Oscars 2017: The Events That Will Make History

Last night the 89^th annual Academy Awards, the Oscars, aired on ABC. Usually, these award shows go flawlessly, however, last night was nowhere near perfect. The best and worst moments of the Oscars were spread throughout the show. From Jimmy Kimmel’s hosting performance, memorable acceptance speeches, an unplanned mishap between ‘La La Land’ and ‘Moonlight’ for Best Picture and unforgettable musical performances – it was a night to remember that will make history for years to come.

The Mixup

The moment people will be talking about the most is the unfortunate mix-up between ‘La La Land’ and ‘Moonlight’ for the Best Picture award. Unfortunately, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunway were given the wrong envelope, ‘La La Land’ came to the stage, and the cast started to accept the most recognized award of the night. Producer Jordan Horrowitz stopped in the middle of the acceptance speech because the rightful winner was actually ‘Moonlight.’ Emma Stone was trying to be mature after this mishap by congratulating the cast of ‘Moonlight’ as they came to the stage, but Gyllenhaal did not appear overjoyed at the shocking news and was seen with crossed arms. PwC, the accounting and consulting firm that handled the balloting for the Oscars sincerely apologized for the mix-up.

This mix-up was the first of its kind in all 89 of the Academy Awards.

The Host

It was also Jimmy Kimmel’s first time hosting. Unfortunately, there are some mixed feelings about his overall performance. Kimmel utilized some of his jokes from his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, to poke fun of Donald Trump’s tweets and Presidency overall. He publicly chastised his “rival,” Matt Damon, and joked about the names of nonwhite actors and actresses. Though Kimmel was joking, these jabs left the audience and viewers feeling uneasy. However, Kimmel was not all bad. In fact, he had a Hollywood tour bus drop off tourists at the Dolby Theatre and they were all given front row seats.

The Speeches

The speech that had everyone on the edge of their seats was Viola Davis’ acceptance for Best Supporting Actress in ‘Fences.’ Kimmel even stated that she should get an Emmy for that acceptance speech alone. Now, Davis has a tony, Emmy, and Oscar to her name, which makes her the first African American with all three of these awards.

In her speech she memorably stated, “’What kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola?’ And I say, exhume those bodies, exhume those stories. The stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition, people who fell in love and lost. I became an artist — and thank God I did — because we are the only profession that celebrates what it means to live a life.” We are overjoyed you became an artist too, Davis, and ‘Fences’ is just the beginning of the canvas you will majestically paint.

The Music

There were also memorable music performances by Justin Timberlake, Sting and John Legend. Timberlake was the man of music last night, considering he was nominated in the category of Music (Original Song) for ‘Cant Stop the Feeling’ featured in ‘La La Land.’ He also opened the Oscars by singing this song and blew everyone away.

After last years #OscarSoWhite controversy, there were rightful concerns about the diversity in Hollywood considering only white actors and actresses were chosen for the top four categories. However, this year the Oscars celebrated diversity to the fullest and made a difference that will be remembered for years to come. Even though there were definitely mishaps that will be remembered from last night, it’s clear that the actors and actresses performances for incredible films will be cherished for longer.