Story and Photo Illustration by Hannah Kampitan, Co-Editor-in-Chief
The 97th Academy Awards was truly unprecedented–whether it was cutting out mics during speeches, an infidel kiss on the red carpet, or the insufficient amount of awards for Wicked. Twenty-three categories were awarded during the night, but viewers felt the show was interesting for conflicting reasons.
Halle Berry’s shared kiss with Adrien Brody, whose girlfriend was 6 inches away from the incident, occurred on the red carpet before the awards began. Back in 2003, Brody kissed Berry on stage after winning Best Actor from his performance in The Pianist. This unplanned act encouraged Berry to do the same 22 years later when she passed by Brody and Georgina Chapman–his girlfriend–during an interview. Chapman clarified that she was unaffected by the kiss.
In an interview with ExtraTV, Chapman questioned how one can deny a man a kiss with Halle Berry, laughing off the incident. Fans and viewers have a split view on the matter; some laughed with Chapman, while others argued that Brody cheated on live television. Moreover, Brody’s acceptance for Best Actor in “The Brutalist” marked the longest acceptance speech–5 minutes and thirty-six seconds–in academy history. This conflicts with Gareth John, one of the winners of Best Sound for Dune: Part Two, who was cut off for going 2 seconds over the allocated speaking time.
The best performance, in my opinion, was Erivo and Grande’s opening performance. Grande sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz, which was a full circle moment from when she sang the song during her One Love Manchester benefit concert. This concert was a tribute to the Manchester Arena bombing that happened at Grande’s 2017 concert, where she was unable to sing the song smoothly in part of her grief for the Manchester victims. She sang the song effortlessly at the Oscars, which transitioned to Erivo’s solo of “Home” from The Wiz, then a duet of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked.
Unconfirmed data from @thearianadata on X stated that a 58% drop in viewership occurred after their opening performance. Wicked won two Academy Awards for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design–though fans argue that the movie deserved more. A topic floating on TikTok is whether or not Emilia Pérez’s supporting actress Zoe Saldana deserved her consecutive wins in the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice, and Screen Actors Guild against Grande.
The Academy Awards was a night with memorable events. Who’s ready for next year?
