack of representation of marginalized communities and, even with all of the wins [Sunday] night for films that reflect the black experience, #OscarsSoWhite remains relevant because there are still so many stories from traditionally underrepresented communities that need to be told.
What went through your head when it was initially announced that âLa La Landâ had won best picture?
I was disappointed, just because âLa La Landâ didnât stay with me the way âMoonlightâ did. âMoonlightâ was such a beautiful film, it almost could have been a silent film and you could have just watched it and still taken something away from it. âLa La Landâ was a return to nostalgia and it was sort of a self-congratulatory film for Hollywood. I think thereâs a place for all different kinds of films in different genres, but it wasnât one that I would say, âI need to see that a second or third time,â like I did with âMoonlight.â
Then we had the snafu and things changed and I was elated because what I thought was the best film actually won. You know, itâs all personal and subjective and people can make arguments about all nine of the films and I absolutely get that. But for me, just as a moviegoer, I thought it was the best film of the year.
Had âLa La Land,â in fact, won best picture, what is your sense of what the social media reaction and the conversation around the diversity issue might have been Monday?
There was some of that. In those 30 seconds, I was watching it happen on Twitter and people were angry.
And weâre going to have that every year. I already have people in my mentions saying the win for âMoonlightâ was just as âriggedâ as the 2016 presidential election was, or âMoonlightâ only won because of affirmative action.
Thatâs the difficult thing for me moving forward, that every time a person of color wins, thereâs going to be someone â and unfortunately some publications, not just some random trolls â that ask whether this was just some quota thing or whether it was deserved. And I think thatâs unfortunate because I think it really downplays all of the effort and the hard work and the talent that goes into all of these performances.
Nobody questioned whether Emma Stone should win an Oscar or whether Meryl Streep should win an Oscar. But people always question whether a person of color should, and thatâs just unfair.
Weâll never know how the votes broke down, but do you think the steps that the academy took last year to invite its largest, most diverse class ever has somehow turned the tide, or could this year ultimately just be a kind of one-off?
I think it remains to be seen. I think the influx of 683 invitees was helpful for everyone, both those who were already members and for new members, to say, âLetâs look at this process and make sure that weâre doing the very best that we can.â
But itâs very important to me that we make sure to say that the wins that happened last night were not because of #OscarsSoWhite.
Viola Davis deserves every award ever, in every category. Mahershala Aliâs gripping, haunting performance was the best that I saw last year, so he was fully deserving. And all of the movies that were nominated and won were in production or pre-production for years before January 2015 when I created the hashtag.
So it really remains to be seen what happens, letâs say, three or four years from now, if Hollywood really is going to make a significant change in commitment to financing and distributing and supporting â because those three things are not always synonymous â films that represent all marginalized communities.
[Sunday] was a great night, but it was one night out of many.
âMoonlightâ director Barry Jenkins and âLa La Landâ producer Jordan Horowitz: Mutual admiration society post-Oscars
In response to a question posed late last night, what do you say to someone who just won an Oscar you thought was yours, the answer is âcongratulations.â
After âMoonlightâ writer-director Barry Jenkins and âLa La Landâ producer Jordan Horowitz connected at the Governors Ball, Jenkins took to Twitter to share that he was still processing the extraordinary circumstances surrounding his filmâs best picture win. Like many Oscar-watchers, the overwhelming feeling for Horowitz was of admiration.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
And, with a tweet posted a few hours later, the feeling is mutual, which is encouraging given the two are bound to be linked in Oscar history forever.
Why the Oscars still matter, from the Academy Awardsâ red carpet
Ahead of Sunday nightâs historic ceremony, The Times took to the red carpet to ask celebrities attending the over-the-top event about its importance -- especially with calls for greater diversity and inclusion still in the air. Everyone from âMoonlightâ director, and now Oscar-winner, Barry Jenkins to âElleâsâ nominated lead Isabelle Huppert shared their thoughts:
âEverybody looks to the filmmaking community to reflect the role they live in. The Oscars, theoretically, is the best of that reflection.â - Barry Jenkins, âMoonlightâ
âIt celebrates creativity and it celebrates art, and thatâs not exactly something lucrative when you start off in the beginning... So to celebrate people putting their heart and soul into something despite the odds against them, I think that is important.â - Allison Schroeder, âHidden Figuresâ
âTo celebrate this art form, which is so influential, is a good thing. It gives people an opportunity to maybe be aware of films that they otherwise wouldnât.â - David Oyelowo, âA United Kingdomâ
Justin Timberlake, the Oscarsâ photo-bomb extraordinaire
When he isnât opening the Academy Awards ceremony or crooning for his fans, Justin Timberlake showcases his Jennifer Lawrence-caliber knack for photo-bombing.
On Sunday, the âTrollsâ star memorably crashed â er, trolled â two key red carpet moments.
The former NSync frontman upstaged his wife, glittering Jessica Biel, during her red-carpet photo-op with a wacky stand-in behind her.
He also shoe-horned himself into his âFriends With Benefitsâ costar (and eventual Oscar winner) Emma Stoneâs interview amid ABCâs live pre-show festivities with a face worthy of âThe Shining.â
Having experienced it firsthand, Biel appeared to apologize for her husbandâs behavior. Apparently, he canât stop the feeling.
The best picture twist ending was embarrassing for the academy but may be good for the Oscars
Not since a Chicago newspaper headlined âDewey Defeats Trumanâ has there been a massive public screw-up on the order of what happened at the Oscars on Sunday night. But itâs an ill wind that blows nobody some good, and the huge embarrassment for Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences may turn out to be a good thing for the Oscars.
For if having a debacle like presenters announcing the wrong winner before millions of viewers in 225 countries does nothing else, it proves the lasting watchability of live television.
Yes, even in this age of presumed digital safeguards, everyone got to see the âLa La Landâ entourage troop joyously on stage and then retreat in disarray in the face of the equally shocked âMoonlightâ folks when the error was discovered. Truly, if surrealist Luis BuĂąuel had had a writing credit on the program, he could not have done it any better.
Meryl Streepâs eyes say it all: Look at the Oscar crowdâs faces during the âMoonlightâ mix-up
Understandably, the unscripted best picture gaffe (thereâs that word again) confounded home viewers. But it also flabbergasted the high-profile names inside the Dolby Theatre. Los Angeles Times backstage photographer Al Seib caught the moment on camera Sunday night.
Hereâs the audience reacting to the reveal that âMoonlightâ was indeed the best picture winner, not âLa La Land.â Times photographer Seib, a veteran of the Oscars ceremony, captured the epic react shot. Below are some close-ups from his snapshot.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
And yes, Matt Damon and Meryl Streep were all of us in that moment.
Michelle Williams, left, and Busy Philipps look stunned.
Dwayne Johnson raised an eyebrow. Meryl Streep raised both. Thatâs Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs over Johnsonâs shoulder.
Hereâs Matt Damon with his jaw dropping to the floor.
Catch up on all of The Timesâ Oscar coverage here.
The word âgaffeâ is having an Oscars moment
After the âLa La Landâ/âMoonlightâ envelope mix-up at the Oscars, searches for the word âgaffeâ spiked on the Merriam-Webster website, the company said Monday.
The term, in case last nightâs brouhaha wasnât explanation enough, means âa mistake made in a social situationâ or âa noticeable mistake,â the dictionary company said.
Merriam-Webster said Steve Harveyâs Miss Universe blunder caused the same search term to soar in 2015.
The Times, incidentally, did not use the word on its front page the Monday after the Academy Awards, though it does appear in a couple of headlines online.
Donald Trump Jr. trolls Hollywood over Oscars In Memoriam gaffe
Despite Jimmy Kimmelâs prediction that Donald Trump would tweet his reaction to the Oscars âin all caps during his 5 a.m. bowel movement,â the president has yet to serve up any reaction to the nightâs many barbs aimed at him.
But one of his sons, Donald Trump Jr., has weighed in.
No doubt irritated by Hollywoodâs repeated bashing of his father, the younger Trump issued a tweet Monday morning trolling the film industry over the Oscars In Memoriam gaffe, in which the wrong photo was used for the late costume designer Janet Patterson.
Steve Harvey wonders whether Warren Beatty will need security, like he did after Miss Universe gaffe
Itâs a great day to be Steve Harvey â even if Jimmy Kimmel did blame him Sunday night for the Oscarsâ huge best picture mistake.
Harvey, who infamously named the wrong winner for Miss Universe 2015 â it was Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, not Miss Colombia Ariadna GutiĂŠrrez â surrendered his televised-gaffe throne on Sunday night, and early Monday morning he was celebrating and dishing.
âFree at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, I am free at last,â Harvey said on his KJLH-FM morning show after the wrong movie was announced as best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday night.
The comic and TV host talked about the death threats he got after the Miss Universe show and mused at one point about whether Warren Beatty, who presented the award along with Faye Dunaway, would need security because of the error. Harvey did.
One difference between the two mistakes: Harvey couldnât read what was on his card, which he said looked different than what heâd seen in rehearsal. Dunaway did read what was on the card Sunday night â but Beatty had been given the wrong one.
Oscars In Memoriam tribute included image of an Australian producer who is still alive
Australian producer Jan Chapman says she was âdevastatedâ when she saw her image used in the Oscarsâ 2017 In Memoriam segment in place of a picture of her âfriend and long-time collaboratorâ Janet Patterson, who died in October 2015.
âI had urged her agency to check any photograph which might be used and understand that they were told that the Academy had it covered,â Chapman told Variety in an overnight email.
âJanet was a great beauty and four-time Oscar nominee and it is very disappointing that the error was not picked up.â
Four-time Academy Award nominee Pattersonâs name and profession â costume designer â were correct. Variety has a photo of both women with director Jane Campion.
The photo of Chapman that was used erroneously was taken at the Australian Film Instituteâs 2010 Inside Film Awards in Sydney, where Patterson won best production design for âBright Star.â A photo-service caption on that image incorrectly identified Chapman as Patterson, who had a production designer credit on that film as well as on âThe Portrait of a Lady.â
Patterson didnât do much press. âIâm not interested in schmoozing ...,â she told the New York Times in 2010. âSuccess for me is a personal thing. You could divide the world between people who need the outside to tell them and people who need their inner voice to speak. Iâm for the latter.â
âSheâs not here anymore, but she lives on through those beautiful clothes and images,â Nicole Kidman said after Patterson died. Kidman wore her fellow Aussieâs creations in âThe Portrait of a Lady.â
In addition to that film, Patterson was nominated for Oscars for her work on âThe Piano,â âOscar and Lucindaâ and âBright Star.â
You can hear Pattersonâs voice in an interview, below, that she did with Chapman around the release of âBright Star.â
READ MORE: Oscar-nominated costume designer Janet Patterson dies>>
âMoonlight,â first LGBTQ best picture, sends âstrong messageâ to film industry, GLAAD president says
âMoonlightâ won the best picture Oscar after a botched announcement threw the ceremony into chaos.
âMoonlightâ is the first LGBTQ film to win the Oscar for best picture, a fact that GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis pointed out on social media Sunday night in congratulating the movie on its achievement.
âThis sends a strong message to the film industry that it needs to embrace inclusive stories if it wants to remain competitive and relevant,â Ellis said.
In his acceptance speech, âMoonlightâ writer Tarell Alvin McCraney dedicated his adapted screenplay Oscar win -- he shared it with director Barry Jenkins -- âto all those black and brown boys and girls and non-gender-conforming who donât see themselvesâ in film.
Continuing the theme of inclusivity, supporting actor winner Mahershala Ali became the first Muslim to win an Academy Award for acting.
GLAAD also provided the blue ampersand pins seen on the lapels of McCraney and others on the âMoonlightâ team and in the audience.
In his October 2016 review of âMoonlight,â Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan wrote, âIts story of aching loneliness, sexual longing and the despair of blasted lives, the emphasis it puts on the great difficulty and the equally powerful necessity of intimate human connection, the way it persuasively insists on the shared humanity of marginalized communities, makes it feel like a film weâve been waiting for for a very long time.â
Yes, that Oscars ending really happened. And Jimmy Kimmel had some unforgettable moments too
Of all the things we expected from the Oscars this year, making us feel better was not one of them.
The last few major awards shows, after all, were not only about handing out trophies but a chance for honorees and presenters to voice their white-hot anger toward President Trumpâs travel ban, his plan for a wall along the border with Mexico, and a divisive America they no longer recognized.
Sunday, however, the academy appeared to take a step back and counterbalance the political tension of the last few months by refocusing on what Hollywood does best â entertain.
Some of the levity was delivered via intentional stunts, such as candy and snacks dropping out of the ceiling attached to parachutes, while other moments â presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway naming âLa La Landâ the winner for best picture when it was in fact âMoonlightâ â were not.
In one of the top moments of the evening before the showâs surprise ending, host Jimmy Kimmel ushered a group of stunned tourists whoâd just disembarked from a Starline bus on Hollywood Boulevard into the Dolby Theatre mid-ceremony. Dressed in cargo shorts, baseball hats and carrying selfie sticks, they were introduced to gown- and tux-clad luminaries such as Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington and Meryl Streep.
âWhoâs your favorite actor?â Kimmel asked one of the dazed tourists.
âThat man right there,â said the woman, pointing at Washington. The âFencesâ star got up and hugged her before performing a mock wedding ceremony for her and her fiancĂŠ.
Steve Harvey tweets his first response to the Oscars best picture flub
If you thought Steve Harvey would stay quiet about the best picture mix-up at Sundayâs Oscars ceremony, you donât know Steve Harvey. He sent out an early-morning tweet mock-innocently asking of the Oscars, âWhat I miss?â
And never one to miss a great promo, heâs promising to share his response to the Oscars fiasco with listeners who tune into his radio show Monday at 8 a.m. EST. Because, as he tweeted about the flub that mistakenly gave âLa La Landâ the prize over true winner âMoonlight, âYou know I have something to say.â
If the L.A. Times hadnât broken an embargo in 1940, the Oscars envelope mix-up might have never happened
The 12th Academy Awards made history for a number of reasons.
The ceremony honored the films of 1939, a year considered by many to have produced some of the greatest movies of all time. Among the nominated works:
- âWuthering Heightsâ
- âThe Wizard of Ozâ
- âGoodbye Mr. Chipsâ
- âGone with the Wind
- âMr. Smith Goes to Washingtonâ
Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an acting award, for her role in âGone with the Wind.â And Judy Garland was officially introduced to her Hollywood peers when she won the academyâs Juvenile Award for âThe Wizard of Oz.â
It was also the last Oscars ceremony for which the names of winners were released to the press, or anyone for that matter, before the onstage announcement.
Why did they turn to a secret system?
You have the Los Angeles Times to thank for that. The academyâs official history lays blame on The Times for breaking an embargo and publishing the winners in the paperâs evening edition before the ceremony was underway. Think of it as the eraâs equivalent of a tweet that scooped everyone else.
As the academyâs website says, the premature publication took place âmuch to the Academyâs dismayâ and made the winners list âreadily available to guests arriving for the event.â
Not much suspense there. And this is an industry that knows not to give away an ending.
The next year, the top-secret winners envelopes -- like the one that went awry at this yearâs Oscars -- were put into action. The Timesâ report on the new system (see the clip here) pronounced it pretentious.
âNo vestige of an authoritative pre-release was vouchsafed while the roll call of honorees went on until the midnight hour,â the paper said.
The details about how âLa La Landâ won, then lost, the best picture award to âMoonlight,â are still being sorted. But the consensus is that it started when presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were handed the wrong envelope.
Watch the moment when âLa La Landâ is mistakenly announced best picture winner
âLa La Landâ and âMoonlightâ filmmakers embrace each other, and the surrealism of the night
What do you say to someone who just won the Oscar you thought was yours?
That improbable scene played out just before midnight at the Governors Ball, where âLa La Landâ producer Jordan Horowitz, âMoonlightâ director Barry Jenkins and âMoonlightâ producer Jeremy Kleiner came together for the first time after their awkward stage moment several hours before.
âI feel so out-of-body right now,â Horowitz said.
Jenkins took out his phone and showed Horowitz a message pertaining to the envelope mix-up that led to all the confusion.
Then he snapped a selfie with Horowitz, the two men smiling. A genuine feeling of affection was apparent between them after all that had happened -- two movies, a juggernaut and an upstart, forever linked in Oscar history.
Jenkins shook his head in disbelief at the craziness of the evening, then gave a smile and a thank you to some well-wishers.
Kleiner, who had been talking to some people from his team nearby, turned to the pair and greeted them.
SEE PHOTOS OF THE BOTCHED ANNOUNCEMENT >>
âI wish you had your moment,â Horowitz said to the âMoonlightâ producer, who barely managed a thank you in the Dolby Theatre confusion.
Kleiner then gave Horowitz a hug, which they held for a momentâ, the former offering Horowitz some encouragement in his ear.
âI love âLa Laâ and I love our film,â Kleiner told The Times a moment later. âOur film is about empathy and breaking barriers. Maybe the symbolism of that is a rebuke to whatâs been happening in our country.â
Did tonightâs circumstances give him the same feeling as winning the traditional way? âIt canâtâ,â he said with a shrug. âHow can it?â
A few feet away, âHorowitz continued to process the events. âI got to speak and I got to thank my wife.â he said, sounding as much like he was reassuring himself as anyone else. âIâd like to watch it and see what happened. I still donât know if I can watch it,â he added ruefully.
He paused and took a deep breath.
âItâs an award. Itâs just an award,â he said.
There are 10,000 ranunculus in the over-the-top Governors Ball floral decorations
Mark Held has provided the floral decorations for the Governors Ball for 25 years.
This yearâs Governors Ball is blanketed almost entirely in white with just a few pops of red and gold â mostly from the 10,000 ranunculus, double tulips and orchids supplied by celebrity florist Mark Held.
PricewaterhouseCoopers issues statement after Oscars mistake robs âMoonlightâ of its moment
PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm responsible for the tabulation of the Oscar ballots and the envelopes announcing the winners, released a statement early Monday morning after a shocking mistake resulted in âLa La Landâ wrongly being announced as best picture:
âWe sincerely apologize to âMoonlight,â âLa La Land,â Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for best picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.
âWe appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation.â
A 2016 Los Angeles Times story explained that a set of envelopes containing the names of Oscar winners are kept on either side of the stage so that PricewaterhouseCoopers partners Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz can dispense them to presenters from whichever side they enter.
Meanwhile, at the Governors Ball...
An unreal, amazing moment for âMoonlightâsâ young cast
No one was more stunned by the now infamous reversal of fortune at this yearâs Oscars ceremony than âMoonlightâsâ stars. They were stunned to hear that their film, not season-long awards juggernaut âLa La Land,â was the best picture winner after all.
Jharrel Jerome, who plays teenage Kevin opposite Ashton Sanders as Chiron froze in his seat before running onstage to join his cast and crew mates in the âitâs no joke, you wonâ chaos.
âI was right next to Ashton and we were holding each other real tight,â Jerome said at the Governors Ball, where director Barry Jenkins and best supporting actor winner Mahershala Ali both made their way to âLa La Landâ producer Jordan Horowitz to thank him for his gracious onstage
moment.
âThey said âLa La Landâ -- and I respected every film tonight that got a nomination, so any win was a win to us. But it was a little crushing,â Jerome admitted.
He said he was as shocked as everyone else when Horowitz stepped up to the microphone and announced there had been a mistake.
âAt first I thought he was just being nice,â Jerome said. When it was confirmed that âMoonlightâ had won, âSteve Harvey popped up in my head,â he laughed.
âI was stuck in my chair. I just couldnât move because my nerves locked up. Everything that Iâd dreamed of happened in that moment. It was such an overwhelming feeling.â
âI got on the stage and lifted up Alex [Hibbert], and I didnât stop crying for 20 minutes. Heâs 12 and Jaden [Piner]is 13,â he added of the filmâs youngest stars, who spent part of the Oscars afterparty scrolling through their social media feeds as adults clinked champagne glasses and schmoozed.
âWe have 12- and 13-year-olds who are in the film that just won best picture. And it was really all of our first film,â Jerome smiled. âFor it to be here is just unreal.â
Director of âThe White Helmetsâ talks about shining a light on Syrian heroes
Netflixâs âThe White Helmets,â about a group of first responders in Syria, is a film that pulses with meaning, said director Orlando von Einseidel backstage after snagging the Oscar for best documentary short.
âRight from the start this was about shining a very bright light on the heroes of our film, the White Helmets, Syrian rescue workers,â said Von Einsiedel, who previously won best documentary for 2014âs âVirunga.â âWe [hope to] continue to magnify their voices.â
On the filmâs absent cinematographer, Khaled Khateeb, who was denied entry into the U.S. due to what she said was âderogatory information,â producer Joanna Natasegara said theyâd just spoken to Khateeb in the lobby.
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
âItâs been ameliorated because of the win. Heâs thrilled because he, like us, wants the world to know about the White Helmets.â
On President Trumpâs travel ban in general, she added: âWe as filmmakers travel across the world and we donât believe in building anything but compassion between people, and weâd never support something like the ban.â
When asked why the leader of the White Helmets wasnât in attendance, Von Einsiedel said:
âHe couldnât come in the end because the violence in Syria has escalated. He does lifesaving work and he decided his time was better [spent] by staying there.â
Emma Stone still has a lot of thank-yous to do
To everyone who put their hearts and souls into this film, Iâm going to find you all individually and Iâm going to thank you, along with my friends, who I love so much, Iâm going to hug the hell out of you when the feeling reenters my bod. Â
— âLa La Landâ star Emma Stone, accepting the best actress Oscar
Steve Harvey can now relax: He is no longer the biggest award show flubber
Move over, Steve Harvey: Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty now hold the âworldâs biggest awards show snafuâ award.
The âBonnie and Clydeâ costars were the unfortunate presenters who, reading from an incorrect card, mistakenly awarded âLa La Landâ the Oscar for best picture when âMoonlightâ had won.
âThis is very unfortunate what happened,â host Jimmy Kimmel said, attempting to contain the situation. âPersonally, I blame Steve Harvey for this.â
And indeed, it seemed a reprise of the 2015 Miss Universe pageant, when Harvey, the host, erroneously announced the winner as Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez, over the pageantâs true winner, Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach.
Social media reaction was swift, with even the Miss Universe organization chiming in.
Unfortunately, unlike the Miss Universe pageant, the Academy Awards ceremony draws the biggest live audience in the U.S. after the Super Bowl. Dunaway and Beattyâs gaffe was seen live by tens of millions of viewers, and heaven knows how many others via online videos and, of course, Twitter.
âMoonlightâ actor Trevante Rhodes reacts to filmâs âuniqueâ win: âIâm equally pissed off and happyâ
Itâs weird. Iâm equally pissed off and happy. This is the Oscars. How can they mess that up? But still, itâs a win. Everyone was happy. Itâs just very unique.
— âMoonlightâ actor Trevante Rhodes
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
âManchester by the Seaâ Oscar winners after best picture confusion: âTurns out, we actually won best pictureâ
âManchester by the Seaâsâ writer-director and its star -- Kenneth Lonergan and Casey Affleck -- took the stage in the press room, and for a moment there was a ripple of confusion that echoed the nightâs earlier guffaw in revealing the best picture winner. The uncertainty surrounded who the first question was going to come from.
While the press room emcee sorted that out, Lonergan addressed the crowd.
âWhile weâre waiting, you guys, it turns out, we actually won best picture!â
Laughs all around.
On what it was like for Affleck -- who won the Oscar for best actor -- to return to Boston for filming, he said: âWell, I like to work there because I know it so well and it feels like home, so thatâs a bonus. Thereâs a familiarity that helps the work.â
Then he added: âBut Kenny writes with such authenticity ⌠it was already on the page.â
When Lonergan, who won the Oscar for original screenplay, was asked about his thoughts on the Writers Guild of America talks and a possible strike, he said a strike âwould be premature.â
âIâd like to see more negotiations for creative control for screenwriters,â Lonergan said. âThe creative-control issue is still at the bottom for the screenwriter and it would be great if one day that could change.â
Affleck was asked about the eveningâs Oscar speeches -- why there werenât more political comments. âThere were a few people who said things about the current global political situation and from the point of view of artists,â he said. âBut I donât know why more people didnât -- it doesnât entirely seem like an inappropriate place, given the current [climate].â
âPersonally,â Affleck added, âI didnât say anything because my head was completely blank from the shock of winning the award. But then I didnât thank my children, and thatâs something Iâll never, ever live down.â
âMy daughter, who is 15, was extremely irritated that I mentioned her at all!â Lonergan joked. âYou canât win either way.â
Viola Davis: âAt 51, Iâm loving meâ
Viola Davis, who is now one âGâ from EGOT-ing, won an Oscar for her role in âFences.â
Backstage at the Academy Awards, Davis shared her thoughts on winning big and maybe having a celebratory vodka.
What would Annalise Keating [her character from âHow to Get Away with Murderâ] say about your win?
Viola Davis: She would most definitely say I deserved this. And then she would have some vodka, and in that we are very similar.
How do you feel in this moment?
Davis: Itâs not my style to wake up and go âIâm an Oscar winner. Let me go for a run.â Iâm good with it. Iâll have some mac ânâ cheese and go back to washing my daughterâs hair tomorrow night.
This is the first day in my life that I step back and I canât believe my life. I grew up in poverty. [Tears up]. I grew up in apartments that were condemned and rat-infested. I just wanted to be good at something. So, this is sort of the miracle of God, of dreaming big and hoping that it sticks and lands. And it did. Iâm overwhelmed.
What do you love about being a black woman?
Davis: Everything. I love my history, the fact that I can go back and look at so many stories of women whoâve gone before me that seemingly should not have survived, but they did. I love my skin, my voice. Sometimes I donât love being the spokesperson all the time, but so be it. Thatâs the way that goes sometimes. At 51, Iâm loving me.
Mahershala Ali on his historic win as the first Muslim to earn an Oscar for acting
The Times caught up with Mahershala Ali after his historic night as the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.
âRegardless of theology, or however you see life, or relate to worshipping God -- as an artist, my job is to tell the truth and then try to connect with these characters and people as honestly and deeply as possible,â Ali said.
While Ali said that any specific spiritual practice is irrelevant, it can be a doorway to âmore empathy for these people you have to advocate for.â
âIâm proud to own [being Muslim] and I embrace that. I just feel blessed to have had the opportunities that I have had.â
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
As for the onstage mix-up for âMoonlight,â Ali has a lot of respect for the musical that almost stole their light. ââLa La Landâ has done so well and resonated with so many people, especially in this time when people need a sense of buoyancy in their life and need some hope and light. That film has really affected people in a very different way than âMoonlight.ââ
âWhen their name was read, I wasnât surprised. I was really happy for them,â he said. âThen, when I saw security and people coming onstage and their moment was being disrupted, I got really worried. When they said âMoonlightâ had won, it threw me a bit. Well... it threw me more than a bit. I didnât want to go up there and take it from somebody. Itâs very hard to feel joy in a moment like that.â
However, in the end Ali can see the silver lining. âI feel very fortunate for us all to have walked away with best picture. Itâs pretty remarkable.â
As for landing his Oscar-winning character in âMoonlight,â Ali jokes, âIâm glad Idris [Elba] and David Oyelowo left me a job.â
Naomie Harris, a star of Oscar-winning âMoonlight,â thought she was the victim of a practical joke
Naomie Harris was sitting in the Dolby Theatre near her âMoonlightâ costars when the confusion surrounding Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway and the best picture winner broke out Sunday night. She had the same reaction as many of us did.
âI thought it was a practical joke,â she told The Times as she waited to enter the Governors Ball. âWhen I walked onstage I had an expression of -- well, I have no idea what kind of expression I had. Like a what-just-happened expression. Iâm not sure I want to look at it.â
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
When stage managers came to the podium, it led to a moment of chaos -- and then a quick âMoonlightâ acceptance speech that was overshadowed by the drama after âLa La Landâ was mistakenly announced as the winner.
Does the reversal make the victory sweeter? Or did the circus surrounding the moment somehow diminish it?
âIâm not gonna say I think itâs a great thing we won this way,â Harris said. âI think it would have been great to have a [typical] moment.
âBut letâs not forget what happened: This tiny, $1.5-million movie won best picture. And the night turned out to be incredibly varied with the winners. Thatâs all a good thing.â
Emma Stone would thank you to not blame the Oscarsâ best picture mix-up on her
Emma Stone waltzed backstage with wide eyes and a sly smile after her win for best actress in âLa La Land,â which came moments before a historic Oscar malfunction that led to the mistaken reading of that film for best picture instead of the rightful winner, âMoonlight.â
âWhoo, did you guys see that?â she asked as the press roared.
She said the now-notorious mix-up was incredibly surreal and added to the general dreamlike feeling she was already experiencing after her win.
âI was on such a buzzy plane backstage that I already felt like I was on another planet,â she said. âIt was an incredible outcome, but a very strange happening for Oscar history.â
Then she grinned.
âIs that the craziest Oscar moment of all time? Cool, we made history. Craziest moment.â she said.
Stone also made it very clear that she and her co-collaborators on âLa La Landâ were thrilled for âMoonlightâ and Barry Jenkins.
âI ... love âMoonlight.â God, I love âMoonlightâ so much. Iâm so excited for âMoonlightâ â we are so excited for âMoonlight.â I think itâs one of the best pictures of all time,â she gushed.
Adding a note of intrigue to the confusion surrounding just what exactly led to the best picture debacle, Stone said, âI also was holding my best actress in a leading role card, so Iâm not sure what that was. Whatever story youâre hearing.â
Jimmy Kimmel talks Damon and doughnuts in aftermath of Oscars ânuttinessâ
Jimmy Kimmel spoke to The Times backstage about what happened when the Oscars broadcast suddenly went off the rails with an unprecedented mistake.
âI saw something online... it was a screen grab that showed the best actress envelope. Itâs funny, I was about to go on stage and do a bit with Matt Damon and a doughnut, but I said, âI think I have to go on stage,â because otherwise our stage manager Gary [Natoli] was going to have to finesse it,â Kimmel said.
âThere was a lot of nuttiness. It was kind of like a dispute over a boxing match. You didnât know who won. You didnât know who the winner was. But I have to say the producers of âLa La Landâ were very gracious,â Kimmel remarked of the individuals who very suddenly learned they had not won best picture.
âListen, itâs a TV show,â Kimmel concluded.
Barry Jenkins explains what happened onstage during the best picture âMoonlightâ mix-up
After the chaos of the Oscars best picture mix-up, The Times caught up with âMoonlightâ director Barry Jenkins.
Did the Academy offer him any explanation?
âNo explanation,â Jenkins said. âI will say that I saw two cards and so things just happened. I wanted to see the card to see the card.â
In an odd twist, the best picture presenter, Warren Beatty, refused to show anyone the card before showing it directly to Jenkins. âEverybody was asking and he was like âNo, Barry Jenkins has to see the card; I need him to know.ââ
After Jenkins saw the official card with âMoonlightâ printed on the paper, the director felt better about what happened.
âI will say that the folks from âLa La Landâ were so gracious,â Jenkins admitted. âI canât imagine being in their position and having to do that. I wasnât speechless because we won. I was speechless because it was so gracious of them to do that. The card said: âBest Picture: Moonlight.ââ
Jenkins refuses to be too negative about the confusion: âItâs unfortunate that things happened the way they did, but hot damn, we won best picture.â
How could the best picture mix-up happen? Duplicate cards await on both sides of the stage
After the Oscarsâ big best picture mix-up Sunday, Emma Stone said backstage that she was holding her lead actress card when âLa La Landâ was incorrectly announced as best picture.
So how could Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway have been looking at that very same card, as the actor explained to the audience?
Turns out that for each category, there are two cards waiting in the wings, one on each side, as explained in a 2016 Los Angeles Times story by Valli Herman:
âIn an undisclosed location, the partners tabulate votes and stuff two sets of winning envelopes, partly as another security measure and also to aid the showâs flow. Stationed with their signature briefcases on opposite sides of the stage, either [PricewaterhouseCoopers partners, Brian] Cullinan or [Martha] Ruiz can dispense envelopes to presenters. At the end of the evening, each accountant will have given out about half of the envelopes.
âAnd the third set? âThere is no third âsetâ sitting somewhere that has the winning cards in the winning envelopes,â Cullinan said. However, the remaining, unstuffed envelopes and nominee cards are shipped to a second secret location, just in case some disaster prevents access to the completed sets. After the ceremony, unused cards and envelopes are destroyed by an industrial document-destruction company.â
Warren Beatty makes his case in best picture mix-up
The Times exclusively spoke to best picture presenter Warren Beatty backstage after the history-making mistake that briefly awarded âLa La Landâ the honor instead of rightful winner âMoonlightâ and the legendary director explained what happened onstage.
I looked down at the card and thought, âThis is very strange, because it says best actress.â Maybe there was a misprint. I donât know what happened. And thatâs all I have to say on the subject.
— Warren Beatty
Oscar shocker: âMoonlightâ wins best picture, but only after âLa La Landâ crew to the stage
In a moment that will go down as one of the strangest and most shocking in Oscar history, âMoonlightâ was named Oscar winner for best picture only after âLa La Landâ was announced first.
The room was in disarray as they sorted out the error.
Hereâs how it went down:
Co-presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were on stage to present the award. After listing the nominated films. Beatty opened the envelope and then paused for longer than usual. He looked around and over at Dunaway, who then announced âLa La Landâ had won.
Producers and cast members from âLa La Land,â the candy-colored big-screen romantic musical about two artists striving to fulfill their dreams, made their way to the stage to celebrate. They had begun their thank yous when the mistake was caught.
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
âLa La Landâ producer Jordan Horowitz interrupted the celebration, calling attention to the discrepancy on the winners card in his hand.
At that point, Horowitz showed the card to the camera, which clearly indicated âMoonlightâ had won. As the âMoonlightâ crew made their way to the stage, Beatty stepped to the mic.
He explained that the reason it had taken him so long to read the card was because he was looking at something that said Emma Stone had won. At that point, he showed it to Dunaway, who announced âLa La Land.â Beatty assured viewers that the error was unintentional and he wasnât trying to turn the biggest award into a joke.
Beatty later elaborated on what happened on stage.
âI looked down at the card and thought, this is very strange, because it says best actress,â he told The Times. âMaybe there was a misprint. I donât know what happened. And thatâs all I have I have to say on the subject.â
Michael De Luca, one of the Oscar ceremony producers, was walking down backstage hallway towards the Governorâs Ball when he stopped to greet someone.
Asked if everything was OK, he responded: âItâs OK for some, but not OK for others. Itâs not OK for the Academy. But it was great live television.â
In his review of âMoonlight,â L.A. Times film critic Kenneth Turan wrote, âSo intimate you feel like youâre trespassing on its charactersâ souls, so transcendent itâs made visual and emotional poetry out of intensely painful experience, itâs a film that manages to be both achingly familiar and unlike anything weâve seen before.â
Both a salute to Hollywood and a love letter to Los Angeles, âLa La Landâ came into the Oscars with a record-tying 14 nominations. The film starts with a traffic jam that turns into an improbable song-and-dance sequence and goes on to follow its young stars as they meet amid disappointing professional moments.
In his review of the film, L.A. Times critic Justin Chang said, âThe result is, by any reasonable measure, one of the loveliest things you will experience in a theater this year.â
Those onstage to celebrate what they thought was âLa La Landâsâ win were gracious as they learned they had not taken home the honor.
The other nominees were:
âArrivalâ
âFencesâ
âHacksaw Ridgeâ
âHell or High Waterâ
âHidden Figuresâ
âLionâ
âManchester by the Seaâ
Hereâs a complete list of winners and losers.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
Update: This article was originally published at 9:09 p.m. and has been updated numerous times.
âOh my god, he got the wrong envelopeâ -- backstage during the Oscarsâ best picture chaos
âMoonlightâ won the best picture Oscar after a botched announcement threw the ceremony into chaos.
As the âLa La Landâ cast was taking the stage to celebrate, a stagehand in the wings said, âOh ... Oh my god, he got the wrong envelope.â They walked back and forth repeating it.
Stagehands, actors, production crew and journalists were stunned. Oscars producer Michael De Luca was peering into his monitor, trying to figure it out. Champagne glasses sat on the table next to him. They had been poured moments earlier to celebrate a good show.
The academy doesnât know what went wrong. Stage manager Gary Natoli came running past just now saying, âWarren is holding on to the envelope. He will not release it.â
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
When host Jimmy Kimmel returned from off stage, De Luca told the show host, âThanks for covering, man.â And Kimmel responded, âYeah, but no one is going to remember that now. I donât know what happened. We will analyze every bit of it.â
Meanwhile John Legend mused, âOne wishes it was the right card. One wishes.â
Memo to hairstylists: Keep it short. Short hair and pixie cuts are big style winners at the Oscars
Michelle Williams has made it her signature, but the controlled pixie cut has made a comeback as the high-glam short-hair look that makes the most of cheekbones and dazzling earrings.
At the Academy Awards on Sunday, Viola Davis wore hers with elegant-but-casual side-swept bangs, while Janelle MonĂĄe kept her short hair looking regal with a headband, and Ginnifer Goodwin gave her hair edge with super-sharp, super-short bangs.
Agents for Casey Affleck, Denzel Washington good-naturedly trash talk each other and consult psychics
One of the most competitive races of the night is Casey Affleck versus Denzel Washington for lead actor. The âManchester by the Seaâ and âFencesâ stars were considered neck-and-neck heading into the Oscars ceremony, with their respective campaigners waging a fierce battle.
Not so their agents, who are close friends at WME Entertainment, where the competitiveness and, occasionally, trash talk, on behalf of their clients flows freely.
âOne of us will go out and have a great night,â said Boomer Malkin, Affleckâs agent, as he stood near the bar of the Dolby Theatre during the ceremony about an hour before the award was to be announced.
âAnd âwill be forced into consolingâ the other agent, said Andre Finkelstein, Washingtonâs representative.
Malkin admitted that relations have gotten a little heated around the office, but mostly have stayed civil. âI think everyone knows thereâs no loser,â he said.
âEasy for you to say, since youâre winning [by a large margin]â Finkelstein said, alluding to Affleckâs victory on a number of major awards but not the SAG. He later added, âBut we have the one that really matters coming into tonight.â
âWell, you do have Google on your side,â Malkin said.
Um, what?
âMy wife asked Google who will win and it said Denzel. Apparently his performance is more âelectric,ââ said Malkin, referring to a Google Assistant bot she had jokingly queried.
Finkelstein parried back. âYeah, but you have the psychic on your side.â
âOh, thatâs right,â said Malkin, noting a medium who told him at a party Saturday that Affleck would take the prize.
âSo, he might win,â said Finkelstein of Malkin. âBut he goes to psychics.
Elton John: âIâm glad we didnât have Warren Beatty do the live auctionâ
Immediately after the climactic snafu for the announcement of this yearâs best picture winner, âMoonlight,â Elton John took the stage at his 25th Academy Awards viewing party and fundraiser in West Hollywood for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
âWow!â the veteran English rocker said. âIâm glad we didnât have Warren Beatty do the live auction.â
Barry Jenkins on âMoonlightâsâ surprise win: âTo hell with dreams! Iâm done with it because this is trueâ
Very clearly, even in my dreams this could not be true, but to hell with dreams! Iâm done with it because this is true. Oh, my goodness. I have to say it is true, itâs not fake. Weâve been on the [awards show circuit]Â with these guys for so long and that was so gracious, so generous of them. My love to âLa La Land,â my love to everybody. Man.
— Barry Jenkins, on âMoonlightâ best picture win
Jimmy Kimmel reacts to the best picture mix-up
In an unscripted surprise, âMoonlightâ was awarded the Academy Award for best picture after âLa La Landâ was erroneously announced as the winner.
Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel seemed regretful and a bit self-deprecating as the telecast wrapped up.
I knew I would screw this show up. I really did.
— Jimmy Kimmel
Warren Beatty explains how they incorrectly announced âLa La Landâ as best picture
I want to tell you what happened. I opened the envelope and it said Emma Stone, âLa La Land.â Thatâs why I took such a long look at Faye [Dunaway] and at you. I wasnât trying to be funny.â
— Warren Beatty, explaining how the wrong movie was announced as best picture
The âMoonlightâ-âLa La Landâ mix-up just broke the Internet
In perhaps the most unbelievable ending to an Oscar ceremony, âLa La Landâ was awarded the Academy Award for best picture, a mistake that was eventually corrected to honor the actual winner, âMoonlight.â
After Warren Beatty apologized for the mix-up, the Internet lost its collective mind. Here are just a few bewildered reactions to the news.
âWhite Helmetsâ creators on âshining a very bright lightâ on Syrian rescue workers
Netflixâs âThe White Helmets,â about a group of first responders in Syria, is a film pulsing with meaning, said director Orlando von Einsiedel backstage after snagging the Oscar for best documentary short.
âRight from the start this was about shining a very bright light on the heroes of our film, the white helmets, Syrian rescue workers,â said Von Einsiedel, who previously won best documentary for 2014âs âVirunga.â âWe [hope to] continue to magnify their voices.â
On the filmâs cinematographer, Khaled Khateeb, who was denied entry into the U.S. due to âderogatory informationâ and therefore couldnât attend the Oscars, producer Joanna Natasegara said they had just spoken to Khateeb.
âItâs been ameliorated because of the win. Heâs thrilled because he, like us, wants the world to know about the white helmets,â she said.
On President Trumpâs travel ban, in general, she added: âWe as filmmakers travel across the world and we donât believe in building anything but compassion between people, and weâd never support something like the ban.â
When asked why the leader of the white helmets wasnât in attendance, Von Einsiedel said:
âHe couldnât come in the end because the violence in Syria has escalated,â he said. âHe does life-saving work, and he decided his time was better [spent] by staying there.â
Academy Award winner Colleen Atwood has designs on Edith Headâs record
With her win for âFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,â costume designer Colleen Atwood is making new records in Academy Award history.
With four Oscars for her film work, Atwood now is tied with Milena Canonero for most wins in the post-Edith Head era. Head had eight wins and -- a record that will likely never be broken -- 35 nominations (partly because nominations in Headâs day were given for color and black-and-white films).
With 12 costume design Oscar nominations, Atwood is ahead of Sandy Powell with 11 nominations and behind the late Irene Sharaff, who earned 15.
The card that changed everything at the 89th Oscars
âLa La Landâ producer Jordan Horowitz holds up the winnerâs card to the audience, revealing that it was âMoonlightâ and not the mistakenly announced âLa La Land.â
âThis is not a joke, âMoonlightâ has won best picture, â Horowitz said. ââMoonlight.â Best picture.â
As the confusion took hold of the stage the producer continued, âIâm going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from ââMoonlight.ââ
Shine on, Charlize Theron
In case you were wondering, jewelry certainly matters, especially at the Oscars.
With Furiosa-worthy earrings, Charlize Theron shows sheâs so tough, even her earlobes can support a mineâs worth of diamonds.
Chopard supplied the gems, featuring a 25-carat pear-shaped D-flawless diamond and 26-carat heart-shaped D-flawless diamond, plus 4.55 carats of pear-shaped diamonds and 4.35 carats of brilliant-cut diamonds set in 18-karat white gold from the Garden of Kalahari Collection.
PHOTO GALLERY: OSCARS BEST AND WORST RED CARPET LOOKS >>
OMG, Emma Stone looks so beautiful
Memes aside, Emma Stone does look really great tonight.
Watch Jimmy Kimmelâs Oscars edition of âMean Tweetsâ
Oscars nominees and past winners are not exempt from the wrath of the Twitterverse. Host Jimmy Kimmel demonstrates.
Oscar winner on how âLa La Landâsâ cinematography so perfectly captured Los Angeles
Linus Sandgren, who marked the first big win of the night for âLa La Land,â for cinematography, talked about the innate and unexpected charm of Los Angeles during a quick stop backstage with his statue.
âI think itâs a really beautiful, interesting mix of the urban gritty city and the beauty of nature,â he said. âItâs an incredible mix. Sometimes I drive home on Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, and there are lots of telephone poles, but against this lovely sky and sunset. Itâs remarkable.â
His favorite scene in the film is Emma Stoneâs dream-like audition.
âItâs so simple â no colors, a bit dim, but it was quite complicated to do,â he said. âIt can be more interesting to do simple scenes, and in this film, which is so bold all the time, that scene is so intimate.â
A year after #Oscarssowhite, a record-breaking night for black filmmakers and actors
A year after the #Oscarssowhite outrage dominated awards season, a record-breaking number of African Americans -- six in five categories -- left the Dolby Theatre with statuary. The previous record was three at the shows in 2010 and 2014.
Viola Davis won tonight for supporting actress in âFences.â Mahershala Ali took home the statue for supporting actor in âMoonlight,â setting another record: the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. Ezra Edelman, who is biracial, won best documentary for âO.J. Simpson: Made in America,â and Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney won for adapted screenplay for âMoonlight.â
UPDATE: One more win: After a false start with âLa La Land,â âMoonlightâ took home best picture.
âAnimated films donât have to be just for kids,â say âZootopiaâ creators after Oscar win
âZootopiaâ co-directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore were bursting with pride backstage at the Oscars.
âWith this film we got the idea to talk about bias with talking animals â we wanted animals to serve for stand-ins for all of us,â said Howard, adding, âwe were surprised how timely the film became as the world started to blow up.â
Howard and Moore said the film turned increasingly political after the fraught presidential election.
Both were aware of the impact the film could have and worked with an expert on bias for two years. Thirteen versions of the film were made before it was finalized.
âWhen I watched movies and heard stories as a kid, I thought stories just entertained us, but as I got older I realized we were giving back,â said Moore.
âAnimated films donât have to be just for kids,â said Howard.
The win marked Disneyâs fifth straight one in the category.
âOur studio employs artists from all over the world,â Moore said. âThereâs no way we could make these movies without the talent of international artists.â
Emma Stone wins for âLa La Landâ
Emma Stoneâs turn as an aspiring actress working in a coffee shop and going on humiliating auditions won her the lead actress Oscar.
Stone, whose character Mia shares an apartment with three other women and falls in love with a jazz pianist played by Ryan Gosling, was the one to beat. She had won most major awards and was considered a near lock in the category.
Other nominees included:
Natalie Portman, âJackieâ
Ruth Negga, âLovingâ
Meryl Streep, âFlorence Foster Jenkinsâ
Isabelle Huppert, âElleâ
âMoonlightâ writer Tarell Alvin McCraney dedicates his Oscar win to those âwho donât see themselves â
This goes out to all those black and brown boys and girls and non-gender-conforming who donât see themselves. Weâre trying to show you you and us. So thank you, thank you, this is for you.
— Tarell Alvin McCraney, accepting the adapted screenplay Oscar with Barry Jenkins
Casey Affleck wins for âManchester by the Seaâ
Casey Affleck won the lead actor Oscar for his role in âManchester by the Seaâ playing a man overwhelmed by grief and guilt.
Affleck was the criticsâ favorite who steamrolled through the early part of the awards season but then lost the Screen Actors Guild award to Denzel Washington.
In âManchester,â Affleckâs character is named the guardian of his teenage nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges, in a breakout performance and a supporting actor nominee), after his brotherâs sudden death. He emerges, if briefly, from his self-imposed sentence of solitary confinement and struggles to stick around a world with too many memories.
Other nominees include:
Denzel Washington, âFencesâ
Andrew Garfield, âHacksaw Ridgeâ
Ryan Gosling, âLa La Landâ
Viggo Mortensen, âCaptain Fantasticâ
Jimmy Kimmel plays off Matt Damon and itâs one of the best moments of the night
The escalating rivalry between Jimmy Kimmel and actor Matt Damon was expected to heat up on Sunday and Kimmel did not disappoint.
The Oscars host capitalized on several opportunities to burn his arch-rival, who is attending this yearâs ceremony as a producer for best picture nominee âManchester by the Sea.â Kimmel took aim at Damon during his opening monologue, ribbing Damonâs massive flop âThe Great Wall.â
âWhen I first met Matt, I was the fat one,â Kimmel said, before calling Damon âunselfishâ for casting childhood friend Casey Affleck in âManchesterâ instead of himself.
âThen he made a Chinese ponytail movie instead,â Kimmel quipped. âAnd that movie, âThe Great Wall,â went on to lose $80 million. Smooth move, dumbass.â
Another bit, featuring Kimmel walking the aisles, the host pretended that Damon tripped him.
But the best barb came after the âIn Memoriamâ segment and featured Kimmel reflecting on Damonâs 2011 film âWe Bought a Zoo,â doting on his âeffortfulâ performance.
When Damon and collaborator Ben Affleck were set to present the award for original screenplay, Kimmel introduced them as âTwo-time Academy Award winner Ben Affleck and guest.â
As soon as Damon started speaking, the orchestra started cutting him off.
âIâm presenting, you canât play me off,â Damon cried.
Then the camera cut to the pit where Kimmel was conducting the orchestra.
âWrap it up. We want to go home,â the host insisted.
âGary from Chicagoâ gets off a tour bus and steals the show
A group of tourists got the surprise of their lives when they ended up in the center of Hollywoodâs biggest night.
Believing they were going to an exhibit, the tour-goers instead walked straight into the Dolby Theatre in the middle of the Academy Awards. Phones and selfie sticks in hand, the group shook hands with Oscar nominees, snapped photos with some of their favorite actors, and even touched Mahershala Aliâs Oscar.
Reactions to the segment were mixed on social media. Some viewers complained that it felt like Kimmel was mocking the working class. Others winced at how awkward some of it came across. But âGary from Chicagoâ was a hit. He even got an invitation from his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, for tickets to a home basketball game.
As Kimmel introduced Gary to the household-name entertainers near the front, the host quipped: âI feel like youâre ignoring the white celebrities.â
âI am, though,â Gary quipped.
Check out some of the reactions:
Halle Berry is still the only woman of color to win the lead actress Oscar
In 2002, Halle Berry made history. She was the first black woman to win the lead actress Oscar for her role in Marc Forsterâs âMonsterâs Ball.â In her acceptance speech, she dedicated the win to âthe women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett [Smith], Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox.â
âAnd itâs for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened,â she said. âThank you. Iâm so honored.â
But 15 years later, the door allegedly opened that night has not seen another woman of color enter it since. Thatâs not because lack of talent or nominations.
Since Berryâs win, eight women of color have been nominated in the category, from Salma Hayek (âFridaâ) the year following to Gabourey Sidibe (âPreciousâ) in 2010. This year, Ruth Negga of âLoving,â is the eighth.
In total, in almost 90 years of the Academy Awards, only 16 women of color have been nominated in the lead actress category. See them all below:
- Dorothy Dandridge, âCarmen Jonesâ
- Diana Ross, âLady Sings The Bluesâ
- Cicely Tyson, âSounderâ
- Diahann Carroll, âClaudineâ
- Whoopi Goldberg, âThe Color Purpleâ
- Angela Bassett, âWhatâs Love Got to Do With Itâ
- Fernanda Montenegro, âCentral Stationâ
- Halle Berry, âMonsterâs Ballâ
- Salma Hayek, âFridaâ
- Keisha Castle-Hughes, âWhale Riderâ
- Catalina Sandino Moreno, âMaria Full of Graceâ
- PenĂŠlope Cruz, âVolverâ
- Gabourey Sidibe, âPreciousâ
- Viola Davis, âThe Helpâ
- QuvenzhanĂŠ Wallis, âBeasts of the Southern Wildâ
- Ruth Negga, âLovingâ
Regretful fashion misses at the Oscars
Ryan Gosling could wear anything and cut a striking figure but a ruffled tuxedo shirt? Really?
In an otherwise impeccably cut, shawl-collared Gucci tuxedo, he looks like a lounge singer.
Right -- âLa La Landâ and all. We get it. Still, he should have left the ruffles at home.
Um, whatâs going on here in Dakota Johnsonâs Gucci dress? It looks like a Medieval costume, which is fine for a Renaissance fair but not the Oscars.
She looks shrouded in all the fabric, the shoulder-padded sleeves, the gigantic waist-wrapping bow.
Leslie Mann usually looks sleek and elegant, but this voluminous Zac Posen gown in a weirdly unflattering yellow just overwhelms her.
She looks like sheâs carting billowy bed sheets (albeit really expensive ones).
John Legend takes a trip to âLa La Landâ
Among the many things âLa La Landâ has been chastised for, the movie musicalâs casting of two non-singers in Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone ranks pretty low on my list.
But thatâs the criticism the Oscars seemed to push back on by having John Legend perform the movieâs two nominated songs, âCity of Starsâ and âAudition (The Fools Who Dream).â
So howâd he do?
Well, Legend certainly proved heâs a singer, flexing a vocal range that surpassed Goslingâs and Stoneâs put together.
But to my ears this super-smooth crooner also milked the musicâs emotion a bit more than was necessary, which made the songs feel kind of glib.
Damien Chazelle wins best director for âLa La Landâ
Damien Chazelle won the best director Oscar for his film âLa La Land,â a candy-colored musical romance starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. At 32, Chazelle became the youngest person to win in the director category.
Last year, his film âWhiplashâ was nominated for five Oscars, including best picture.
In an essay on musicals for The Times, Chazelle wrote, âI wanted to make a movie that would embrace the magic of musicals but root it in the rhythms and texture of real life. I wanted the dances to feel like honest extensions of the charactersâ feelings. I wanted to make it seem as though breaking into song were the most natural thing in the world. I wanted to make a movie about how life feels when youâre in love and full of dreams in the big city. â
The other nominees were:
Denis Villeneuve, âArrivalâ
Mel Gibson, âHacksaw Ridgeâ
Barry Jenkins, âMoonlightâ
Kenneth Lonergan, âManchester by the Seaâ
Samuel L. Jackson made it through only 20 minutes of âLa La Landâ
Motion picture academy member Samuel L. Jackson sees all the nominated movies, but he admitted that he did not quite make it through all of this yearâs nominees.
The movie everybodyâs so hyped on, I only made it through 20 minutes. I mean, I like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
— Samuel L. Jackson
âThe art form is the pencilâ: Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer of âPiperâ on their Oscar win
In their near identical tuxedos, Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer were the dynamic duo of humility and cool, backstage in the press room after winning animated short for Pixarâs rite-of-passage story âPiper.â
âItâs quite an honor,â Barillaro said, âand four of those [other] nominees, weâre so proud to have our names next to those colleagues. Itâs nice to celebrate short films with them.â
About the technology that made the film possible, Barillaro added: âWhen you talk technology, the art form is the pencil ⌠we ignored the world of realism and went for the artistic choices. A lot of the work was looking at classical paintings.â
Animating baby birds â grown up birds too â is tricky business. And Barillaro and Sondheimer stressed the research they did to prepare.
âThe challenge as an animator is you need to understand something before you can animate it,â Barillaro said.
âWe studied those birds and that really helped,â Sondheimer said. âFor three long years!
âWhereâs the real food?â Itâs not inside the Dolby Theatre
Unlike the Golden Globes, which is centered on a boozy dinner, thereâs no food or drink allowed inside the Dolby Theatre. Hence the emergency rations of candy that host Jimmy Kimmel has been dropping from the rafters to hungry stars.
The showâs producers planned a candystravaganza for the 89th Academy Awards after the Emmys scored a meme-able moment by having the âStranger Thingsâ kids pass out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the air.
But at the Oscars there isnât a PB&J in sight -- only Junior Mints, Red Vines and other assorted candies to get guests through the long haul, passed out once every four commercial breaks to those inside the theater.
That means that nominees have to sneak out to the bar area to keep their blood sugar -- and their booze levels -- up.
Those looking to nosh, however, donât have many options.
Most hobnobbers made a beeline for one of two open bars in the Dolby Theatre lobby as soon as the show began. Halfway through the show in the more intimate side bar, Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard had a mini âEmpireâ reunion while in line for drinks.
But as the night wore on, hungry bellies that had been starved for weeks to fit into tuxes and evening gowns drove guests to the lone snack table, where tiny bags of Japanese rice crackers and cookies provide the eveningâs only sustenance. (This just in: Theyâre now out of rice crackers and have added small bags of trail mix.)
âWhereâs the REAL food?â grumbled one well-dressed gentleman, surveying the limited spread.
âThis is it, until the Governors Ball!â answered a cheery Oscars staffer. Then again, not every attendee gets a ticket to the official (and catered) Oscars after party.
He begrudgingly grabbed a bag of three miniature cookies and walked off -- toward the bar.
âMoonlightâ wins adapted screenplay
Barry Jenkinsâ script for âMoonlightâ won for adapted screenplay. The movie about the coming-of-age of a gay black boy in a drug-infested Miami neighborhood was based on a stage play by Tarell Alvin McCraney.
Other nominees include:
âLion,â by Luke Davies
âArrival,â by Eric Heisserer
âHidden Figures,â by Theodore Melfi and Allison Schroeder
âFences,â by August Wilson
How Tarell Alvin McCraneyâs Yale School of Drama application became âMoonlightâ
The story of âMoonlightâ began long before director Barry Jenkinsâ involvement propelled the film to eight Academy Award nominations. In fact, it began in 2003 while then budding-playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney was applying to grad school.
As part of his application to Yaleâs School of Drama, he wrote the play âIn Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.â But unlike the film it would eventually become, it played out in a circular motion with life happening for the youngest, middle and oldest versions of the character all at once. (Imagine a kid waking up and brushing his teeth, followed by his adolescent self and adult self doing the same actions.)
âI was trying to figure out what little me and middle me and grown me were doing that was the same and not the same,â McCraney said about the playâs structure and inspiration. âWhat patterns I was repeating, what is this life?â
The play came out of âa strange time, a time of endings and then new beginnings,â he said. Heâd graduated from DePaul University in June with a degree in acting and his mother, who struggled with addiction when he was young and had suffered from AIDS-related complications for the prior 10-year period, died that July.
After enrolling, he put the âMoonlightâ play on the shelf knowing that it could not be staged because he had written in visual cues, like cut toâs, that only film allows an artist to do. When he finally picked it back up and gave it to a film professor who told him to finish the script, McCraney responded: âItâs not done? Hm.â (He graduated in 2007.)
Jenkins, who eventually got his hands on the play through mutual friends in the Miami arts scene, was immediately struck by the way McCraney had depicted the mother-son relationship. âBecause that happened to me [too],â he said.
Though Jenkins originally wanted McCraney to adapt the unproduced play for the screen, when the playwright won one of the prestigious MacArthur grants in 2013, he became too busy. Luckily, the two had shared enough of their expectations of each other for Jenkins to confidently adapt the play on his own. And though Jenkins is straight, the âMedicine for Melancholyâ director said he wanted to maintain the queer voice of the play about the lived experiences of a black gay man written by the black gay man who lived it.
âI felt like the only way to do the translation and have it have the same power as Tarellâs work onstage was to preserve his voice,â Jenkins said. âThere were certain scenes and experiences in the play that I had not lived.â
Years later, both Jenkins and McCraney are nominated for an Oscar for the adaptation, for the screenplay and story, respectively.
Justin Timberlake loves âLa La Landâ but doesnât spend much time thinking about former Mouseketeer pal Ryan Gosling
Justin Timberlake is cool with Ryan Gosling. Heâs just not necessarily cool with always being linked to Ryan Gosling.
âDo you talk to people from high school?â he said, with a slightly jokey feistiness when chatted up at the Oscars bar.
JT and the jazzsplainer have been associated with each other ever since their days singing and dancing alongside buddies like future stars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in âThe All New Mickey Mouse Club.â
âThis is, like, middle school,â Timberlake noted of the series, which ran in the late â80s and early â90s.âI have a kid. He has â what, two kids? You see things differently than you do then.â
The pair were thrust together again this year when Gosling starred in one of the most honored musicals in Oscar history in âLa La Land,â including one for himself for best actor, and Timberlake notched an Oscar nod for his âTrollsâ song âCanât Stop the Feeling.â
It was one of two numbers that Timberlake opened Sundayâs show with. The other was a cover of Bill Withersâ R&B classic âLovely Dayâ.â
âI pushed for that,â Timberlakeâ said, when asked how he persuaded producers to give him time for two numbers. âIt just felt appropriate in this climate. And thatâs all Iâll say about that.â
He was happy with his performance. âThat really did feel like electricity,â he said. âI feel like the room was loose. I feel loose.â
âThough Timberlake lost out to a âLa Laâ number for original song, he said he had strong admiration for the Damien Chazelle film. âWhat Damien did, itâs nothing short of genius,â he said. âSome people believe itâs pastiche. I donât.â
He added: ââI know some peopleâ are also mixed on it. Thatâs the sign of a great movie.â
So would the actor-singer do a throwback musical himself, ânow that the zeitgeist has moved in that direction?
âI would [do a musical],â he said. âBut I wouldnât do that â it canât be done any better.â
âManchester by the Seaâ wins for original screenplay
Kenneth Lonergan won the Oscar for original screenplay for his nuanced and devastating âManchester by the Sea,â about a man coming out of grief-stricken solitude to deal with the loss of his brother.
Other nominees include:
âHell or High Water,â by Taylor Sheridan
âLa La Land,â by Damien Chazelle
â20th Century Women,â Mike Mills
The Lobster,â by Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos
Feels like the Internet is rooting against âLa La Landâ
Plenty of people expected Damien Chazelleâs âLa La Landâ to sweep the Academy Awards like it did the Golden Globes. After all, itâs nominated in a whopping 14 categories.
But to the great glee of many Twitter users, by the second hour of the show âLa La Landâ had lost in some of the secondary categories to films like âHacksaw Ridgeâ (for film editing) and âHacksaw Ridgeâ (sound mixing).
But the nightâs not nearly over and the big awards have yet to be announced.
Jimmy Kimmel multitasks tweeting at President Trump while hosting the Oscars
Jimmy Kimmel gave POTUS a shout-out live from the Oscars audience on Sunday night. Hey, Sean Spicer said a few days ago that President Trump would be busy with the nationâs governors during the show, but maybe heâd check Twitter?
At the time of this posting, POTUS hadnât tweeted anything in response. Then again, 3 a.m. on the East Coast is still nearly seven hours away.
Scarlett Johansson sang on an Oscar-nominated original song too!
Scarlett Johansson, the presenter for original song at the 89th Academy Awards, is an actress well known for her box-office might.
Thanks in part to her recurring turn as spy-assassin Natasha Romanoff (a.k.a. Black Widow) in the Marvel cinematic universe, Johansson is the top-grossing Hollywood actress of all time. In fact, she was the top-grossing actor of either gender in 2016, according to Forbes.
But when sheâs not busy portraying a super-skilled superhero with a dark past, an accidentally super-powered human who reaches a higher state of consciousness, an evolving computer operating system or a cybernetic being combating cyberterrorists for a secret Japanese defense force, Johansson is a musician whose vocal prowess has taken on everything from Tom Waits covers to all-girl âsuper-pop.â
In fact, Johansson lent her voice to the 2013 Oscar-nominated song âBefore My Timeâ from the documentary âChasing Ice.â However, since original-song awards are presented to the songwriters, J. Ralph is the only person credited on the nomination.
Her other musical projects include her 2008 debut album âAnywhere I Lay My Head,â predominantly comprising reimaginings of Tom Waits songs, that was produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and featured collaborations with David Bowie as well as members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration.
In 2009, Johansson collaborated with Pete Yorn for âBreak Up,â an album inspired by Serge Gainsbourgâs work with Brigitte Bardot.
Most recently Johansson teamed up with Holly Miranda, Kendra Morris and Julia Haltigan to form a currently unnamed band (at one time called âThe Singlesâ). Their first song, âCandy,â an electro-pop jam released in 2015, also features Este Haim from Haim on the drums. You can listen to the track below.
âWhite Helmetsâ cinematographer was banned from traveling to the Oscars. Hereâs his statement when the film won
âThe White Helmetsâ cinematographer Khaled Khateeb, 21, could not attend this yearâs Academy Awards because he was denied entry to the United States.
Khateeb, according to internal Trump administration correspondence seen by the Associated Press, was blocked by U.S. immigration authorities at the last minute.
The film, which focuses on the rescue efforts of Syrian Civil Defense volunteers, won the Oscar for documentary short. Director Orlando von Einsiedel, who accepted the trophy with producer Joanna Natasegara, read the following statement from Khateeb:
Weâre so grateful this film has highlighted our work to the world. Our organization is guided by a verse in the Koran, âTo save one life is to save all of humanity.â We have saved more than 82,000 Syrian lives. Iâll invite anyone here who hears me to work on the side of life to stop the bloodshed in Syria and around the world.
— Khaled Khateeb
âCity of Starsâ from âLa La Landâ wins original song Oscar
âCity of Stars,â a duet between stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone from the musical âLa La Land,â won the original song Oscar. The songâs music was written by Justin Hurwitz with lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.
Pasek and Paul were tapped to write the lyrics for the songs in âLa La Landâ after pitching the opening lyrics to âCity of Starsâ: âCity of Stars, are you shining just for me? / City of Stars, thereâs so much that I canât see.â
The win denied Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of the landmark Broadway musical âHamiltonâ and writer of âHow Far Iâll Go,â entry into the exclusive EGOT club: winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Other nominees include:
âHow Far Iâll Goâ (âMoanaâ)
âAudition (The Fools Who Dream)â (âLa La Landâ)
âThe Empty Chairâ (âJim: The James Foley Storyâ)
âCanât Stop the Feeling!â (âTrollsâ)
âLa La Landâ wins original score
Justin Hurwitz won an Oscar for his score of âLa La Land,â the film that came into the ceremony with a record-tying 14 nominations.
Other nominees included:
Mica Levi, âJackieâ
Nicholas Britell, âMoonlightâ
Volker Bertelmann and Dustin OâHalloran, âLionâ
Thomas Newman, âPassengersâ
Oscar winner and newest member of Bachelor Nation, Brie Larson, had Nick Viall over for a watch party
Brie Larson was in her seat when the tourists streamed into the Dolby Theatre, but she still doesnât know whether they were legitimately plucked off the street.
âI dunno. They didnât seem that fazed and they were so quiet,â argued her fiancĂŠ, Alex Greenwald.
âYeah, but thatâs how everyone was when âThe Bachelorâ came to our house. Really quiet,â Larson replied.
Wait, Nick Viall crashed a viewing party at the Oscar winnerâs place? Apparently so.
Though Larson is new to âBachelorâ watching, she and current bachelor Nick Viall connected through a mutual friend and he surprised her crew one Monday night this season.
âBut no one said anything,â Larson explained, âJust like those tourists. So who knows.â
âThe White Helmetsâ wins documentary short
âThe White Helmets,â about first responders in Syria, wins best documentary short.
Other nominees:
âExtremisâ
â4.1 milesâ
âJoeâs Violinsâ
âWatani: My Homelandâ
âLa La Landâ wins cinematography Oscar
Linus Sandgren, who made Los Angeles look like a place where magic hour lasts the entire day in âLa La Land,â won for cinematography. It was the movies first big win of the evening.
Other nominees include:
Bradford Young, âArrivalâ
Greig Fraser, âLionâ
James Laxton, âMoonlightâ
Rodrigo Prieto, âSilenceâ
Donât forget the true villain of âNo Country for Old Menâ: Javier Bardemâs hair
When Javier Bardem won the Oscar for supporting actor in 2008, he won for embodying true evil in the form of remorseless hitman Anton Chigurh in âNo Country for Old Men.â
But it would be a huge oversight to not give proper respect to the most chilling aspect of Bardemâs character: his bizarro pageboy that clearly left the cold-blooded killer with a âboy named Sueâ ferocity that haunts our dreams.
So many people died in that movie, itâs a wonder he didnât start with his barber.
Sting keeps it simple for âThe Empty Chairâ
The song is called âThe Empty Chair,â but Sting didnât even use one of those.
For a rendition of his and composer J. Ralphâs tender folk ballad from âJim: The James Foley Storyâ â about the journalist killed in 2014 by members of Islamic State â Sting opted for a stripped-down approach at the Oscars, standing simply as he sang and played guitar.
The performance ended with a quote from Foley illuminated on a large screen behind Sting: âIf I donât have the moral courage to challenge authority ... we donât have journalism.â
âSingâ wins live action short
Hungarian Kristof DeĂĄkâs âSing,â about a prize-winning grade-school choir and a rule that doesnât sit well with two of its young participants, won the live-action short documentary.
Other nominees include:
âEnnemis intĂŠrieurs,â Selim Azzazi
âLa femme et le TGV,â Timo von Gunten
âSilent Nights,â Aske Bang, Kim Magnusson
âTimecode,â Juanjo Gimenez
The Oscar gold standard goes fashion forward on the red carpet
Gold glistens and makes any woman wearing it head to toe look like a million bucks -- or a living Oscar statuette
Trend-setting golden gowns dazzled on Jessica Biel, Dakota Fanning, Halle Berry, Michelle Williams and, with four tiers of gold-tinged fringe, Emma Stone in Givenchy Haute Couture.
PHOTO GALLERY: OSCARS BEST AND WORST RED CARPET LOOKS >>
Watch Jimmy Kimmelâs opening monologue to the 89th Academy Awards
Jimmy Kimmel took aim at Matt Damon, President Trump and Meryl Streep during his opening monologue at the Oscars on Sunday -- and admitted that he likely wouldnât be Hollywoodâs great unifier.
âI donât have to tell anybody, the country is divided right now,â Kimmel said. âI canât do that. Thereâs only one Braveheart here, and heâs not going to unite us.â
Watch the whole opening sequence above.
âHacksaw Ridgeâ wins film editing
âHacksaw Ridgeâ won the Oscar for film editing.
Other nominees include:
Joe Walker, âArrivalâ
Jake Roberts, âHell or High Waterâ
Tom Cross, âLa La Landâ
Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon, âMoonlightâ
Some of the most awkward Oscar moments ever
Hollywoodâs star players canât always be in top form, especially at the Academy Awards, where many of these elites do or say something unexpected for one reason or another. While these moments sometimes work out just fine, there have been plenty of moments through the years that have been absolutely squirm-worthy.
At the 88th Academy Awards, host Chris Rock caused many people to cringe when he introduced three kids of Asian decent as the representatives from PriceWaterhouseCoopers in charge of tallying the Oscar votes.
âThey sent us their most dedicated, accurate and hard-working representatives,â said Rock. âPlease welcome Ming Zhu, Bao Ling and David Moskowitz.â
When the joke didnât quite land, Rock added âIf anybodyâs upset about that joke, just tweet about it on your phone that was also made by these kids.â
Viewers were outraged by Rockâs joke that played on Asian stereotypes, which came across especially tone-deaf in a year with heightened sensitivity about race in relation to the Academy Awards.
Another thoroughly awkward moment came earlier in the show when Rock introduced Stacey Dash as the new director of the academyâs minority outreach program.
The joke relied on the audience understanding Dashâs outspoken opinion that BET and Black History Month should be done away with in the name of true equality.
Unfortunately for Rock the average Oscar viewer seemed unable to recognize Dash (who herself seemed to be unaware that she may have been the butt of the joke). But the joke also didnât seem to land among the in-house guests, who seemingly understood the reference.
âJungle Bookâ wins for visual effects
Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon won Oscars for visual effects for âJungle Book,â based on the celebrated 1894 story collection by Rudyard Kipling that details the exploits of an Indian boy named Mowgli, raised by wolves and thus able to speak with animals.
Legato has won previously for âHugoâ and âTitanic.â
Other nominees include:
Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington and Burt Dalton, âDeepwater Horizonâ
Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli and Paul Corbould, âDoctor Strangeâ
Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean and Brad Schiff, âKubo and the Two Stringsâ
John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel and Neil Corbould, âRogue One: A Star Wars Storyâ
Here are just a few of the places you may have seen Riz Ahmed lately
If it seems as though actor Riz Ahmed is everywhere lately, itâs because he is.
Presenting at Sundayâs Oscars ceremony is just the latest gig for Ahmed, whose career has taken flight in the last 18 months.
Ahmed starred in HBOâs critically acclaimed miniseries âThe Night Ofâ and appeared in âJason Bourneâ as well as âRogue One: A Star Wars Story.â
In addition to these star turns, Ahmed has also logged appearances on HBOâs âGirlsâ and Netflixâs âThe OAâ in recent months.
Ahmed, also known as Riz MC, even scored a spot on âThe Hamilton Mixtapeâ performing with Kânaan, Snow Tha Product and Residente on âImmigrants (We Get the Job Done).â
Maybe next year, Ahmed can host the Oscars himself.
Viola Davisâ moving Oscar speech captivates backstage as well
Charlize Theron put her arm around Shirley MacLaine as the two actresses stood backstage and watched as Viola Davis won the Oscar for best supporting actress. âOh my God, oh my God,â Theron said as she embraced a teary Davis as Davis, resplendent in a red gown, stepped into the wings and dried her eyes with a tissue.
Full statement from foreign-language film winner Asghar Farhadi, who refused to go to the Oscars in protest
Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi boycotted the Oscars to protest President Trumpâs executive order banning travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
The âSalesmanâ filmmaker sent two prominent Iranian Americans to the Academy Awards in his stead. Engineer Anousheh Ansari, the first Iranian in space, and former NASA director for solar system exploration Firouz Naderi accepted the foreign-language film Oscar on Farhadiâs behalf.
Here is the complete statement from Farhadi read by Ansari.
Itâs a great honor to be receiving this valuable award for the second time. I would like to thank the members of the academy, my crew in Iran, my producer Alexandre Mallet-Guy, Cohen Media, Amazon and my fellow nominees in the foreign-film category.
Iâm sorry Iâm not with you tonight. My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S.
Dividing the world into the âusâ and âour enemiesâ categories creates fears. A deceitful justification for aggression and war. These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression.
Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others. An empathy which we need today more than ever. Thank you.
On Friday, all five directors of the nominated foreign-language films released a statement condemning nationalist politics and dedicating the prize to those who fight against them.
Gael GarcĂa Bernal takes aim at Trumpâs wall
As a Mexican, as a Latin American, as a migrant worker, as a human being, I am against any form of wall that wants to separate us.
— Gael Garcia Bernal, speaking onstage as a presenter
Movie or TV show? Either way,ââO.J.: Made in Americaâ is an Oscar winner
Is it a movie or is it a TV show? Either way, âO.J.: Made in Americaâ is now an Oscar winner.
With a running time of nearly 8 hours, Ezra Edelmanâs probing documentary about the former NFL star turned notorious murder suspect made history as the longest film to win in the category.
Broadcast in five episodes on ESPN, itâs also the first television series to win an Academy Award for documentary, a milestone that will further blur the increasingly indistinct line between film and the medium once considered inferior, television. (And fuel testy Twitter debates between territorial film and TV critics.)
Films dealing with race dominated the documentary category this year. Other nominees included â13th,â Ava DuVernayâs look at mass incarceration, and the James Baldwin documentary, âI Am Not Your Negro,â directed by Raoul Peck.
In a nod to these themes, Edelman dedicated his win to Nicole Simpson, Ron Goldman and their families, but also to âthe victims of police violence, police brutality, racially motivated violence and criminal injustice,â he said. âThis is their story as well as Ron and Nicoleâs. I am honored to accept this award on all of their behalfs.â
âLa La Landâ wins production design
âLa La Landâ won an Oscar for production design, its first of the evening.
Other nominees include:
Patrice Vermette, Paul Hotte, âArrivalâ
Stuart Craig, Anna Pinnock, âFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themâ
Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh, âHail, Caesar!â
David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, âLa La Landâ
Guy Hendrix Dyas, Gene Serdena, âPassengersâ
Snacks (and piercings) abound behind the scenes at the Oscars
During the first commercial break, only a few stars dared to leave their seats so early in the show.
Gael Garcia Bernal ran to the bathroom, but Jamie Dornan and Scarlett Johansson each posted up at a bar.
The actress was sporting a whopping 10 earrings in her left ear -- that we could count, anyway -- and insisted to a friend that they were all real. âOh, Iâve been getting piercings for a longgg time.â
Unlike at the Golden Globes, which are centered on a boozy dinner, thereâs no food or drink allowed inside the Dolby. This means that during commercial breaks, nominees have to sneak out to the bar area to get champs.
Those looking to nosh, however, donât have a lot of options: There are only miniature cookies and Japanese rice crackers up for grabs.
âZootopiaâ wins animated feature
Disneyâs âZootopia,â about a female rabbit who defies her haters, doubters and a class-divided society to become a police officer, won the Oscar for animated feature.
The film, from co-directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore, explores the kinds of social inequities â gender, racial and class bias â they saw unfolding during production in the national conversation as police killings of African American men sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.
Other nominees include:
¡ âKubo and the Two Stringsâ
¡ âMoanaâ
¡ âMy Life as a Zucchiniâ
¡ âThe Red Turtleâ
Viola Davis thanks Denzel, God and the graveyard for her Oscar win
Supporting actress winner Viola Davis scored her first Academy Award on Sunday for her role in âFences.â The Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning star has been nominated for Oscars twice before -- for âThe Helpâ and âDoubtâ -- and also earned a lead actress Tony Award for her role when âFencesâ was on Broadway in 2010. Thatâs a Grammy short of EGOT-ing.
âThereâs one place that all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. One place. And thatâs the graveyard,â said a tearful Davis in her acceptance speech.
People ask me all the time, âWhat kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola?â And I say exhume those bodies. Exhume those stories. The stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost. I became an artist and thank God I did because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.
— âFencesâ star Viola Davis, supporting actress Oscar winner
Davis thanked âFencesâ playwright and screenwriter August Wilson, who âexhumed and exalted the ordinary people.â She also thanked director and co-star Denzel Washington, who received a rousing round of applause when she addressed him with âO, Captain! My Captain!â
âThank you for putting two entities in the driving seat: August and God. And they served you well.â
âPiperâ wins animated short
âPiperâ won the Oscar for animated short.
Other nominees include:
âBlind Vayshaâ
âBorrowed Timeâ
âPear Cider and Cigarettesâ
âPearlâ
Why âMoonlightâ deserves to win the best picture Oscar
âMoonlightâ deserves to win the Oscar for best picture.
That may be a crass, clunky thing to say about one of the least self-important American films in recent memory, but then not all truths can be conveyed as gracefully and eloquently as they are in director Barry Jenkinsâ beautiful movie.
So at the risk of bluntness, it bears repeating: âMoonlightâ deserves to win the Oscar for best picture.
This is not an opinion that will cause much consternation among critics, many of whom have hailed Jenkinsâ film as the yearâs best. But it may come as a surprise to those who donât see the greatness in a lyrical, intimate portrait of a black boy named Chiron whose early years in Miami are shaped by his crack-addicted mother, a drug-dealing father figure and a childhood best friend who becomes his first love.
It sounds, on paper, like the sort of eminently worthy, socially responsible indie drama we see often at festivals like Sundance and Toronto, where low-key, downbeat slices of life are assumed to be a dime a dozen. (âMoonlightâ premiered at Telluride and Toronto last fall.)
In truth, we arenât used to seeing movies as boldly, intelligently specific in their concerns as âMoonlight,â and we certainly arenât used to seeing them done this well.
Costume queen Colleen Atwoodâs fourth Oscar was Harry Potterâs first
Juggling J.K. and the Jazz Age, costume genius and Oscar perennial Colleen Atwood won her fourth award for costume design on Friday night for âFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.â
Amazingly, it was the first for a Rowling-based movie; none of the seven âHarry Potterâ movies, which starred some of Britainâs finest actors and swept millions into a magical world of witches and wizards, won an Oscar in any category.
And though âFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,â the Harry Potter prequel about a writerâs adventures among witches and wizards, was awash in violence, xenophobia and political revolt, backstage in the press room Atwood was nothing if not calm and composed.
Clutching her gold trophy, in a simple black dress, she surveyed the room from the small stage, answering questions with a slip of a smile on her face.
But when it was brought to her attention that none of the Harry Potter films had won Oscars until now, she was âshocked,â she said. âI didnât realize that â thatâs shocking! Because thereâs so much artistry in the Harry Potter movies. I think that maybe because this movie is set in the 1920s, which kind of keys off a different visual sense, might be the obvious [reason it won], but I canât believe it never won [before].â
And with that, as calmly as she appeared on stage, she exited, still clutching her trophy to her chest.
A shout-out to mom that tugged the heartstrings. Kevin OâConnell thanks his late mother Skippy
Kevin OâConnell had been nominated for an Oscar 20 times before. Heâd always gone home without the statuette.
When he heard his named called Sunday along with Peter Grace, Robert Mackenzie, and Andy Wright for their sound mixing work on âHacksaw Ridge,â OâConnell had no hesitation on who to thank.
In 2002, when was a 14-time nominee without a win, OâConnell told The Times about how he got his start,
His mother, Skippy, worked as a secretary for the head of the sound department at 20th Century Fox. OâConnell had previously tried to break into the industry as a projectionist at 20th Century Fox Studios. But, only 18, he failed the extensive test to qualify for a union.
So he joined the L.A. County Fire Department. From our 2002 piece:
One day, he came home from battling a brush fire in Sylmar; his hands and face were burnt, and his arms were chewed up by yucca plants. Heâd lost an alarming amount of weight. He was 19. His mother took one look at him and said, âThis is killing you; let me get you a job.â
He said in his short acceptance speech that she told him the only thank you she needed was for him to work hard.
ââYou can work really hard, and someday you can win yourself an Oscar, and you can stand on the stage, and you can think me in front of the whole world,ââ he said. âMom, I know youâre looking down on me tonight, so thank you.â
Lin-Manuel Miranda set up Auliâi Cravalho for a powerful âalley-oopâ
He said he was here just to help out â and he was right.
On the red carpet before the Oscars, âMoanaâ composer Lin-Manuel Miranda told The Times that his role in a rendition of the movieâs âHow Far Iâll Goâ was merely a supporting one.
âMy performance is entirely created to support Auliâi Cravalho, who is 16 years old and one of the most incredible young performers Iâve ever seen,â the actor and songwriter said. âSo really itâs an alley-oop.â
As promised, Miranda appeared onstage for only a few seconds (despite his marquee billing), rapping a brief introduction before passing the ball to Cravalho, who then dunked the thing in a major way.
If she can sing as assuredly as she just did at 16 â and before an estimated TV audience of 100 million people â she wonât need anyone else to set her up for long.
No alien bleeps, bloops or pew-pews: How âArrivalâsâ Sylvain Bellemare won the sound editing Oscar
Sylvain Bellemare has won the sound editing Oscar at the 89th Academy Awards for his work on âArrival.â Ahead of the ceremony, Josh Rottenberg talked with Bellemare about his work:
IN A TYPICAL SCI-FI MOVIE about extraterrestrials, there are certain kinds of sounds youâd expect to hear: electronic bleeps and bloops, whooshing spaceships, the slithering of slimy aliens, some pew-pew-pew laser blasts.
But as anyone whoâs seen it will tell you, âArrivalâ is not a typical sci-fi movie about extraterrestrials.
To help create a unique aural feel for the film â the story of a linguistics professor (Amy Adams) who is recruited by the military to help communicate with mysterious alien visitors â director Denis Villeneuve turned to a longtime friend and frequent collaborator, sound editor Sylvain Bellemare. The atmospheric, emotionally stirring soundscape Bellemare crafted has now earned him his first Oscar nomination.
A native of Montreal, Canada, the 49-year-old Bellemare had never worked on a big science-fiction film before, nor had he been part of a Hollywood studio production. But heâd certainly seen enough movies about aliens to know how easy it would be to slip into tired clichĂŠs.
âSo many films have been done and so many people have brought their ideas over the decades, so itâs tough to imagine that you can do something different,â Bellemare said by phone from Montreal on a recent morning. âBut at least you can believe you can.â
Villeneuve had a specific mandate for the kind of sound palette he wanted for âArrival.â
âThe simple approach was that all the sounds in the film needed to come from really natural, organic sources, instead of going to electronic or processed sound,â Bellemare said.
To create the voices of the aliens, known as heptapods, sound designers Dave Whitehead and Michelle Child blended various sounds including birds, camels, pigs and a Maori flute. The sound of the egg-shaped heptapod spacecraft as it moved through the sky was made by manipulating recordings of shifting rocks and ice.
âThe Salesmanâ wins foreign-language film
Iranâs âThe Salesman,â directed by Asghar Farhadi, won the Oscar for foreign-language film. The film, a domestic drama of morality and revenge, has garnered added attention since Farhadi, a previous Oscar winner, declared he would not attend the ceremony in the wake of the Trump administrationâs travel ban.
Farhadi won for 2011âs âA Separation.â In âThe Salesman,â a husband and wife working as actors on a Tehran production of âDeath of a Salesmanâ find themselves coping with a violent assault, the details of which are beyond their cultural comfort to discuss.
Other nominees include:
âToni Erdmann,â Germany
âA Man Called Ove,â Sweden
âTanna,â Australia
âLand of Mine,â Denmark
âSuicide Squadâ wins an Academy Award, the Internet responds: âThe Oscars will never be able to makeup for this.â
DC and Warner Bros.â summer tent pole can now be referred to as âThe Oscar-winning âSuicide Squad.ââ Thatâs because the comic-book film took home the Academy Award for makeup and hairstyling Sunday.
Makeup artists Giorgio Gregorini, Alessandro Bertolazzi and Christopher Nelson accepted the award on behalf of the film and dedicated it to âall the immigrants.â Still, the uplifting gesture did not overshadow the filmâs new epithet.
Hereâs a sampling:
Viola Davis on the âsnot-dripping, leaving-poop-and-pee-on-the-floor momentâ that won her the Oscar
When people tell Viola Davis that they have a favorite scene from âFences,â she knows where theyâre going. Itâs that scene where her loving, long-suffering character, Rose, learns from her husband that heâs seeing another woman, a woman whoâs now pregnant. And heâs not going to stop seeing her.
Devastated, Rose nearly collapses and then vents her hurt and anger. Between camera coverage and close-ups, Davis performed her long monologue 23 times for the film.
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
Hereâs what Davis told me about the scene:
âMy whole theory about that speech is that it would be every womanâs speech if theyâve been in a marriage for a long time and their husband came home and said, âYou know, I got another woman pregnant.â Because thereâs not one woman who hasnât sacrificed a hell of a lot for her marriage. Weâre the sacrificers.
âI always say that thereâs one moment in a personâs life that is no-holds-barred, lack-of-vanity, absolutely traumatizing. It could be when a parent dies. It could be a really bad breakup where you have the snot-dripping, leaving-poop-and-pee-on-the-floor moment. Those are the moments you try to forget as much as possible because they are not our shining moments. They are moments that are purely animalistic where youâre operating out of instinct.
âI truly believe what Marlon Brando says â there are times when youâre in conversation with someone and youâre fighting for your life. And thatâs this scene. Rose is fighting for her life. Her life is her husband and her son. Thatâs her purpose. Heâs taken that all away.â
Mahershala Ali is the first Muslim actor to win an Oscarâever
Mahershala Ali took home the first Oscar of the night, securing the best supporting actor trophy for his role as Juan in Barry Jenkinsâ âMoonlight.â
Ali is the first Muslim actor in history to win an Academy Award. He spoke movingly of his faith while accepting the SAG award for supporting actor for âMoonlightâ last month.
âMy grandma would want me to button up,â he said, after taking the stage, buttoning up his jacket. âI want to thank my teachers, my professors, my so many wonderful teachers.â He went on to talk about what they taught him and realizing that this moment wasnât about him. âItâs not about you. Itâs about these characters. You are a servant. Youâre in service to these stories and these characters and Iâm so blessed to have had an opportunity. It was about Juan, it was about Paula. Cast and crew, such a wonderful experience.â
Viola Davis wins for âFencesâ
Viola Davis won the supporting actress Oscar for her role as Rose Maxon in âFences.â Davis, who reprised her Broadway role, plays a woman navigating life with her overbearing husband in an adaptation of the play by August Wilson, directed by Denzel Washington.
With her nomination for âFences,â Davis became the first African American actress to have scored three Academy Award nominations. She was nominated in 2009 for her performance in âDoubtâ and again in 2012 for âThe Help.â
Other nominees include:
Naomie Harris, âMoonlightâ
Nicole Kidman, âLionâ
Octavia Spencer, âHidden Figuresâ
Michelle Williams, âManchester by the Seaâ
Janelle MonĂĄe adds a touch of fashion drama to the Oscars in her Elie Saab dress
We expected Janelle MonĂĄe to make a grand entrance, and she didnât disappoint on the Oscars carpet. Her sheer black tulle Elie Saab was adorned with a profusion of feathers and beads and a skirt worthy of Queen Elizabeth a couple of centuries ago. Only MonĂĄe could carry off all this. And wear it with a crown by Jennifer Behr.
But it echoes a similar, if not sleeker, Elie Saab that Halle Berry wore to the Oscars in 2002 when she won for lead actress for âMonsterâs Ball.â
And here is Berry on the 2017 red carpet wearing a gorgeous Atelier Versace that crisscrosses her in black tulle. She accented it with a thick head full of wayward curls. To put it simply: Itâs a fun look.
50 shades of silvery gray rock the Oscars
Adorned in platinum, silver and several shades of gray, the nominees walking the Oscar red carpet mirrored the dayâs gray skies, but took the neutral up a notch with loads of feathers, sequins and beads. Who shimmered in silver? Nominee Octavia Spencer in Marchesa, director Ava DuVernay in Ashi Studio of Beirut, actress Olivia Culp in Marchesa for Stella Artois and Matt Damonâs spouse, Luciana Barrosa.
âHacksaw Ridgeâ wins for sound mixing
Kevin OâConnell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace win for âHacksaw Ridge.â
Other nominees include:
Bernard GariĂŠpy Strobl and Claude La Haye, âArrivalâw
Andy Nelson, Ai-Ling Lee and Steve A. Morrow, âLa La Landâ
David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson, âRogue One: A Star Wars Storyâ
Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth, â13 Hoursâ
âArrivalâ wins for sound editing
âArrival,â a film about aliens visiting Earth, wins for sound editing.
Other nominees include:
Wylie Stateman and RenĂŠe Tondelli, âDeepwater Horizonâ
Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright, âHacksaw Ridgeâ
Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan, âLa La Landâ
Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman, âSullyâ
âO.J.: Made in Americaâ is now the longest film to ever win an Oscar
At 7 hours and 47 minutes, the Oscar nomination for âO.J. Simpson: Made in Americaâ sparked a controversy about the fine line between a movie and a TV show. Though the documentary was aired in five parts on ESPN, it was released in theaters, making it Oscar-eligible.
In total, the documentary runs for 467 minutes. The previous longest winner, at 431 minutes, was the Russian adaptation of âWar and Peaceâ which won the Oscar for best foreign language film in 1969.
âCaptain Americaâsâ Chris Evans is the reigning best bang for the buck actor
2017 Oscar presenter Chris Evans is many things: the big screen Captain America, an ally of the LGBT community and even an avid Patriots fan. He is also Hollywoodâs top actor when it comes to box office returns.
For two consecutive years Evans has topped Forbesâ Best Actor for the Buck list, meaning he has the highest box office payoff for his salary. While he may currently be busy sparring with white supremacists on Twitter, in 2016 Forbes calculated Evans earned studios an average $135.80 at the box office for every $1 he was paid.
Evans, of course, plays Steve Rogers in Marvelâs blockbuster superhero films. Kicking off with 2011âs âCaptain America: The First Avenger,â Evansâ tenure as the super-serum enhanced soldier has included two additional solo films on top of his appearances in ensemble âAvengersâ films.
Evans beat out fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe actors Chris Pratt (who plays Peter âStar-Lordâ Quill in the âGuardians of the Galaxyâ films), Scarlett Johansson (who plays Avenger Black Widow) as well as Robert Downey Jr. (who plays âIron Manâsâ Tony Stark) to top the list.
âItâs pretty gnarly in thereâ: A star-studded peek behind the curtain at the Oscars
The hallway backstage was filling up shortly before the show. Security guards listened to their earphones.
Shirley MacLaine followed Alicia Vikander into the green room. Javier Bardem sipped a drink.
Meryl Streep chatted near a black curtain. Dakota Johnson, wearing a champagne-colored gown, ducked into the hallway bathroom. She emerged moments later with both a grimace and a grin: âitâs pretty gnarly in there.â
Two men in tuxes and wearing white gloves stacked Oscar statuettes on lighted shelves in the wings.
The red carpet erupts in cheers for Emma Stone
Lead actress nominee Emma Stone was greeted by cheers and applause as she made her way down the Oscars red carpet.
Stone, nominated for her portrayal of aspiring actress Mia in âLa La Land,â is considered the front runner in her category.
TAKE A LOOK AT EMMA STONEâS RED CARPET FASHION THROUGH THE YEARS >>
âO.J.: Made in Americaâ wins documentary Oscar
The 467-minute âO.J.: Made in Americaâ wins best documentary Oscar.
Other nominees included:
âFire at Seaâ
âI Am Not Your Negroâ
âLife, Animatedâ
â13thâ
Jimmy Kimmel lobs a few zingers at Trump but keeps it lighthearted in Oscars monologue
âI want to thank Donald Trump. Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist?â
That was one of many quips that Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel lobbed at President Trump during his opening monologue at the 89th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday.
While Kimmelâs approach was lighthearted and mild, his monologue included jokes about the Oscarsâ issues with diversity among its ranks and nominees, and the recent policies by Trump that many in Hollywood have said are discriminatory.
âIn Hollywood, we donât discriminate based on where theyâre from. We discriminate against them based on their age and weight,â quipped Kimmel.
Kimmelâs job was cut out for him opening an awards show in a year thatâs been politically charged and included celebrities speaking out publicly against Trumpâs policies. Last year, Oscars host Chris Rock riffed mostly about race issues in Hollywood.
Kimmel chose to tease Meryl Streep, whose Golden Globes speech ripped into Trumpâs divisiveness and subsequently drew a derisive tweet from the president about her being âoverrated.â
After picking up on that and calling her early work mediocre and accusing her of âphoning it in,â Kimmel called for a round of applause that turned into a standing ovation on the occasion of Streepâs record 20th nomination.
He concluded with a grin: âWeâre gonna have fun tonight. Nice dress. Is that an Ivanka?â
Inside the insane (non-official) Oscars gift bag: $40,000 trips, diamonds and custom crayons
The opulent Oscars gift bags of 2017 include diamonds, crayons and a private mansion stay.
The (unofficial) Oscarâs swag bag is insane.
Lash Fary, who assembles the non-official Oscars gift bag, believes, emphatically, that âmore is moreâ and fills his bags accordingly. There are things for kids: Customizable Crayola crayons, a childrenâs book, an electric scooter. There are less expensive items: A $2.99 protein bar, ChapStick, a CPR kit.
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
And there are a lot of things for supposed body improvement: weight-loss formulas, a plate that helps with portion control, seat mats designed to eliminate cellulite.
Plus a private stay at a mansion, a trip worth $40,000.
Fan-cy.
Jimmy Kimmel congratulates Oscar nominees, some of you may get tweeted at by the president!
Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel kindly reminded all the nominees that the president was (probably) watching and tweeting.
Some of you will come up onto this stage and give a speech that the president of the United States will tweet about in all caps during his 5 a.m. bowel movement tomorrow morning.
— Jimmy Kimmel, Oscars 2017 Host
âFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Themâ wins for costume design
Colleen Atwood won for âFantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.â
Other nominees include:
Mary Zophres, âLa La Landâ
Madeline Fontaine, âJackieâ
Consolata Boyle, âFlorence Foster Jenkinsâ
Joanna Johnston, âAlliedâ
Justin Timberlake knows what Denzel Washington likes
Justin Timberlake opened Sundayâs Academy Awards with a typically spirited performance of âCanât Stop the Feeling,â his Oscar-nominated song from the animated movie âTrolls.â
But just in case anyone thought the former teen-pop star didnât belong among the grown-ups at the Dolby Theatre, Timberlake fleshed out the song with a bit of âLovely Dayâ by the veteran soul great Bill Withers. (Worth nothing: The tunesâ bass lines are crazy similar.)
âI know you know this, Denzel,â Timberlake said as he pointed to Denzel Washington in the audience â I guess because the âFencesâ actor and Withers are both black men?
Maybe later Sting will quiz Viola Davis about Aretha!
Hey, Karl Lagerfeld, Meryl Streep is wearing Elie Saab
Meryl Streep, nominated tonight for a record-breaking 20th Oscar, wore Elie Saab Haute Couture.
The choice was more notable than usual because of a public he-said-she-said between the acclaimed actress and the famed Chanel couturier Karl Lagerfeld in the days before the ceremony.
Lagerfeld, speaking to Womenâs Wear Daily, accused the Oscar-winning actress of reneging on her request that the French design house produce a gown for her.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
The creative director claimed that Streep dropped Chanel because her team âfound somebody who will pay us.â â
Streep wasnât having it, saying that the designer âdefamed me, my stylist and the illustrious designer whose dress I chose to wear, in an important industry publication.â
â[T]he story was picked up globally, and continues, globally, to overwhelm my appearance at the Oscars on the occasion of my record-breaking 20th nomination, and to eclipse this honor in the eyes of the media, my colleagues and the audience.â
Her camp said that it was against her morals to accept payment for wearing a dress.
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
The fracas also became a punchline during Jimmy Kimmelâs opening monologue.
âNice dress by the way. Is that an Ivanka?â Kimmel said, referring to President Trumpâs daughterâs fashion line, which has also been in the news.
The âFlorence Foster Jenkinsâ star wore a custom midnight blue satin ensemble by Elie Saab. The Lebanon-based design house described the outfit as having long sleeves and off-the-shoulder collar, teamed with a slim ankle trouser.
âSuicide Squadâ wins for makeup and hair
Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson of âSuicide Squadâ won.
Other nominees include:
Eva von Bahr and Love Larson, âA Man Called Oveâ
Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo, âStar Trek Beyondâ
Jimmy Kimmel co-opts Trumpâs âMake America Great Againâ for the Oscars
In a serious moment near the start of his Oscars monologue, host Jimmy Kimmel took the words right out of President Trumpâs mouth.
Saying he wasnât the guy to bring everyone together again, Kimmel suggested something he thought might work.
âIf every person watching this show â there are millions and millions of people watching right now â and if every one of you took a minute to reach out to one you disagree with, someone you like, and have a positive, considerate conversation â not as liberals or conservatives, as Americans â if we would all do that, we could make America great again, we really could,â Kimmel said.
âIt starts with us.â
Mahershala Ali wins for âMoonlightâ
Mahershala Aliâs turn as a Miami drug dealer who takes a fatherless young boy under his wing won him the supporting actor Oscar.
Ali also won numerous prizes for his role in the film, including a SAG Award and National Society of Film Critics Award. This is his first Oscar nomination and win.
Other nominees were:
Jeff Bridges, âHell or High Waterâ
Lucas Hedges, âManchester by the Seaâ
Dev Patel, âLionâ
Michael Shannon, âNocturnal Animalsâ
For Oscars super fans, the red carpet is the place to be
Rows upon rows of Oscars super fans crowd into the red carpet bleachers every year to watch celebrities make their way into the Academy Awards.
Adam Shaw, an Army public affairs master sergeant, was one of the luckiest fans with an enviable seat, front row smack dab in the center of the bleachers. It was a prime pic-snapping, celeb-cheering position.
Dressed in uniform, Shaw was one of a group of 40 soldiers who were invited to watch arrivals at the Oscars. He said he couldnât pass up the opportunity to bring his wife.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
âQuite honestly, I donât really have a favorite,â he admitted with a grin. âI want to see the Rock. Is he going to be here?â
Around the corner as the end of the star-studded red carpet led into the Dolby Theatre, Coreena Boothroyd, 20, was in a throng of college students with their iPhones out, snapping pics and cheering for passing A-listers.
âIâm excited to see Brie Larson,â said the aspiring screenwriter, who was one of 22 film students who flew in from Elon University in North Carolina for the Oscars. âI love Andrew Garfield... and I like Emma Stone.
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
âI liked âHidden Figuresâ and I canât wait to see âMoonlight,â â added Boothroyd, also a fan of âLa La Land,â craning her head down the carpet for a glimpse of Garfield. âBut I wonât be mad no matter who wins.â
Even Ava DuVernayâs gown is making a statement tonight
Director Ava DuVernay hand-selected her gorgeous Ashi Studio gown as a statement against President Trumpâs Muslim ban.
Jimmy Kimmel has never been to the Oscars before this year, but he has crashed the Governors Ball
Jimmy Kimmel may be the host of the 89th Academy Awards, but he wasnât always on the official guest list.
Back in 1995 when Kimmel was working on the âKevin & Beanâ show, he spent the day of the Oscars trying to crash the official post-show party.
Kimmel, along with âKevin & Beanâ co-host Kevin Ryder, showed up at the Governors Ball dining room at noon that day and camped out for hours hoping to sneak into the party.
âI was wearing a tuxedo I had probably borrowed from my father-in-law, who outweighed me by 50 pounds,â Kimmel recalled to The Timesâ Glenn Whipp. âIâm sure it was immediately obvious that we had no business being there.â
When security asked the pair to leave as the Oscars were ending, Kimmel dashed to a pay phone to call in to the radio station and asked a producer to read him a name from the showâs credits. While he failed to convince security that they were guests of the showâs producer Gil Cates, the duo made their way in when a sea of official guests headed to the entrance.
If getting into the party wasnât enough of an achievement, Kimmel recalls that John Travolta went and got him and Ryder dinner.
âI think he could sense our fear of being thrown out,â said Kimmel.
Just donât call âManchesterâ a Trump movie
âManchester by the Seaâ may not have the same woke sensibility or charged issues as some of the other best-picture nominees. But some behind the Kenneth Lonergan-Casey Affleck collaboration say it has plenty of social relevance just the same.
âItâs whatâs going on in the country right now â a story of working-class white people,â said Amazon Studios head of marketing and distribution Bob Berney as he entered the Dolby Theatre on Sunday.
The film, released by Amazon and Roadside, has captured attention for its story of everyday people going through some extraordinary circumstances in coastal Massachusetts â the kind of people Hollywood doesnât always depict.
But conflating that group with Trump voters would be a mistake, Lonergan said.
âItâs about working-class guys on boats, yes, but in a part of the country where a lot of people voted for Hillary Clinton,â Lonergan told The Times as he waited to enter the Dolby.
âThatâs not a contradiction,â he added. âA lot of working-class people vote for Hillary Clinton. A lot of working-class people vote for Democrats.â
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel sees you, Matt Damon
There were music videos, late-night stage-crashing, ultrasound cameos and seat assignment defacing. Now Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel is preparing to take his feuding shenanigans with Oscar winner Matt Damon to the next level.
âDead man walking the red carpet,â Kimmel wrote in a pre-show tweet.
In the image he shared, Kimmel appeared to be reworking Sundayâs script to include a quip or two (or three) about his longtime frenemy. Damon, who is nominated as a producer of best picture nominee âManchester by the Sea,â is seen giving a red carpet interview as Kimmel looks on.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
The gag started in the early days of âJimmy Kimmel Live!â when, in an effort to liven things up, Kimmel pretended that they didnât have enough time to interview the A-lister. He doggedly kept it going complete with occasional ârevengeâ appearances by Damon.
Not surprisingly, the feud took on a life of its own -- with Damon ribbing Kimmel for losing the Emmy race when he was hosting the Emmy Awards in September -- and is now expected to be a highlight of Sundayâs show.
âMoonlightâsâ Trevante Rhodes has seen the film 20 times. Heâs âhappy, but sadâ tonight
Why is âMoonlightâ important?
The film is important because it helps you feel, the film is important because it teaches you, the film is important because just ... everything, I donât know. This is film, itâs hard to explain but film is everything.
Are the Oscars important?
I have to say they are because Iâm here, but itâs an amazing thing to have a film that we love like âMoonlightâ be appreciated and received the way it is. So in that regard, the Oscars are amazing and important because it helps to elevate films that we care about. Thatâs why itâs important.
How do you feel to be at the end of this remarkable journey?
I love the film. I love everything about the film. I love the people, I loved the experience. I wish it could go on forever because again, I do love it. I saw it again two days ago and I still cried. Iâve seen it like 20 times. Itâs really special and I know everything isnât that special, but Iâm appreciative to have had it, Iâm appreciative of what it is and the things that came from it. So Iâm sad. Happy, but sad.
âMoonlightâsâ Barry Jenkins reveals what heâs doing after the Oscars
Iâm going to Mexico. Iâm going to the YucatĂĄn.
— Barry Jenkins
Best and worst dressed: Early look at the hits and misses on the red carpet
Times fashion writers Adam Tschorn and Marques Harper are weighing in on the best and worst of this yearâs red carpet looks.
PHOTO GALLERY: OSCARS BEST AND WORST RED CARPET LOOKS >>
Here are some of their early thoughts:
A va-va-voom black dress from Alberta Ferretti paired with diamonds as a classic duo, made Taraji P. Henson, who starred in the Oscar-nominated âHidden Figures,â an easy pick for the best-dressed list.
Felicity Jones played one of the yearâs boldest female characters as Rey in âStar Wars: The Force Awakens.â But on the red carpet, her pale Dior gown got lost against her skin color. Verdict: Sheâs on this yearâs worst-dressed list.
On the red carpet, Nicole Kidman sparkles from head to toe
Nicole Kidman, nominated for actress in a supporting role for âLion,â wins best-dressed ear lobes with dangling red-and-pink stones encircled by diamonds.
Her Armani PrivĂŠ dress is perfection as well. Itâs form-fitting, sleek and in a pale shade that complements the earrings.
OK, maybe she picked the dress first, but the earrings are the stars of the look.
Actor David Oyelowo on the growth of political discussion -- and of background noise
The âSelmaâ star weighed in with an opinion at the Oscars red carpet.
More people are getting comfortable talking politics. Is that a good thing?
I think itâs a good thing if you actually have something to say. I think, yes, there is a growth in political consciousness, but thereâs also a growth in white noise and youâve got to really sift through it to get to something of substance.
I donât think everyone who has a platform is necessarily worthy of using it. But I think those that are, should, and thatâs what makes this country great: freedom of speech.
Why do you think the Oscars still matter?
I think to celebrate this art form that is so influential is a good thing. It gives people an opportunity to be aware of films that they otherwise wouldnât.
Thatâs one of the great things about any awards, but particularly the Academy Awards. Smaller films that are made for smaller budgets, âMoonlightâ being a case in point. A film made for $1.5 million, if it didnât have this kind of recognition, probably a lot less people would see it.
On the red carpet, here are two ways to stand out in Armani PrivĂŠ
Here is Isabelle Huppert, nominated for lead actress for âElle,â looking elegant, if a bit too sedate, in Armani PrivĂŠ. The Repossi ear crawlers add some sparkly edge, though.
And then thereâs Emma Roberts, also in 12-year-old Armani Prive look, carrying off a mere sliver of a lacy black bodice without looking tacky. In fact, she looks stunning in the gown.
Sony exec: âFake newsâ will give Asghar Farhadi the Oscar
Sony Pictures Classics executive Tom Bernard is not one to hold his tongue.
And heâs really not likely to shy away when it comes to the subject of the foreign-language film race, in which Asghar Farhadiâs âThe Salesmanâ has lately eclipsed Maren Adeâs ââToni Erdmannâ as the front runner.
German submission âErdmannâ appeared to be coasting to a win when Farhadi, who is Iranian, said he would be boycotting the âOscars to protest President Trumpâs travel ban. That turned the tide for the director, leading to coverage -- and a potential voting shift -- that didnât sit well with Sony Pictures Classics.
âItâs fake news that will give Asghar the Oscar,â Bernard told The Times as he walked in to the Dolby Theatre on Sunday afternoon. âThe media has made the foreign race about a vote against Trump and not about the films.â
Bernard, whose Sony Pictures Classics released Farhadiâs âA Separationâ several years ago, said he didnât blame the director for the development.
âHe made one statement. Then the media went âand blew it up,â Bernard said.
The executive wasnât just bold on the question of the foreign-language film category. He had strong feelings about the leading actress category, too.
âElleâ star Isabelle Huppert is considered a longer shot to win âagainst Emma Stone from âLa La Land.â But Bernard feels confident about the upset.
âI think Isabelleâs got it,â he said of the veteran actress. Asked why specifically, he offered a simple assessment. âSheâs done the workâ.â
Ava DuVernay and Chrissy Teigen are Oscars red carpet besties
Teigenâs sleek white-and-gold Zuhair Murad gown provided the perfect counterpoint to DuVernayâs voluminous gray Ashi Studio turtleneck dress, right on-trend with the nightâs long-sleeved theme.
In Dior, Kirsten Dunst offers a fresh take on old-school sartorial drama for the red carpet
Kirsten Dunstâs black dress is simply magnificent. Weâre loving the old-school glamour of the strapless black gown -- the wasp waist and the slightly shorter front hem with a train in back.
Itâs Dior channeling classic Christian Dior. And whatâs the bonus? This one has pockets; just our kingdom for an evening dress with pockets.
Lin-Manuel Miranda on how âThe Little Mermaidâ changed his life
Iâm standing here because I saw âLittle Mermaidâ when I was 10 and it changed my life. I couldnât believe they broke into a Caribbean tune in the middle of a Disney movie. And here I am with a nominated tune for a Disney movie. How ... cool is that?
— Lin-Manuel Miranda
Director of Oscar-nominated documentary says the current White House looks down on âdiversity and differenceâ
Roger Ross Williams, director of Oscar-nominated documentary âLife, Animated,â took a moment to talk about the importance of diversity while on the red carpet.
âFilm has to reflect the real world,â Williams said. âIn this political climate, where diversity and difference is looked down upon by the administration, by the President, itâs important that we have a voice.â
Williams also has a leadership role in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of three documentary branch governors. He plans to use his power to promote more diversity in Hollywood.
âI think itâs time for Hollywood, itâs time for the Academy to step up and fill that gap. Itâs not coming from the White House, itâs not coming from Washington, it has to come from us,â Williams said. âAnd as governor I hope that I can play a big role in pushing diversity forward.â
Itâs Take Your Mom to the Oscars Day for Lucas Hedges and Dev Patel
The 89th Academy Awards were a family affair on Sunday. The go-to Oscars date for a few first-time nominees came in the maternal variety.
Like Leonardo DiCaprio and Bradley Cooper before them, âManchester by the Seaâ supporting actor nominee Lucas Hedges got a sweetly embarrassing smooch from his mother, poet and actress Susan Titman, for all to see, âMoanaâ original song nominee Lin-Manual Miranda was accompanied by his mother, Dr. Luz Towns-Miranda, and âLionâ supporting actor nominee Dev Patel was joined by his mom, Anita Patel.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
Mahershala Ali looks sharp in monochromes from day to âMoonlightâ
The âMoonlightâ and âHidden Figuresâ star opted for all black at the Academy Awards tonight, a deep departure from his all-white (with black accents) look at the SAG Awards. Check out all of Mahershala Aliâs red carpet looks here.
Hosts Elton John and David Furnish arrive at the EJAF Oscars viewing party
Hosts Elton John and husband David Furnish have arrived at the Elton John AIDS Foundationâs 25th annual Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood Park.
âItâs our silver anniversary this year. David and I havenât reached that milestone yet,â the singer told reporters on the eventâs white carpet. He was in Burberry, while Furnish wore Saint Laurent.
âWe started at a small restaurant on Maple Drive, raised $300,000 and thought, âThatâs not bad. Letâs try that again,ââ John said.
At the 2016 viewing party, $6.2 million was brought in for EJAF.
Low temps, long sleeves at the Oscars
Leading ladies led a trend for long sleeves on the Oscars red carpet. Isabelle Huppert of âElleâ and model/cookbook author (and wife of John Legend) Chrissy Teigen showed how to make the look alluring by sporting sheer fabrics loaded with sparkling embellishments.
Oscar nomination of sound mixer on Benghazi movie â13 Hoursâ is pulled
Citing a violation of campaign regulations, the motion picture academy announced Saturday that it has rescinded the Oscar nomination for sound mixer Greg P. Russell from â13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.â
âThe decision was prompted by the discovery that Russell had called his fellow members of the sound branch during the nominations phase to make them aware of his work on the film, in direct violation of a campaign regulation that prohibits telephone lobbying,â the academy said in a statement.
The remaining sound mixers from âBenghaziâ â Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Mac Ruth â will remain as nominees.
âMoonlightâ composer Nicholas Britell wasnât sure his unconventional chopped and screwed score would work
What inspired the filmâs chopped and screwed score?
We were talking, and initially I was feeling the poetry of the film. I was trying to channel that idea of poetry into music and then Barry [Jenkins, the director of âMoonlightâ] told me about how much he loved chopped and screwed music.
We just had this idea where like, what if I wrote and fully recorded my music, my classical orchestral music, and then what if we chopped and screwed it as like a second part of the process? Thatâs one of those things where I think it sounds cool, but you donât know if itâs going to work, you know? And whatâs cool with film music is you donât know until you put it up against the picture if itâs right. You really donât know. And what was amazing was as we started doing these explorations, it totally worked. It felt like it was part of the movie. It felt like it was a way of evolving the music along with Chironâs own personal journey, and that was really exciting. And certain places we would do different experiments.
Whatâs cool with film music is you donât know until you put it up against the picture if itâs right. You really donât know.
Some of the tracks are bent so far down that theyâre just like a rumbling, like during the schoolyard fight, some of them are actually more like cellos that I would bend and they sound kind of like basses. Itâs always different... most of the cues have some element which is evolved in some way.
Last month, you did a live orchestration to accompany the film. What was it like to do a live orchestration while the film is going on?
That was unforgettable for me. It actually took a long time to prepare for that. I worked on it for almost three months, because with the chopping and screwing, some of that is actually not playable on the instruments. You take a violin and you bend it and then you get it to a range where the violin canât play it. So I spent a lot of time figuring out how do we do it live because when youâre playing with it live you want it to be live. So there were places, for example, where I would have a violin that I bent to sound like a bass so weâd have a bass play it. So I would sort of reassign some things.
Why do the Oscars still matter?
I think itâs very special for there to be a celebration that is really a celebration of the arts. Itâs a celebration of peopleâs artistic work, and especially in the world today, I think itâs something thatâs really important that people have an opportunity to showcase what theyâve done and also for the audience to respond to those works. So I view it as, all the people here are artists in their own way. Every department of the film, these are real masters of their craft. So I think itâs wonderful that there are these celebrations.
Blue ACLU ribbons make a statement on the Oscars red carpet
Academy Award attendees on Sunday made activism a must-have red-carpet accessory.
Those blue ribbons affixed to the formal attire worn by model Karlie Kloss, original song nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda, âLovingâ nominee Ruth Negga and âMoonlightâ director Barry Jenkins represent the American Civil Liberties Unionâs new âStand With ACLUâ initiative.
By wearing the pin, the celebrities are showing their support âfor the rights and civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution to everyone in the United States,â the ACLU said in a statement.
âIâm wearing an ACLU ribbon because theyâre fighting incredible fights right now for American ideals,â Miranda said.
Ahead of Oscars, Ava DuVernay honors Trayvon Martin on anniversary of his death
Before Sundayâs Oscars celebration, director Ava DuVernay and other stars are donning hoodies to honor Trayvon Martin on the fifth anniversary of his death.
DuVernay, whoâs nominated for documentary feature for her film â13th,â tweeted a photo of herself holding up a gray hoodie, similar to the one Martin was wearing when George Zimmerman shot and killed him, emblazoned with âTRAYVONâ in black letters.
And DuVernay wasnât alone in her support on social media.
Emma Roberts supports sustainable fashion by wearing a 12-year-old Armani gown
Emma Robertsâ red-carpet ensemble shows that âsustainable fashionâ doesnât necessarily mean âmade out of recycled soda bottles.â
Roberts, one of the stars on this yearâs red carpet raising awareness of sustainable style through Suzy Amis Cameronâs Red Carpet Green Dress program (another is Priyanka Rose), turned out wearing an Armani PrivĂŠ gown from the designerâs first PrivĂŠ collection, which debuted in Paris in January 2005.
Itâs a spaghetti strap couture dress embroidered with cream crystals and waves of small white jet beads featured in a two-tiered skirt. The plunging bodice is made of jet and black crystal teardrops, and the look is finished off with a black satin cummerbund.
Saving the planet -- one vintage garment at a time.
Taraji P. Henson brings Hollywood glam and elegance to the red carpet
This may be the best that Taraji P. Henson has ever looked on a red carpet. Elegant and sexy in custom Alberta Ferretti, she looks like a cross between a Hollywood siren and a John Singer Sargent portrait.
Weâre loving the bib of diamonds, by Nirav Modi, around her neck and wish more stars swathed themselves in jewels on Oscar night.
Jackie Chan brought two pandas to the Oscars
Jackie Chan managed a plus-two for the red carpet -- he showed up with two toy pandas, one boy and one girl, wearing UNICEF pins.
The martial-arts icon is a goodwill ambassador for the charity, and heâs been taking stuffed pandas Chan La and Chan Zy on the road for years now.
Keepinâ it wavy at the Oscars
Loose, sexy waves that recall the Golden Age of Hollywood make a statement on the Oscars red carpet. Theyâre also weatherproof on a windy and rainy day.
Ruth Negga looks positively regal in rubies
Sure, itâs still early in the game to handicap the red-carpet arrivals, but lead actress nominee Ruth Negga (âLovingâ) is our first serious contender for the eveningâs best-dressed list.
SEE RUTH NEGGAâS RED CARPET LOOKS FROM THIS AWARDS SEASON >>
In addition to a red Valentino gown with lace detail, Negga, who worked with stylist Karla Welch this awards season, made her entrance wearing a headpiece, earrings and rings by L.A.-based jewelry designer Irene Neuwirth featuring Gemfields responsibly sourced Mozambican rubies.
The look, as one comment on Twitter put it, is âregal AF.â
We couldnât agree more.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
Trump supporters rally against âHollywood elitesâ ahead of the Oscars
A small group of President Trump supporters rallied Sunday in Hollywood in advance of the Academy Awards.
The group held its demonstration outside the Metro station near the corner of Hollywood and Vine, not far from the Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars ceremony will be held.
About a dozen protesters carried signs, Trump banners and American flags, chanting such slogans as âCelebrities donât speak for usâ and âHollywood, donât divide us.â
The protest was called by the San Fernando Valley for Trump Celebration group, which said it believed âHollywood elitesâ were trying to divide America.
âThe White Helmetsâ director: âPeople from the Middle East and film can help change that narrativeâ
In politically fraught times, film becomes a more important tool than ever when it comes to exposing audiences to realities unlike their own.
Those individuals behind Netflixâs Oscar-nominated documentary short âThe White Helmets,â a film about volunteer rescue efforts in war-torn Syria, are well aware of how vital film is to giving people insight into whatâs happening on the other side of the world.
Director Orlando von Einsiedel said Sunday afternoon that he thinks that film is uniquely positioned to create understanding.
âThere is so much misunderstanding about Muslims and people from the Middle East and film can help change that narrative,â he said during a moment on the red carpet.
âFilm is a window and can create empathy,â added producer Joanna Natasegara.
âThis is such an incredible platform to shout loudly,â Von Einsiedel said.
A reminder that the âMoonlightâ kids are already the best part of this awards season
The cast of âMoonlightâ had plenty to celebrate Saturday night after the film took the top prize at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
The filmâs young stars showed all the adults how itâs done by tearing up the dance floor at the Spirit Awards after-party. Alex R. Hibbert and Jaden Piner, of course, have already stolen the hearts of many during this awards season.
Just look at the joy on Trevante Rhodes face when he encountered his co-stars on the SAG Awards red carpet back in January.
Leading actress nominee Ruth Negga arrives wearing whatâs sure to be this yearâs Oscar must-have accessory
Capping an incredible spike in donations and new memberships, the American Civil Liberties Union has made its way onto the Academy Awardsâ red carpet.
Ruth Negga, whoâs nominated for best leading actress for her work in âLoving,â was among the stars sporting the tell-tale blue ribbon in support of the ACLU.
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
SEE RUTH NEGGAâS RED CARPET LOOKS FROM THIS AWARDS SEASON >>
Make your 2017 Oscars picks on the L.A. Times ballot
Although the official voting period for the 89th Academy Awards closed on Feb. 21, itâs not too late for you to fill out your own ballot for Sundayâs main event.
In how many of its 14 nominations will âLa La Landâ come out on top? Will âMoonlightâ ride its momentum from Saturdayâs Spirit Awards win to claim best picture or will SAG Award winner âHidden Figuresâ take the prize? Will Meryl Streep have another chance to make another winning acceptance speech?
Need a little help? You can take a look at Times awards columnist Glenn Whippâs predictions here.
Cast your ballot, save your picks and share them with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Make sure to check back later to see how well you fared with your predictions.
The Los Angeles Times is live from the Oscars red carpet
The Los Angeles Times is live on the red carpet at the 89th Academy Awards, where Hollywood is braving a chilly afternoon on its way into the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland.
Follow The Timesâ crew all day on social media for news you wonât see on TV from the red carpet, the show, backstage and the after-parties.
From Kendrick to Aretha, hear the âMoonlightâ-inspired mixtape
Going into Sundayâs Oscars with eight nominations and a wave of critical acclaim, âMoonlightâ has inspired its own mix-tape.
Created by OG Ron C and the Chopstars, âPurple Moonlightâ riffs on the filmâs soundtrack by remixing it with a âchopped not sloppedâ (or âchopped and screwedâ) overhaul. Slowing down songs such as Goodie Mobâs âCell Therapyâ and Aretha Franklinâs âOne Step Ahead,â the mix-tape also throws in tunes (Kendrick Lamarâs âAlright,â Erykah Baduâs âTyroneâ) that would have worked well in the film.
Listen to the soundtrack above.
Judging from âMoonlightâ writer-director Barry Jenkinsâ Twitter account (fair warning: coarse language ahead), heâll be doing exactly that tonight â assuming his hands arenât full of Oscars.
And proving that stars are just like us, check out how Jenkins spent his Oscar morning.
Red carpet alert: Keep your eyes peeled for the ânambasâ of âTannaâ group
If youâre looking for some serious standout style on this eveningâs Academy Awards red carpet, keep your eyes peeled for the attendees representing the Australian film âTanna,â which is a nominee in the category of best foreign-language film.
PR representatives tell us the filmâs two co-directors and three of its stars (all from the island of Tanna on Vanuatu in the South Pacific) are expected to hit the carpet in their usual native garb that includes traditional skirts and decorations made from local plants, rolled on rocks in the river, and dried and shaped by hand, as well as a ânambas,â a penis sheath made from the leaves of a local plant that weâre told resembles a banana tree.
Get ready for the Oscars Lin-Manuel Miranda-style: With karaoke
How would you prepare for a weekend that could see you winning your first Oscar? If youâre anything like Lin-Manuel Miranda, youâd sing a little karaoke with friends.
Thatâs exactly what the âHamiltonâ mastermind did Thursday night, when he attended the premiere party of the Seeso series âMy Brother, My Brother and Meâ at an Echo Park bar and thrilled the crowd with a rendition of R. Kellyâs âIgnition (Remix)â.
Naomie Harris, Octavia Spencer have a quick spa day before their Oscars red carpet stroll
Who wouldnât want to relax before the start of the 89th Academy Awards?
Before their red carpet moments, Naomie Harris, nominated for best supporting actress for âMoonlight,â and Octavia Spencer, nominated in the same category for âHidden Figures,â took some time for a break and a chance to relax before the parties, the red carpet, the awards show and the after-parties.
How perfectly La La Land.
Can you guess who wore these Oscar dresses?
If youâre looking for a style-centric time-waster in the run-up to the red carpet arrivals at the Dolby, we humbly suggest trying your hand at our Oscar Fashion Face-off Quiz.
This is a revamped and revised version of the quiz that debuted during last yearâs Academy Awards coverage. Weâll spot you the dress, the silhouette â and a couple of hints â and all you need to do is pick the correct actress from three possible choices before the 20-second timer expires.
Good luck!
Emma Stone has been using the same glam squad for at least 7 years
Makeup artist Rachel Goodwin shared a throwback photo from seven years ago with Emma Stone as she helped the actress prepare for her very first Academy Awards show.
Stone, of course, is among this yearâs lead actress nominees for her portrayal of aspiring actress Mia in âLa La Land.â
TAKE A LOOK AT EMMA STONEâS RED CARPET FASHION THROUGH THE YEARS >>
Will anti-New York Times tweet âTrump-bumpâ the Oscars?
An ad for the New York Times, scheduled to run during Sunday nightâs Oscars, has already drawn the ire of President Trump. The 30-second spot, which focuses on the nature of truth, was released online after the New York Times and other outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, were barred from a White House press briefing. As if on cue, the president responded with a derogatory tweet, calling the spot a âbadâ attempt to save what he considers the paperâs âfailing reputation.â
But if history proves any indicator, Trumpâs response will simply draw more attention to the ad, the first the Times has run in more than 15 years.
So even though the president has said he wonât be watching the Oscars, he may have already provided the telecast a ratings bump.
Look for these ACLU, Planned Parenthood and GLAAD pins on tonightâs Oscar red carpet
Political statements message were out in force on the red carpet and beyond at 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica in Santa Monica, from the likes of âAmerican Honeyâ actress Sasha Lane, who had a âBlack Lives Matterâ moment during arrivals and âMoonlightâ writer-actor Tarell Alvin McCraney, whose pro-GLAAD lapel pin was visible backstage while he and director Barry Jenkins showed off their winning statues.
On Sunday morning, Brie Larson gave fair warning that it wouldnât let up: Political statements would be made on the Oscars red carpet.
Even before the political climate heated up, Hollywood was been vocal in a visual way when the opportunity arose.
Fame and media attention intersect most intensely on the red carpet, be it at Sundayâs Academy Awards or premieres or film festivals in any given year. That makes the carpet a great place for Hollywood celebrities to broadcast their message du jour.
Click below to check out some political statements made on Hollywoodâs awards and premieres red carpets in recent years.
A sneak peek at the Oscars stage: The Academy Awards stage goes Art Deco
One half expects the ghosts of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to swirl across the silver skyline rising inside the Dolby Theatre for Sundayâs 89th Academy Awards. The stage set glitters with more than 300,000 Swarovski crystals and is an homage to the sly and urbane musicals of the 1930s.
Production designer Derek McLane says the sets were inspired by the Art Deco and Hollywood Regency styles that resonated in films such as âThe Broadway Melodyâ and âTop Hat,â the 1935 musical starring Astaire and Rogers. The stage evokes the sensation of wandering in a tux and tails through a metropolis on a starry, if misty, night. The award showâs producers, Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd, wanted a look that would summon the past with flair and elegance.
âThey really felt that we ought to have something that was happy and delightful, maybe a little escapist so you could look at it and say, âThis will be fun,ââ says McLane, a trim man with a flop of hair and a scarf. Heâs been the production designer on five Academy Award ceremonies. âThereâs a little nostalgia, and itâs a real tribute to whatâs fun about Hollywood.â
Oscar-shaped salmon, caviar and food, glorious food! Wolfgang Puck teases the delights of the Governors Ball
Canât get into the Oscarâs afterparty, a.k.a. the fabulous Governors Ball? Donât worry, weâve got you covered. Take a look at the food, glorious food that will be served right after the Academy Awards ceremony.
After months of SoulCycle classes, trips to the sweat lodge and scant carbohydrates, most of the stars who walk into the Governors Ball after the show are ready to indulge.
And if Emma Stone, Viola Davis or Ryan Gosling want to pig out post-Oscars, Wolfgang Puck will be prepared. The Hollywood staple â who is catering the fancy party for the 23rd consecutive year â unveiled his seemingly endless menu on Thursday. And thereâs comfort food galore: Baked macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie, lava cakes, lobster corn dogs, gold-dusted truffle popcorn, and baked potatoes with caviar.
The early view from the Oscars red carpet
Treâvell Anderson hit the shuttle early to get into position on the dry-for-now red carpet. Heâll have dispatches throughout the afternoon.
Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel and Amy Schumer get Oscar-ready, each in their own unique manner
Justin Timberlake gave us a sneak peek at his musical performance for the Academy Awards ceremony, with a behind-the-scenes clip of his dancing warmup.
Meanwhile, his wife, Jessica Biel was prepping herself for pizza and Amy Schumer wandered the streets looking effortlessly chic in a pink comforter. Stars, theyâre just like us!
Mahershala Aliâs perfect prize ending to a meteoric year: fatherhood
The envelope hasnât been opened yet, but âMoonlightâ star Mahershala Ali is already celebrating: The first time Oscar nominee is also a new dad.
Four days ago, he welcomed his first child, a baby girl, with wife Amatus Sami-Karim.
âIt is its own award season,â Ali laughed to The Times earlier this month as the couple was on baby watch, âequally demanding of your presence.â
Aliâs exceptionally fruitful year saw his 16-year career skyrocket in 2016 with an Emmy nomination for his fourth season as âHouse of Cardsââ Washington insider Remy Denton, and an acclaimed run on Netflixâs âLuke Cage.â
But it was his riveting turn as Juan, an empathetic drug dealer who takes a fatherless young boy under his wing in Barry Jenkinsâ âMoonlight,â that earned the Northern California native his first Oscar nomination and sent the actor on a whirlwind awards tour collecting one trophy after another, including the Screen Actors Guild award for supporting actor.
âItâs a wonderful thing to experience, compared to years past,â said Ali, acknowledging the progress reflected in a historically diverse Academy Awards field just a year after #OscarsSoWhite.
âI hope it inspires not only creatives but the studios to really invest in a range of ideas and narratives that feature people of color â in leading roles, or in parts that are critical to the arc of the stories.â
The soft-spoken Ali made a emotional statement this awards season on the SAG stage. Delivering a message of unity and acceptance just days after President Trump ordered a travel ban on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, Ali declared to the world, âI am a Muslim.â
âIt was a very hard decision to make,â Ali said of his speech. âThereâs nothing more personal than our ideology, and in some cases our theology. Iâm an artist, and I want the space to be able to do my work and keep certain things private. But I felt a responsibility to shed light on how personal this position is for me, and perhaps draw a tie for everyone by personalizing the struggle within my own family of having a different point of view.
âI normally wouldnât do that,â he added. âIâm not one to reveal a bunch of things about my personal life. I really just want to do this work. But I felt that was appropriate because I thought there was something there that I could offer people in what is a really challenging time, for Muslims and for everyone. And I took that opportunity very seriously. I was nervous about it but it felt necessary.â
And now, a few weeks after his personal declaration on stage at the SAG awards, Ali has revealed another private joy the first image of their daughter.
Oscar voters love happy endings (but âLa La Landâ will probably still win)
[Spoiler alert: This post contains plot reveals from a bunch of old movies, and a newish one.]
Pundits use all kinds of metrics to predict the big winners at the Oscars. But thereâs one thatâs proved overwhelmingly indicative in recent years: The movie with the happy ending wins best picture really, really often.
Since 2000, the nominee with the unabashedly sweet finish has won in nearly two-thirds of all instances, 10 out of 16 years. In many of those years, the winning film defeated a close contender that didnât have a happy ending -- âThe Kingâs Speechâ over âThe Social Network,â âArgoâ over âLincoln,â etc.
Even in the outlying six years, the winner almost always had at least a partly happy ending, uplift mixed in with the sadness. Michael Keatonâs physical body may or may not have survived the end of âBirdman,â but heâs certainly in a better place, as Emma Stoneâs gaze reminds us. Is it a happy occasion that Jeremy Renner is returning to Iraq at the end of âThe Hurt Lockerâ? No. But heâs happy about it, and isnât that all that matters?
Thereâs only one best-picture instance in the last 16 years with a pure downbeat ending: âMillion Dollar Baby.â And even there, we knew it was coming about halfway through.
In short, thereâs not been a surprise unhappy ending so far this century.
One reason for that seems pretty clear. A happy ending puts Oscar voters in a good mood. They leave the theater or turn off the screener with some warm feelings about the world and are thus more likely to remember or vote for a movie. No matter the hardship that came before, the tidy resolution makes everything OK, and thus makes a vote OK. (Also known as : the âSlumdog Millionaireâ phenomenon.)
So where does that leave Sundayâs front-runner âLa La Landâ?
The ending of Damien Chazelleâs musical was certainly a surprise; if you didnât hear about it, you didnât know Seb and Mia didnât end up together. Was it also unhappy? Iâve had this discussion with many friends. Itâs certainly not unabashedly happy. But is it unhappy? You could certainly make the case. At the very least itâs melancholy. (Unhappy, of course, is not the same as unwelcome, as Chazelle has been convincingly reminding us this season.)
Weâre not predicting a âHidden Figuresâ upset as a result of all this. If it happens, though, look no further than the happy-ending theory. And if âLa La Landâ does win, it will make some unhappy history.
Jimmy Kimmelâs âfeudâ with Matt Damon spills over to the Oscars
The long-running âfeudâ between Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel is alive and kicking at the Oscars.
For years the two have been battling it out publicly in the ongoing bit. There was the rather catchy music video Damon and Kimmelâs then-girlfriend (now ex) Sarah Silverman made revealing their affair. That led to a follow-up video from Kimmel and Ben Affleck revealing theirs.
Damon showed up to the Emmy Awards ceremony when Kimmel lost, and even more recently popped in at Kimmelâs ultrasound proclaiming that he was actually the father of Kimmelâs future baby.
Two days ago, the host for this yearâs Oscars ceremony was seen defacing Damonâs seat card during rehearsals. Fingers-crossed that this means similar shenanigans from the two on stage tonight.
Read our full interview with host Jimmy Kimmel >>
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
Hereâs whoâs going to win all 24 Oscar categories
After six months of campaigning and cajoling and trying to get âCity of Starsâ out of our heads, the Oscars are finally here. So itâs time for some final predictions for todayâs ceremony.
Ready?
âLa La Land!â Repeat it nine times. Add the dynamic duo from âFencesâ and sprinkle in a little âMoonlight.â And then cut to Meryl, clapping and crying.
So here we go, category by category. Letâs get started before the orchestra plays us off ...
Picture
Winner: Weâve pretty much covered this, right? A movie doesnât earn a record-tying 14 nominations and not win best picture. If you want to get hammered on Oscars night, choose the words âLa La Landâ for your drinking game.
Director
Winner: Damien Chazelle, âLa La Land.â Voters will want to reward the creative force behind the best-picture winner.
Lead actor
Winner: Denzel Washington, âFencesâ
Alternate: Casey Affleck, âManchester by the Seaâ
This feels like one of those times when the criticsâ favorite who steamrolled through the early part of the awards season gets usurped by a more obvious, broadly appealing choice. (Think âMystic Riverâsâ Sean Penn besting âLost in Translationâsâ Bill Murray or âBirdmanâ prevailing over âBoyhood.â) Washingtonâs imposing work in âFences,â acting with a capital A, is the kind of performance that usually prevails over inward turns like Affleckâs in âManchester.â (Though not always â remember Mark Rylance won an Oscar last year for his lovely, understated performance in âBridge of Spies.â) To put it another way, adding some historical context: Denzel is probably going to drink Caseyâs milkshake.
A rainy red carpet forecast for Oscars as new storm moves into L.A.
Rain moved into Southern California on Sunday, but itâs decidedly lighter than downpours from the recent storms that battered the region.
Forecasters said the storm could send sprinkles over the Academy Awards this afternoon and evening in Hollywood. Oscars organizers have been preparing for the possibility of rain.
Overall, the storm is expect to generate less than a half an inch of rain in most areas, with the snow level falling to 4,000 feet.
Celebrities on the red carpet might want to bring a warm coat with their umbrella, as temperatures could put a chill on the festivities. Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 59 degrees by 2 p.m. Sunday, then drop.
The last time it rained at the Oscars was in 2015, when a sea of umbrellas could be seen on the red carpet as light rain swept across Southern California.
The rain ripped right through a tent (pictured right) and spilling onto the red carpet, ruining many an updo.
The Academy Awardsâ top-secret, highly guarded red carpet isnât actually red
There is only one Academy Awards and there is only one color of red used for the showsâ red carpet. Installers from Signature Systems Group talk about what it takes to lay down the red carpet at the Academy Awards.
As Tinseltown readies to tip-toe down the famous Oscar red carpet, they should probably know that what theyâre stepping on isnât actually âred.â Itâs closer to burgundy and has been for the last 15 years.
The exclusive shade â called Academy Red â is supposed to flatter the A-list actors who are photographed and videoed walking on it. Itâs a secret color, one whose precise specifications the showâs organizers wonât reveal for fear of copycats.
A deep dive into the meticulous act of creating the famous Academy Awards red carpet. >>
Meryl Streepâs response to Karl Lagerfeld over her Oscars dress is a real-life âThe Devil Wears Pradaâ sequel
The drama over Meryl Streepâs Oscar dress has escalated from a catty call-out to a total Streep throwdown. Karl Lagerfeld should know better than to mess with the 20-time Oscar nominee.
Days after Lagerfeld told Womenâs Wear Daily that Streep would wear only a dress made by a fashion line that paid her to do so, the actress has fired back at the Chanel designer in a impassioned statement.
âKarl Lagerfeld, a prominent designer, defamed me, my stylist and the illustrious designer whose dress I chose to wear, in an important industry publication,â the 67-year-old said Saturday.
Furthermore, Streep said, the âcontroversyâ â yes, she used this word in quotes â has become such a popular story that the news is getting more traction than her best-actress nod for âFlorence Foster Jenkins.â
â[T]he story was picked up globally, and continues, globally, to overwhelm my appearance at the Oscars on the occasion of my record-breaking 20th nomination, and to eclipse this honor in the eyes of the media, my colleagues and the audience.â
Though it remains to be seen whom Streep will be wearing in front of the flashbulbs Sunday, it obviously wonât be Chanel. Lagerfeld said Chanel initially planned to dress Streep for the big night, but after sketching a gown and beginning production, he was told âDonât continue the dress. We found somebody who will pay us.â
Streepâs camp responded to the WWD remarks Thursday, insisting that it was against her morals to accept payment for wearing a dress. Chanel followed up by saying the fashion house understood she was âconsidering optionsâ from other designers, and that âwhen informed ... that Ms. Streep had chosen a dress by another designer there was no mention of the reason.â
That response clearly didnât suffice for the star, who on Saturday said she still wants an apology from Lagerfeld and WWD.
âI do not take this lightly, and Mr. Lagerfeldâs generic âstatementâ of regret for this âcontroversyâ was not an apology. He lied, they printed the lie, and I am still waiting.â
ALERT: BeyoncĂŠ and Jay Z have joined Oscar season
IMPORTANT OSCARS ANNOUNCEMENT: BeyoncĂŠ is here.
There was plenty of star power in the room even before Americaâs entertainment king and queen arrived: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Salman Rushdie, Nicole Kidman.
But when BeyoncĂŠ and Jay Z strolled into the Weinstein Co.âs pre-Oscar dinner at 10:45 on Saturday evening, no one else seemed to matter. Just a few minutes after the famous couple entered the party -- flanked by half a dozen hulking bodyguards -- Harvey Weinstein made an announcement.
The studio head ran back up on the stage where Cynthia Erivo, Christopher Jackson and Corbin Bleu had just finished performing a handful of songs from the Broadway musical âIn the Heightsâ to request the musicians redo the first five minutes of their act so that Bey and Jay could watch.
The performers must have been members of the Beyhive, because they immediately obliged.
So why were the soon-to-be parents of twins at the Montage Beverly Hills on Saturday night? Perhaps their cameo was due to the docu-series about Kalief Browder that Jay Z produced with the Weinstein Co., set to air on Spike TV next week.
Or maybe theyâre just big fans of âLion,â the companyâs film vying for best picture. We tried to get close enough to the couple to ask which movie theyâd be rooting for, but no such luck -- those bodyguards were blocking every potential angle.
At least we had another couple to admire: âLionâsâ Dev Patel and 8-year-old costar Sunny Pawar, whose adorable friendship has frankly been the highlight of our award season.
Though he fell asleep at the Golden Globes ceremony last month, Pawar seems to have the late-night party scene down by now. He and his dad left only a few minutes before BeyoncĂŠ and Jay Z, who only lasted at the party for about a half an hour.
Here is the complete list of 2017 Oscar winners and nominees
The winners of the 89th Academy Awards are being announced live from Hollywood now.
A quick recap: âLa La Landâ was the top nominee, notching a record-tying 14 nominations. âMoonlightâ and âArrivalâ followed with eight nods each.
Already, Mahershala Ali won for his role in âMoonlight.â His win comes after back-to-back years in which the academy did not recognize any nonwhite actors. This year, each of the four acting categories feature at least one nominee of color.
Here is the list of nominees:
Picture
- âArrivalâ | Review
- âFencesâ | Review
- âHacksaw Ridgeâ | Review
- âHell or High Waterâ | Review
- âHidden Figuresâ | Review | Interview
- âLa La Landâ | Review
- âLionâ | Review
- âManchester by the Seaâ | Review
- âMoonlightâ | Review
Directing
- Denis Villeneuve, âArrivalâ
- Mel Gibson, âHacksaw Ridgeâ | Interview
- Damien Chazelle, âLa La Landâ | Video
- Barry Jenkins, âMoonlightâ | Video | Interview
- Kenneth Lonergan, âManchester by the Seaâ | Video
SEE THE COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINEES HERE >>
SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM THE OSCARS RED CARPET >>
SEE PHOTOS FROM INSIDE THE SHOW >>
Note: This post is being updated to reflect the winners.
Everything you need to know about the Oscars
Pop the Champagne, shimmy into that gown and call the limo â itâs time for the Oscars, darling.
While the majority of us are more likely to call an Uber and cozy up on a friendâs couch in sweats to watch the ultra-glam event, that doesnât change the fact that the 89th Academy Awards are Sunday.
What time does the show start? And on what channel?
The film industryâs marquee event, which will be hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, will air live on ABC starting at 5:30 p.m. Pacific.
Pre-show festivities, including âThe Oscars: All Access,â will kick off on the network and online via live stream at 4 p.m. Pacific.
Who are the nominees?
Awards will be handed out in 24 categories during the telecast, and diversity is far more prevalent in this yearâs class, with nonwhite actors nominated in every acting category. Meanwhile, Damien Chazelleâs musical, âLa La Land,â dominated the nominations tally, pulling down 14, including for lead actor, lead actress, director and best picture. Here is the complete list of Oscar nominations
Natalie Portman will not be attending the Oscars
Walking the Oscarsâ red carpet is a chore even under the best of circumstances. When youâre several months pregnant? Forget it.
At least, thatâs what Natalie Portman is saying. The Oscar nominee, lauded in the lead actress category for playing Jacqueline Kennedy in the biopic âJackie,â has announced she wonât be attending Sundayâs ceremony, citing her pregnancy. Portman is in her third trimester.
âI feel so lucky to be honored among my fellow nominees and wish them the most beautiful of weekends,â Portman said in a statement.
Portman was pregnant with her first child, her son, Aleph, when she won the Oscar in 2011 for âBlack Swan.â Referring to her impending motherhood, she thanked choreographer Benjamin Millepied, now her husband, for giving her âthe most important role of [her] life.â
Portman was nominated alongside Emma Stone (âLa La Landâ), Isabelle Huppert (âElleâ), Meryl Streep (âFlorence Foster Jenkinsâ) and Ruth Negga (âLovingâ).