Oscars 2024: Stars Shine, Surprises Emerge

The stars were shining bright on Sunday! This year’s Academy Awards brought out the biggest names in Hollywood for a night of fun and celebration.

Coming together at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, this year’s Oscars was a musical performance-filled gala that also served as a celebration of cinema greatness and delivered some truly unexpected surprises and category upsets.

Hosted once again by Jimmy Kimmel — serving as emcee for the fourth time — the comedian brought his deft and innate comedic talent for a memorable night of recognition and entertainment.

From some long-awaited wins to some truly touching acceptance speeches, here are all the best, biggest and most memorable highlights from Sunday’s 96th Oscars ceremony!

Jimmy Kimmel Shows Union Solidarity in Opening Monologue

In his fourth time as host, Kimmel felt confident and comfortable poking gentle fun at celebs without hurting feelings. However, he also made sure to infuse some genuine meaning into his monologue by celebrating the union teamsters and crew members who worked hard to support SAG and the WGA during their strikes.

Kimmel welcomed a big group of IATSE members onto the stage and and promised, “In your upcoming negotiation, we will stand with you, too. And also, I’m going to make sure the show goes really long tonight, so you get a ton of overtime.

Cord Jefferson Delivers Rousing Call for More Small-Budget Films

After winning the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for American Fiction, Cord Jefferson used his time on stage to deliver an impassioned plea for Hollywood execs to take more risks when it comes to funding small budget projects from unknown filmmakers.

“I understand that this is a risk-averse industry, I get it, but $200 million movies are also a risk, you know? And it doesn’t always work out, but you take the risk anyway,” Jefferson shared. “Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies. Or 50 $4 million movies… I feel so much joy being here, I felt so much joy making this movie, and I want other people to experience that joy, and they are out there, I promise you.”

Billie Eilish Shows Exactly What She Was Made For

The Oscars are known for their over-the-top performances of the nominees for Best Song. However, Billie Eilish managed to deliver one of the most powerful performances possible with nothing more than her brother Finneas O’Connell on piano and her crooning into a microphone (and a full orchestra just off stage). The singer belted out her Barbie track, “What Was I Made For?” and earned a tearful, breathless, roaring standing ovation from the star-studded audience — including a stunned Ariana Grande, a crying Margot Robbie and a cheering Kate McKinnon.

John Cena Strips Down to Present Best Costume

Every time he appears in anything, it seems John Cena’s comedic timing gets more and more perfected — and that all culminated with his jaw-dropping Oscars presentation for Best Costume, when he took the stage fully nude, covering his privates with nothing but the winner’s envelope.

Originally planned as a joke about the infamous Oscars streaker, Cena explained he no longer wanted to do the bit, because the Oscars were too elegant for such nonsense, but he wound up baring all anyway, and was saved by Kimmel fashioning a toga for him to maintain his dignity.

Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling Bicker Over ‘Barbenheimer’ Rivalry

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s hilariously caustic banter was a better promo for their upcoming action rom-com The Fall Guy than any trailer could ever be. The pair took the stage for a special spotlight honoring stunt performers, but largely featured Blunt and Gosling playfully arguing about Oppenheimer and Barbie, and came to an end when Blunt accused Gosling of painting on his abs, before he angrily grabbed the mic away and demanded that they put an end to their feud. The pair had an effortless chemistry that made their presentation banter among the best we’ve seen at any awards show this year.

‘Godzilla Minus One’ VFX Creators Celebrate Historic With With Mini-Godzillas

When Godzilla Minus One took home the Oscar, it made history as the first foreign language film and first Japanese production to ever win the honor. It’s also the first Godzilla franchise film to ever win any Oscar of any kind. Additionally, director Takashi Yamazaki, who also served as the film’s VFX director, became the first director to win an Oscar for Best Visual Effects since 1969, when Stanley Kubrick snagged it for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

To commemorate the monumental win, the film’s VFX team took the stage to accept the award and brought along some mini Godzillas as well, to share the spotlight with the iconic monster for one of the most adorable and sweet moments of the night.

Ryan Gosling Delivers a High-Kenergy Musical Performance

Appearing on stage accompanied by more than a dozen backup singers and dancers, Ryan Gosling — joined by Slash and several of the other Kens from Barbie including Ncuti Gatwa, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Scott Evans and Simu Liu — tapped into his inner Ken doll while wearing a pink sparkly suit and sunglasses to unleash the Kenergy on the audience members, starting out in the crowd before coming up to the front of the room.

The La La Land actor — who started his career in Hollywood as a member of the Mickey Mouse Club — gave a stunning (and comedic) rendition of the song, which peaked on the charts following the film’s release. By giving it his all and then going into the audience to sing along with stars, Gosling provided one of the most memorable moments in Oscar history.