LOS ANGELES (AP) — Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose made historical past and the big-screen craft of Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction epic “Dune” gained a number one six awards at Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards.
After record-low scores throughout a pandemic-marred 2021 present producers this 12 months turned to one of many largest stars round — Beyoncé — to kick off an Oscars meant to revive the awards’ place in popular culture. After an introduction from Venus and Serena Williams, Beyoncé carried out her “King Richard” nominated track, “Be Alive,” in an elaborately choreographed efficiency from a lime-colored, open-air stage in Compton, the place the Williams sisters grew up.
Hosts Wanda Sykes, Amy Schumer and Regina Corridor then started the telecast from the Dolby Theatre.
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“All proper, we’re right here on the Oscars,” started Corridor. Sykes completed: “The place film lovers unite and watch TV.”
Sykes, Schumer and Corridor breezily joked by means of outstanding Hollywood points like pay fairness — they mentioned three feminine hosts have been “cheaper than one man” — the Girl Gaga drama that Sykes known as “Home of Random Accents,” the state of the Golden Globes (now relegated to the memoriam bundle, mentioned Sykes) and Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriends. Their most pointed political level got here on the finish of their routine, during which they promised an awesome evening after which alluded to Florida’s “Do not Say Homosexual” invoice.
“And for you folks in Florida, we’re going to have a homosexual evening,” mentioned Sykes.
The primary broadcast award went, fittingly, to Ariana DeBose, who became the first openly LGBTQ actor and first Latina to win finest supporting actress. Her win got here 60 years after Rita Moreno gained for a similar position within the 1961 authentic “West Aspect Story.” DeBose thanked Moreno for main the way in which for “tons of Anitas like me.”
“You see an brazenly queer lady of colour, an Afro-Latina, who discovered her power and life by means of artwork. And that’s, I believe, what we’re right here to rejoice,” mentioned DeBose. “So if anybody has ever questioned your identification or you end up residing within the grey areas, I promise you this — there’s certainly a spot for us.”
Later, Kotsur grew to become the primary male deaf actor to ever win an performing Oscar, and joined his “CODA” costar Marlee Matlin on the solely deaf actors to win an Academy Award. He obtained a standing ovation whereas many within the Dolby gave the Deaf clap, waving each arms within the air.
“That is for the Deaf neighborhood, the CODA neighborhood and the disabled neighborhood,” mentioned Kotsur, signing from the stage. “That is our second.”
“Encanto,” the Disney hit propelled by its chart-topping soundtrack, gained finest animated movie. Lin-Manuel Miranda, who penned the movie’s hit songs, missed the ceremony after his spouse examined constructive for COVID-19. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s three-hour Japanese drama “Drive My Automobile,” one of many 12 months’s most acclaimed movies, gained for finest worldwide movie.
The Academy Awards received underway Sunday off-camera, with the primary eight awards on the evening being handed out on the Dolby Theatre earlier than the beginning of the ABC telecast. The Dolby was largely full in time for the 7 p.m. EDT pre-show, dubbed the “golden hour” by the academy. Speeches have been later edited into the published.
It was an odd and controversial starting to the primary totally in-person Oscars in two years. Earlier this month, greater than 70 Oscar winners, together with James Cameron, Kathleen Kennedy and Guillermo del Toro, warned that the shift would flip some nominees into “second-class residents.”
“Dune” received out to an early lead it was more likely to maintain by means of the evening, profitable six Oscars for its majestic craft. The largest blockbusters of this 12 months’s 10 best-picture nominees, “Dune” gained for manufacturing design, cinematography, enhancing, visible results, sound and Hans Zimmer’s rating. Although it is not favored within the high awards, “Dune” was broadly anticipated to wash up within the technical classes.
Greig Fraser’s cinematography win denied one likelihood for Oscar historical past. Some had been rooting for Ari Wenger, who lensed Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” to become the first woman to win finest cinematography, the only real Oscar class that has by no means been gained by a lady within the Academy Awards’ 9 decade-plus historical past
Greatest make-up and hairstyling went to Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” That movie’s star and producer, Jessica Chastain, had been among the many many academy members who thought all of the awards ought to have been handed out reside throughout the broadcast. Chastain hugged every winner as they took the stage.
“I simply hope that each day on set everybody takes a second to simply go searching and take a look at all these gifted individuals who work onerous,” mentioned Dowds, the make-up artist.
“The Queen of Basketball,” concerning the basketball nice Lusia Harris, took finest quick documentary movie. Its government producers embrace Steph Curry and Shaquille O’Neal. Greatest animated quick went to “The Windshield Wiper,” whereas “The Long Goodbye,” a blistering fictional short starring Riz Ahmed, took finest fiction quick.
“That is for everybody who appears like they’re caught in No Man’s Land,” mentioned Ahmed. “You’re not alone. We’ll meet you there.”
However after two years of pandemic, and beneath a heat California solar Sunday, a Hollywood ceremony of glamour once more received into swing, with a jammed crimson carpet and a COVID-tested viewers. The early hour of awards was one among many shifts, each slight and tectonic, round this 12 months’s ceremony. After a socially distanced 2021 edition, the Academy Awards sought to recapture their exalted place in popular culture with a revamped telecast that’s anticipated to see a streaming service win finest image for the primary time.
The movie trade recovered considerably from the pandemic in 2021, however regardless of one of many largest hits in years in “Spider-Man: No Approach Dwelling,” the rebound has been fitful. The worldwide film trade sold about half the tickets last year as it did two years ago, $21.3 billion in 2021 in comparison with $42.3 billion in 2019, in keeping with the Movement Image Affiliation. Hollywood pushed extra of its high movies instantly into properties than ever earlier than; half of this 12 months’s 10 best-picture nominees have been streamed at or very close to launch.
Then there have been the challenges of commanding worldwide consideration for an evening of Hollywood self-congratulation after two years of pandemic and whereas Russia’s war ravages Ukraine. Some stars, like Sean Penn, have lobbied the academy to have Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy converse on the ceremony. A small variety of blue ribbons supporting Ukraine may very well be seen on the crimson carpet.
Netflix’s “The Energy of the Canine,” Campion’s gothic western, is available in with a leading 12 nominations and an excellent likelihood of snagging the highest award. However all the momentum is with Sian Heder’s deaf family drama “CODA,” which, regardless of boasting simply three nods, is taken into account the favourite. A win could be a triumph for Apple TV+, which acquired the film out of the Sundance Movie Pageant final 12 months and has spent massive selling it to academy members.
Behind the telecast adjustments was alarm over the Oscars fast-falling scores. Whereas drops have been frequent to all main community award exhibits, final 12 months’s present attracted solely about 10 million viewers, lower than half of the 23.6 million the 12 months earlier than. A decade in the past, it was nearer to 40 million.
To assist restore the Oscars’ place, some argued within the lead-up to this 12 months’s awards {that a} blockbuster like “Spider-Man: No Approach Dwelling” ought to have been nominated for finest image. It was nominated for simply visible results. As an alternative, a large gamut of movies are within the hunt, starting from the much-watched Netflix apocalyptic comedy “Don’t Look Up” and the roundly acclaimed three-hour Japanese drama “Drive My Car.”
One factor producers have promised: the evening’s closing award might be finest image. Final 12 months’s present concluded awkwardly with the sudden presentation of finest actor to a not-present Anthony Hopkins.
Related Press Writers Lindsey Bahr, Jocelyn Noveck, Andrew Dalton and Amanda Lee Myers contributed to this report.
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