Well, wow. What a night the 89th Academy Awards turned out to be. Jimmy Kimmel took on the task of delivering the first Academy Awards under the new presidency and yes, he went there. There were plenty of Trump disses within the monologue and throughout the night without even mentioning his name. Kimmel managed to keep the telecast uplifting, funny except if you were Mel Gibson. We will be breaking down some of the highlights, pitfalls and the WTF-Steve Harvey moment that is still confusing.
Justin Timberlake
Instead of starting or incorporating a song and dance number into the start of the broadcast with Kimmel himself, he let Justin Timberlake open the show with his catchy Oscar nominated song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling.” I can’t think of a better way to have opened with celebrities up and dancing (some trying to dance) and starting the show on a positive note. Also, who doesn’t love this song?
Jimmy Kimmel Hosting Scorecard
There was a lot of pressure on Kimmel to deliver the monologue in a heated political atmosphere that has managed to seep its way to the arts. I think that Kimmel managed to keep a positive outlook except if you were Mel Gibson. “I’ve been getting a lot of advice, people are telling me it’s time to bring everyone together, you need to say something to unite us, and let’s just get something straight off the top: I’m not — I can’t do that. There’s only one Braveheart in this room, and he’s not going to unite us, either.” Ouch.
Of course Kimmel could not forget his longstanding feud with Matt Damon throughout the show. I thought they could’ve done more, but what they did do was fun nonetheless in this ongoing feud.
A video "tribute" to Matt Damon… @BenAffleck #WeBoughtAZoo pic.twitter.com/FFE5aJwa43
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) February 27, 2017
One of the best moments when he tweeted to Donald Trump to make sure he was okay since he had not tweeted anything about the show.
Hey @realDonaldTrump u up?
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) February 27, 2017
The Oscar edition of “Mean Tweets” was one of the best so far. I’m glad all the celebrities know how to take some zingers…well, most of them.
NEW #MeanTweets #Oscars edition @RyanGosling Natalie Portman @SamuelLJackson Felicity Jones @WhoopiGoldberg Emma Stone @Jes_Chastain & more pic.twitter.com/5IepImmaOU
— Jimmy Kimmel (@jimmykimmel) February 27, 2017
The Speeches
Mahershala Ali – Winner for Best Supporting Actor for “Moonlight”
No one is more deserving than Ali. His speech strayed from the political and instead let his hard work and appreciation for his teachers, manager and wife (who just gave birth four days ago) do the talking. I bet Remy Danton couldn’t have planned this win any better himself!
Viola Davis – Winner for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for “Fences”
I think Meryl should watch out. There’s a Viola in town and she finally got her due! Viola is a powerhouse whether on the big screen or on your television set. She always delivers the goods, just like her “Fences” husband, Denzel Washington. This was no surprise and her speech will live on as one of the best. And for the record, no I was not crying during this speech, you were!
Gael Garcia Bernal gets political
Surprisingly there wasn’t many political fueled acceptance speeches, but Gael Garcia Bernal managed to squeeze in his two cents while presenting the animation categories. He clearly stated his opposition to the proposed border wall that President Trump and co. plan to build. Bernal managed to do so with grace, humility in a powerful moment that was met with applause.
Can we talk about “Moana’s” Auli’l Cravahlo mega performance of “How Far I’ll Go”
I’m not sure about you, but when I was 16 I don’t think I could have been this poised and sing an Oscar nominated song to not only the talent of Hollywood starting right at you, but to the whole world. Cravahlo managed to do so and then some, she even took getting hit by a background flag like a champ — didn’t even flinch. I’m sure we will be seeing more of her in the years to come!
It was the best of times…until the Oscars pulled their own Steve Harvey
In one of the most unprecedented things to happen in Oscars history, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway mistakenly announced “La La Land” as the Best Picture. Everything was fine and dandy until about two minutes later when Jordan Horowitz (“La La Land” producer) was notified and went up to the mic and graciously announced there had been a mistake and “Moonlight” was the winner. No one knows how this feel except maybe one Miss Universe contestant out there, but Horowitz handed off the snafu with grace proclaiming, “I’m gonna be really proud to hand this to my friends from ‘Moonlight.” Wow. As much as this was a cringefest to watch, I must say that this was a lesson in graciousness and class. He may not have taken home the Oscar, but Horowitz set an example that we all need in these times.
There were plenty of other winners including: Best Actress in a Leading Role, Emma Stone for “La La Land,” Best Actor in a Leading Role, Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea,” and the youngest winner in the Best Directing category, Damien Chazelle for “La La Land.” For the complete list of winners, click here.
We still are reeling from a long and confusing end to Oscars night, but enjoyed hearing all the speeches, jokes and endearing show of sportsmanship. Congratulations to all the winners and hey, even if you didn’t get that gold statue man, you’re still an Oscar nominee which is no easy feat!
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Catherine grew up watching action flicks at a very young age which led to her love of film. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelors in Radio-TV-Film in 2012. Always the adventurer, Catherine traveled and lived in Sydney, Australia for a year where she took a selfie with Brad Pitt. She runs Shuffle with passion, lots of caffeine and tacos. When she’s not editing or writing you can find her crafting and planning her next adventure.