By Chris Sabga
Another year, another Oscars...
Before the Show
No Host (Again)
For the second year in a row, there will be no one hosting the Academy Awards. Last year's ceremony moved at a much quicker pace because of it. Let's hope that holds true this year too.
Any Potential Surprises?
"1917" seems like the safe bet to win Best Picture, but last-minute buzz is pegging a historic upset victory for "Parasite," which would make it the first foreign language film ever to emerge victorious in the top category. We'll see...
The Wall Street Journal is betting big on Scarlett Johansson to win Best Actress for "Marriage Story," but very few people are buying any stock in "ScarJo" – every other pundit considers Renée Zellweger a lock for "Judy."
Full results are listed at the end.
The Oscar Ceremony
Best Oscar Speeches: Taika Waititi's tribute to his mother after winning Best Adapted Screenplay for "Jojo Rabbit" was sincere, heartfelt, and funny.
I loved the speech for "Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)." It started with Frank Capra and ended with words of encouragement.
Laura Dern: "They say never meet your heroes, but if you're blessed, you get them as your parents." Beautifully stated! (Her mom and dad are, famously, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern.)
Best Presenters: It was nice to see Shia LaBeouf and Zack Gottsagen from the wonderful – and snubbed – "The Peanut Butter Falcon" presenting the award for Best Live Action Short.
Best Moments: Give Steve Martin and Chris Rock their own comedy special! They landed some great but acidic jokes about Jeff Bezos' wealth and (the lack of) black nominees.
It was awesome to see Chrissy Metz – Kate from "This Is Us" – performing "I’m Standing With You" from her powerful film "Breakthrough." Toby was obviously too busy doing CrossFit to be there!
Best Dressed: Rebel Wilson and James Corden stole the show dressed as cats from – what else? – the notorious cinematic flop "Cats."
Biggest Surprise: According to my Oscar pool, "Ford v Ferrari" racing past "1917" in the Sound Editing category was a surprise – to me.
But "Parasite's" Bong Joo Ho upsetting "1917's" Sam Mendes for Best Director was the biggest surprise of the night...
...until "Parasite" won for Best Picture.
Overall: "1917" was considered the favorite, but in a truly stunning turn of events, "Parasite" scored massive upsets in the Best Director and Best Picture categories. It now stands as the first foreign language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Full Results
Best Picture: Parasite
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Renée Zellweger, Judy
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Best Director: Bong Joo Ho, Parasite
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 4
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jojo Rabbit
Best Original Screenplay: Parasite
Best Foreign Language Film: Parasite (South Korea)
Best Documentary Feature: American Factory
Best Original Song: "(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again," Rocketman
Best Original Score: Joker
Best Cinematography: 1917
Film Editing: Ford v Ferrari
Costume Design: Little Women
Makeup and Hairstyling: Bombshell
Production Design: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Sound Editing: Ford v Ferrari
Sound Mixing: 1917
Visual Effects: 1917
Best Documentary Short: Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
Best Animated Short: Hair Love
Best Live Action Short: The Neighbors’ Window
