The red carpet… *ahem,* excuse me, the champagne carpet has been rolled!  This past Sunday marked the 95th annual Academy Awards, showcasing 23 categories with 23 fantastic winners.  (I would also like to apologize in advanced for the long article; there’s a lot to cover.)

As actors, directors, and producers alike walked the champagne carpet, there were many eye-catching outfits.  Louis Vuitton was a popular choice, worn by the likes of Ana de Armas, Michael B. Jordan, Cate Blanchett, and Jennifer Connelly.  Many other fashion giants were worn, including names like Alexander McQueen, Versace, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Vera Wang, and Dior (Michelle Yeoh absolutely rocked her Dior couture gown with a complementary Moussaieff diamond ring, earrings, and hairpiece).  One look that impressed me the most was Jonathan Majors’ Fredrick Douglass-inspired suit, made by Majors’ friend.  Sources have claimed that he was “staying true to his villain era.”  Majors previously starred as the villain Kang in the new Ant-Man movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania earlier this year.

Even before any awards were given out, headlines spiraled.  Sixteen out of twenty actor nominations were first-time nominees, including every nominee in the Best Actor category and actors like Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Ana de Armas, and Ke Huy Quan.  Angela Bassett also became the first Marvel character to be nominated.  The two-time nominee was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.  And, Boston Symphony Orchestra’s own conductor, John Williams, was nominated for the 53rd time with five Oscars to his name, partnering with Steven Spielberg’s seven-time-nominated movie, The Fablemans.

Two major names whose movies were nominated didn’t show up, Tom Cruise and James Cameron.  An insider said that Cameron had attended the nominee party just days before the show, but had to abruptly cancel due to “personal problems.”  Jimmy Kimmel will make a joke, saying, “You know when a show is too long when even James Cameron can’t sit through it.”  After all, the Canadian director is the King of Three-Hour Movies.  Tom Cruise’s absence was excused because he was in the middle of filming a movie.  Maybe that will be nominated for next year’s ceremony!

A win that warmed all of our hearts went to both supporting actors Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.  Ke Huy Quan first starred in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom as Short Round.  He would later star as Data in The Goonies.  The Vietnamese-American actor would go on to star in low-budget films.  But, Quan would make a roaring comeback, winning Best Supporting Actor.  Right before concluding his tearful speech, the Oscar winner shouted with pride, “To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive!!”

Another amazing win was from the first-time nominee and winner Jamie Lee Curtis.  The Best Supporting Actress winner bested Angela Bassett, Hong Chau, Kerry Condon, and co-star Stephanie Hsu.  Her reaction was priceless; her mouth gaped open and she screamed “OH, SHUT UP!”  After hugging her husband, she walked up the stage, accepted her Oscar, and began her first Oscar speech.  She thanked everyone on the Everything Everywhere All At Once team, saying “WE!  JUST!  WON!  AN OSCAR!  TOGETHER!!”  Then, she looked to the sky and said to her parents, “I just won an Oscar!”  I think I can say for everyone I say that her speech warmed all of our hearts.

Many other awards were awarded, like Best Original Song, which was won by “Naatu-Naatu,” featured in RRR a Tollywood (Telugu cinema) film directed by S. S. Rajamouli.  Composer M. M. Keeravani and lyricist Chandrabose took home an Oscar, making their song the first song from an Indian production to be nominated for an Oscar.

Other movies like Black Panther won for Best Costume Design, The Whale won for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Navaly won for Best Documentary Feature, Women Talking won for Best Adapted Screenplay, and All Quiet on the Western Front won for Best International Feature (Germany).  Two other big-named films including Avatar: The Way of Water and Top Gun: Maverick only won one award!  And Elvis, surprisingly, didn’t win any!  And, the German war drama, All Quiet on the Western Front, would take away four Oscars from their nine nominations, including Best Original Score, taking out John Willams!

Toward the end of the night, Everything Everywhere All At Once dominated the Oscars.  Emerson College graduates Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert took home two titles to their name (Original Screenplay and Best Director), helping the hit movie win seven total Oscars.  The final three awards were Best Actor, Best Actress, and finally, Best Picture.  Brendan Fraser won for his performance as Charlie in The Whale.  This would be his first nomination and win.  Then, Michelle Yeoh would make history by being the first Asian actress to be nominated and win in her category.  She would proceed to say, “And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime.  Never give up.”

Lastly, Harrison Ford went up on stage to present the long-awaited category, Best Picture.  The Indiana Jones actor stated the ten nominated movies before opening up the envelope.  Everything Everywhere All At Once was the winner.  The crowd erupted as the cast made their way to the stage to accept their awards.  Daniel Kwan and Scheinert made their third acceptance speech of the night.  Everything Everywhere All At Once made history by being one of twelve films to earn seven wins.

The 95th Academy Awards was definitely one for the history books.  I cannot wait to see what the 96th Oscars have in store.