Oppenheimer triumphs in the final Barbenheimer showdown: Oppenheimer emerged as the undisputed star of the Academy Awards, which kept us entertained as we ate our suhoor in the early hours of the morning. The film secured seven awards including the coveted Best Picture, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., and Best Director for Christopher Nolan’s — his first win after eight nominations. Meanwhile in non-Oppenheimer awards, Emma Stone clinched her second Best Actress award for her role in Poor Things — pushing out the favorite, Lily Gladstone, from the Oscar race.

The ceremony featured historic moments, too: Billie Eilish made history as the youngest two-time Oscar winner at 22, after earning Best Song for What Was I Made For? (runtime: 3:38) from the Barbie soundtrack. Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and animation icon, was the oldest winner of Best Animated Feature at 83 for The Boy and the Heron, an award he also took home in 2002 for Spirited Away. The Holdovers actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph was awarded Best Supporting Actress just one day after news broke of accusations of plagiarism.

…and a few odd ones: Al Pacino, tasked with announcing the Best Picture award, skippedover reciting the nominees and jumped straight to a simple “Oppenheimer.” For reasons unbeknownst to us, John Cena took the stage in his birthday suit, with nothing but the Best Costume Design envelope and a pair of Birkenstocks preserving his modesty.

Protests for a ceasefire in Gaza delayed the event’s start. Attendees struggled to make it to their seats due to the protestors who nearly made traffic standstill. Some A-listers such as Ramy Yousef, Mark Ruffalo, and Billie Eilish donned red Artists4Ceasefire pins as they made their way down the red carpet while stars of Anatomy of a Fall Milo Machado-Graner and Swann Arlaud wore a Palestinian Flag to express their support.

The political statements extended to the ceremony itself with Jonathan Glazer, director of The Zone of Interest, addressing the audience during his acceptance speech for Best International Film, highlighting the “dehumanization” in Gaza and drawing parallels with his Holocaust film, urging people to reflect on the current situation in the strip. (Variety | CNN | The Guardian)

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