Parasite Makes History

Parasite made Oscars history last night when Jane Fonda announced the international film as best picture of the 92nd Academy Awards. The South Korean thriller is the first film in a foreign language to win this Oscars category. In the end, Parasite received an astounding four wins on Sunday night, including Bong Joon Ho for best director and best original screenplay. During his acceptance for best international feature film, Bong Joon Ho ended his speech in an amusing manner by saying, “I’m ready to drink tonight.”

Eminem Makes a Surprise Cameo Rapping “Lose Yourself”

After a montage of iconic songs throughout film history, Eminem appeared onstage to sing his Oscar-winning number “Lose Yourself” from 2002’s 8 Mile. The responses during the performance were a combination of enthused and utterly bewildered reactions. At one point, the cameras panned towards a drowsy Martin Scorsese and a confused Idina Menzel as Eminem rapped the “Lose Yourself” lyrics.

Remembering River Phoenix

In a heartfelt acceptance for his lead role in Joker, Joaquin Phoenix concluded his speech by reciting a quote from his late brother, River Phoenix: “Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow.” Joaquin Phoenix first addressed the selfish repercussions of cancel culture, as well as the artificial insemination of cows. In his final note, Phoenix’s dedication to River expressed a sense of hope for humanity’s future.

Janelle Monae’s Opening Number

Due to another hostless Academy Awards this year, Janelle Monae kicked off the ceremony with an opening number based on her song, “Come Alive.” The lyrics were rewritten to include a medley of Oscars references, and the dancers wore an array of costumes that embodied several of the Oscar-nominated films from this season. With the addition of Billy Porter singing Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” and Monae’s proud statement about being a black queer artist, the opening of the Oscars was a paramount illustration of diversity.

“Hair Love” Wins Best Animated Short

“Hair Love” received the Oscar for best animated short Sunday night. The animated short film narrates a touching story about an African American father attempting to learn how to style his daughter’s hair for the first time. Matthew A. Cherry, the former NFL player and writer for “Hair Love,” emphasized the power of representation in cartoons and the normalization of black hair during his acceptance speech. Towards the end, Cherry also dedicated his win to the late Kobe Bryant.

James Corden and Rebel Wilson Reincarnate as Cats

James Corden and Rebel Wilson walked onstage dressed as their feline counterparts from the musical adaptation film, Cats. They presented the award for best visual effects, emphasizing their understanding of the “importance of good visual effects” after the backlash Cats received while in theaters. Before announcing 1917 as the winner for best visual effects, Corden and Wilson proceeded to whack the stage mic for several minutes like a cat toy.

Idina Menzel Sings “Into the Unknown” Alongside Nine Other Elsas

Following Josh Gad’s jab about John Travolta’s “Adele Dazeem” mispronunciation, Idina Menzel began her performance of Frozen 2’s “Into the Unknown” with Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora in the background. After the first chorus, nine other singers who dubbed the voice for Frozen 2’s Elsa sang alongside Menzel. From Russian to Thai, the whimsical performance highlighted multiple foreign languages Frozen 2 was voiced in for international releases.