The Academy Awards aren’t only a celebration of movie and filmmakers. They’re additionally an opportunity to make popular culture historical past — each good and unhealthy. Take a look at how we’re (sadly) nonetheless speaking about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on the 2022 Oscars.
Slap apart, the Oscars have supplied us with unforgettable moments for many years now, like vital wins, vital speeches, and a few actually ridiculous memes. Right here, in chronological order, are 10 of essentially the most memorable Oscars moments… together with some we might somewhat overlook.
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Listed below are the 2023 Oscar nominations
Hattie McDaniel’s historic win
Hattie McDaniel and her Academy Award.
Credit score: John Kobal Basis / Getty Photographs
In 1940, Hattie McDaniel grew to become the primary Black particular person to win an Academy Award, receiving an Oscar for Greatest Supporting Actress for her function as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. McDaniel accepted her award in a segregated resort, saying, “I shall all the time maintain it as a beacon for something I might be able to do sooner or later. I sincerely hope that I shall all the time be a credit score to my race and the movement image trade.” It could be over 20 years earlier than Sidney Poitier grew to become the primary Black man to win an Oscar, and even at this time, the Academy typically fails to acknowledge Black filmmakers and particularly Black girls — an issue all through the awards circuit.(Opens in a brand new tab) — Belen Edwards, Leisure Reporter
Sacheen Littlefeather rejects Marlon Brando’s Oscar on his behalf
Sacheen Littlefeather takes the stage on the forty fifth Academy Awards.
Credit score: Bettmann / Getty Photographs
When Marlon Brando gained the Oscar for Greatest Actor on the forty fifth Academy Awards for his efficiency in The Godfather, he didn’t take the stage. As a substitute, actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather spoke on his behalf, informing the Academy that Brando wouldn’t settle for his award as a result of Hollywood’s mistreatment and depictions of Native Individuals. Littlefeather endured harassment throughout and after her speech. The Academy apologized for her mistreatment in 2022(Opens in a brand new tab), months earlier than her dying. After her dying, Native American author Jacqueline Keeler used household data and White Mountain Apache data to dispute Littlefeather’s claims of Native American heritage,(Opens in a brand new tab) elevating wider questions on Indigenous identification(Opens in a brand new tab). — B.E.
Cher’s revenge costume
Cher offered Don Ameche together with his Oscar whereas sporting a legendary look by Bob Mackie.
Credit score: Bettmann / Getty Photographs
Style has all the time been an integral a part of the Oscars (Björk’s swan costume, anybody?), and in 1986, Cher used her awards ceremony look to stay it to the Academy. After being snubbed for her efficiency in Masks, Cher confirmed as much as the 58th Academy Awards in a surprising showgirl-inspired look by Bob Mackie, full with a large feather headpiece that’s simply completely over-the-top.
In a video for Vogue(Opens in a brand new tab), Cher broke down the look, saying, “I had the thought principally as a result of the Academy didn’t actually like me. They hated the way in which I dressed, and I had younger boyfriends so that they thought I wasn’t severe. So I got here out and stated, ‘As you may see, I acquired my handbook on learn how to costume like a severe actress.'” She would take dwelling the Greatest Actress award for Moonstruck two years later. — B.E.
Jack Palance accepts an Oscar… with one-armed push-ups
Billy Crystal and Jack Palance resurrected Palance’s push-ups for a bit on the sixty fifth Academy Awards.
Credit score: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Occasions by way of Getty Photographs
Oscars acceptance speeches are usually locations the place winners give heartfelt thank yous or champion specific causes. However in the event you’re actor Jack Palance, they’re additionally a spot to point out off your bodily prowess.
After profitable the Academy Award for Greatest Supporting Actor for his efficiency in Metropolis Slickers, Palance — who was 73 on the time — did a collection of one-armed push-ups(Opens in a brand new tab) throughout a speech that additionally featured feedback on growing old in Hollywood. Surprising and completely hilarious, it is a feat that has but to be replicated — though if any of this yr’s winners want to strive, I’d be thrilled. — B.E.
Ellen DeGeneres’s record-breaking selfie
The selfie that broke the web.
Credit score: Ellen DeGeneres / Twitter by way of Getty Photographs
In 2014, it genuinely broke the web. All these hotshot celebrities posing for a tacky picture identical to common ol’ plebs. Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres gathered the celebs sitting close to the entrance of the stage for a selfie: Jennifer Lawrence, Lupita Nyong’o, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt, Jared Leto, and Kevin Spacey. “If solely Bradley’s arm was longer. Greatest picture ever.” DeGeneres captioned the picture on Twitter(Opens in a brand new tab).
The tweet dethroned Barack Obama’s ‘4 Extra Years’ tweet(Opens in a brand new tab) as essentially the most retweeted tweet of all time, to be later overthrown by Carter Wilkerson’s tweet demanding free Wendy’s nuggs. There have been parodies with Grumpy Cat, The Simpsons, YouTube artwork(Opens in a brand new tab), and Lego. The second was additionally main product placement for Samsung — the Samsung Galaxy Word 3 sitting proper in the course of all these celebs.
Virtually 10 years later, issues have occurred. The man smiling within the center, Kevin Spacey, has been charged with a number of sexual assault offences(Opens in a brand new tab). Leto has allegations of sexual misconduct(Opens in a brand new tab) towards him, and Pitt was accused of abuse by Jolie(Opens in a brand new tab) in 2022. DeGeneres herself confronted poisonous office allegations in 2020. The image would later inform a thousand phrases, however in 2014, it was only a enjoyable second, proper? Proper? — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
John Travolta calls Idina Menzel “Adele Dazeem”
Adele Dazeem and John Travolta presenting on the Oscars.
Credit score: Kevin Winter / Getty Photographs
It’s possible you’ll know Idina Menzel as Rachel Berry’s mother, or Elsa from Frozen, and even Elphaba from Depraved, however to many (and particularly to John Travolta) she’s Adele Dazeem. On the 86th Academy Awards, Travolta hilariously mispronounced Menzel’s identify, by welcoming her to the stage as “the wickedly gifted, the one and solely, Adele Dazeem.” Each ounce of that single sentence screams comedic perfection, from its praiseful starting to its blowing touchdown, the place everybody concurrently tilted their heads in utter confusion. How may Travolta butcher Menzel’s identify to that pedigree? Who’s Adele Dazeem? Ought to this be Menzel’s new stage identify? Travolta’s mistake holds a spot within the meme corridor of legends and is unquestionably one of many funnier moments the Oscars blessed us with. — Yasmeen Hamadeh, Leisure Intern
Moonlight and La La Land win the award for many awkward Oscar second ever
“Moonlight, you guys gained greatest image. This isn’t a joke, come up right here.”
Credit score: Kevin Winter / Getty Photographs
Who can overlook the La La Land and Moonlight mixup? Whereas presenting the award for Greatest Image on the 89th Academy Awards, presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty have been seemingly given the mistaken card and mistakenly introduced that La La Land had gained, regardless of Moonlight being the precise winner. In what was most likely the longest seven minutes of Oscars historical past, La La Land’s workforce have been interrupted mid-speech, organizers flocked to the stage, a number of “This isn’t a joke”s have been thrown, and at last the Moonlight workforce acquired to just accept their award.
Every thing in regards to the mixup belonged in a renaissance portray. From Ryan Gosling making an attempt his greatest to not giggle to the collective gasp from the viewers to the pure, jaw-dropping shock on everybody’s faces — nobody may script this Oscars second. It is endlessly a part of the Academy’s historical past, however Moonlight deserved a lot extra. — Y.H.
Parasite’s massive night time
“Parasite” gained 4 Oscars on the 92nd Academy Awards, together with Greatest Image.
Credit score: Matt Petit – Handout / A.M.P.A.S. by way of Getty Photographs
Parasite’s domination on the 92nd Academy Awards was nothing wanting historic, because it grew to become the primary foreign-language movie to win Greatest Image and in addition took dwelling awards for Greatest Director, Greatest Authentic Screenplay, and Greatest Worldwide Characteristic Movie. These well-deserved victories gave us some actually superb moments courtesy of director Bong Joon-ho, who made his two Oscar statues kiss, joyfully declared he would drink all night time, and most significantly, reminded audiences to look at extra non-English movies. “When you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,” Bong stated, “you’ll be launched to so many extra superb movies.” — B.E.
The Chadwick Boseman and Anthony Hopkins debacle
Chadwick Boseman on the ninetieth Academy Awards.
Credit score: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic
When the 93rd Academy Awards moved Greatest Actor to the ultimate award of the night time — an honor all the time held by Greatest Image — everybody believed this was a gesture to honor the late Chadwick Boseman. His efficiency in Ma Rainey’s Black Backside had cleaned up all all through awards season, making him a transparent frontrunner. Nonetheless, in a serious upset, Anthony Hopkins took dwelling the award for his work in The Father. With Hopkins absent from the ceremony, the shifting of the award made for a clumsy end to the night time — and made Boseman’s loss sting much more. — B.E.
The “cheer-worthy” moments that acquired no cheers
The place have been you when the Flash entered the Velocity Pressure?
Credit score: Courtesy of HBO Max
To attraction to a broader viewers, the 2022 Oscars launched the Oscars Fan Favourite and Oscars Cheer Second awards, which have been voted on by social media. The Fan Favourite award went to Military of the Lifeless, whereas the Cheer Second went to Zack Snyder’s Justice League for the second when “the Flash enter the Velocity Pressure.” , that turning level in cinema. The Oscars viewers might have been lifeless quiet throughout these misfires, however no less than we acquired some good memes. — B.E.