Oppenheimer blew away the competition at the 96th Academy Awards with the most Oscar wins. The Christopher Nolan-directed historical drama starring Cillian Murphy as “Father of the Atomic Bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer won seven Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.
Those who tuned in just to see Ryan Gosling’s performance of the Oscar-nominated Barbie song “I’m Just Ken” were not disappointed — the viral moment easily stole the show hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Some of the other highlights include:
Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s emotional speech after winning Best Supporting Actress for The Holdovers moved some in the audience to tears.
The Boy and the Heron deservedly won the Best Animated Feature Oscar after many predicted it would go to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Although the Academy proudly trumpeted the fact that Lily Gladstone was the first Native American Best Actress nominee, they tossed the Oscar to Emma Stone for her performance as a woman implanted with the brain of her unborn fetus who becomes the object of every man’s desire in Poor Things. The controversial R-rated movie won four Oscars and is now available for the whole family to watch on Disney+.
Despite a lot of awards-season hype, neither Killers of the Flower Moon nor Maestro won a single Oscar. Godzilla Minus One, however, won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects, becoming the first Godzilla movie to ever win an Oscar.
Click here to read the full list of Oscar winners.
‘Paddington 2’ Writer Accuses ‘The Holdovers’ of Plagiarism
Paddington 2 and Luca screenwriter Simon Stephenson has accused The Holdovers of plagiarism. David Hemingson wrote the screenplay for The Holdovers, which got nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
According to Variety, Stephenson sent an email to the Writers Guild of America about the accusation. “I’ve encountered a credits-related issue on quite a high profile WGA-covered project,” Stephenson wrote. “The evidence The Holdovers screenplay has been plagiarized line by line from Frisco is genuinely overwhelming – anybody who looks at even the briefest sample pretty much invariably uses the word ‘brazen.’” Whereas The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti as a world-weary professor tasked with looking after a 15-year-old student, Stephenson’s Frisco is about a world-weary doctor tasked with looking after a 15-year-old patient.
Variety reports, “While making his case, Stephenson claimed that there are only a few elements in TheHoldovers that bear no relation to Frisco. In an ironic twist, one of those so-called unique elements is a scene in which Giamatti’s Paul recounts a story about a powerful person with ‘allies on the faculty’ who had gotten away with plagiarism, negatively changing the trajectory of Paul’s life — and turning him into the misanthrope he is in The Holdovers.”
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ Chops ‘Dune: Part Two’ From Top of the Box Office During Oscars Weekend
As expected, Kung Fu Panda 4 pulled in enough kids and families during Oscars weekend to knock Dune: Part Two out of the top spot at the box office. Kung Fu Panda 4 earned $58.3 million this weekend while Dune: Part Two earned $46 million in its second weekend.
“This is an excellent opening for an animation sequel that’s this far into its series,” said David A. Gross of movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research to Variety. “Kung Fu Panda is showing terrific strength now, with good momentum for another sequel.”
Dune: Part Two fell only 44% in its second weekend — a pretty impressive hold for a sci-fi blockbuster. In two weeks, Denis Villeneuve’s genre masterpiece has earned $157 million domestically and $368 million worldwide.
“Two big movies have made a huge difference in the year-to-date deficit,” said senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “The ongoing Dune: Part Two success and the strong debut of Kung Fu Panda 4 are moving the needle in the right direction.”
Jimmy Kimmel Reads Actual Message From Donald Trump During Oscars Broadcast
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel read a social media post written by Donald Trump during the Academy Awards broadcast. At first, many thought the bit was a joke by Kimmel, but it turns out the former president really did comment during the show.
On a Truth Social post, Trump wrote, “Has there EVER been a WORSE HOST than Jimmy Kimmel at the Oscars? His opening was that of a less than average person trying too hard to be something which he is not, and never can be. Get rid of Kimmel and perhaps replace him with another washed up, but cheap, ABC ‘talent,’ George Slopanopoulos. He would make everybody on stage look bigger, stronger, and more glamorous. Also a really bad politically correct show tonight, and for years – Disjointed, boring, and very unfair. Why don’t they just give the Oscars to those that deserve them. Maybe that way their audience and TV ratings will come back from the depths. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
After reading the post during the Oscars broadcast, Kimmel added, “Now see if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social. Anyone? No? Well thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching. I’m surprised you’re still [watching] — isn’t it past your jail time?”
Bradley Cooper Pokes Fun at Himself on Post-Oscars ‘Abbott Elementary’ Episode
Bradley Cooper appeared as himself on a post-Oscars episode of Abbott Elementary. The man behind Maestro — which got shut out at the Oscars — roasted himself on the mockumentary ABC sitcom.
On the episode, a student brings Cooper to Melissa’s (Lisa Ann Walter) classroom for show-and-tell after eyeballing Cooper at a deli. “Whenever I’m in Philly, you know the deli across the street? That’s my first stop,” said Cooper on Abbott Elementary. “My dad used to always take me there. They have the best hoagies in the city.”
The second grader who found Cooper said, “Everybody wanted to take a picture with him, so I figured he was famous.”
The segment continues with teachers confusing The Hangover with The Holdovers, and mistakenly believing Cooper was in Oppenheimer. “Are you sure? Everybody was inOppenheimer,”said Melissa. Predictably, the kids only care if Cooper starred in a Spider-Man movie, which prompts Cooper to do his Rocket Racoon voice to prove he was in Guardians of the Galaxy. Another student asks Cooper why his teeth aren’t whiter, to which Cooper replied, “I can’t whiten them because they’re too sensitive.”
Bradley Cooper cowrote, directed, and starred in Maestro for Netflix. The biopic about composer Leonard Bernstein got nominated for seven Oscars but won zero.
‘This Is Spinal Tap’ Sequel Begins Production in New Orleans
A sequel to the rock mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap began production in New Orleans. Original director Rob Reiner returns to helm the sequel, which features actors Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer reprising their roles as members of the fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap.
In addition to directing the This Is Spinal Tap sequel, Reiner will again play documentarian Martin “Marty” DiBergi. According to Deadline, the sequel will feature cameos by Elton John, Paul McCartney, Questlove, Garth Brooks, and Trisha Yearwood. The plot involves Spinal Tap reuniting for one final concert after a 15-year hiatus.
Reiner joked, “I recently spoke to Marty DiBergi who said that he was more than happy to take a sabbatical from his position as a visiting professor’s assistant at the Ed Wood School of Cinematic Arts to once again document Spinal Tap to ensure their place in the pantheon of rock and roll.”
