Ana de Armas triumphed at the Oscars gala. Although the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role went to Michelle Yeoh (Evelyn in "Everything Everywhere All At Once"), the Spanish-Cuban actress emerged victorious on the champagne carpet of the 95th edition of the ceremony. The actress paid tribute to Marilyn Monroe and wore a champagne colored Louis Vuitton dress that did not pop out as much as it could have after the surprise that the classic red carpet was changing color.
On the champagne carpet, the performer experienced an uncomfortable moment. During an interview with Argentinian journalist Axel Kuschevatzky, Ana de Armas discussed for her nomination for Best Actress in "Blonde." While asking his last question, Kuschevatzky had an unfortunate comment that left the interpreter shocked: "People don't know how much effort this trip took, living for weeks on Alex Pettyfer's couch." De Armas did not let the journalist continue before making one thing clear: "I have not ever lived on a couch."
Presentador de TNT menciona información errónea sobre Ana De Armas.
Ella lo corrige y su agente interviene.#Oscars #Oscars2023 pic.twitter.com/69aBkfs7kB
— AH🌴 (@AracellysH) March 13, 2023
That was the only bittersweet moment the performer experienced during the night. She also shined at the after party. She wore a stained glass dress, also by Louis Vuitton, at the party that Vanity Fair organizes every year right after the gala of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Once again, she stole the spotlight, becoming the other big winner, at least in terms of her looks, of the Oscars' 95th edition.
Ana De Armas attends the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/5SsB9eQNWk
— @21metgala (@21metgala) March 13, 2023
Lady Gaga saves a photographer and other great moments of the gala
Another great moment of the night was when Lady Gaga made her entrance at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and headed for the photocall, she heard a photographer fall to the ground and ran to help him:
Este video de @ladygaga se va a hacer viral… mirá lo que sucede al final 🙌🏼❤️👏🏻 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/dbLxPX3EjA
— JaviPonzo (@JaviPonzo) March 13, 2023
Hugh Grant also starred in an awkward moment in the run-up to the ceremony. It was while Ashley Graham was interviewing him when the British artist decided to show his English humor and decided to show his lack of interest in the interview that the presenter was conducting. Thus, Grant answered the question "What do you like most about the Oscars?" with a simple: "The vanity fair."And so it went on for several minutes until Graham asked him about one of his latest films, Glass Onion: a Knives Out Mystery and he, neither short nor lazy, decided to ridicule the presenter: "Well, I barely show up. I was only in it for about three seconds." She tried to save the interview, asking him if, at least, he had been entertained, to which the interpreter replied with a simple: "Eh... almost".
Joder, joder, joder xDD pic.twitter.com/LbMPIyWNqp
— Javi 🎬😊 (@JaviL32) March 13, 2023
Hispanic artists also were in the spotlight on the carpet. Pedro Pascal and Salma Hayek starred in an endearing moment when Salma ran to see Pascal so she could take a picture with him:
Salma Hayek corriendo a hacerse una foto con Pedro Pascal en la alfombra de los #Oscars me representa ✨ pic.twitter.com/0tsFMgiZMi
— Pedro J. García (@fuertecito) March 12, 2023
However, the true star of the first part of the Oscars was the carpet itself. The Academy decided to change its color and put an end to a 65-year tradition. The carpet was champagne instead of red, and many of the celebrities who attended the ceremony found themselves matching the carpet:
Jimmy Kimmel alludes to last year's slap heard round the world
Once inside the Dolby Theatre, the undisputed star of the show was the host. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted the gala for the third time and had an opening monologue to mark the occasion. He parachuted into the theater and, there, decided to allude to one of the most controversial moments of last year's awards, the slap by Will Smith of Chris Rock.
He tried to make clear how the tone of this ceremony, which many have described as "boring," would be:
We want you to have fun, we want you to feel safe, and most importantly, we want me to feel safe. So, we have strict policies in place. If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for 'Best Actor' and permitted to give a 19-minute long speech. But seriously, the Academy has a crisis team in place. If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony, just do what you did last year: nothing. Sit there and do absolutely nothing. Maybe even give the assailant a hug.
In fact, despite the existence of a crisis team, there was no need for one. The gala went on without a hitch, and Kimmel was able to make a speech full of humor, in which he took the opportunity to make clear the absence of both James Cameron and Tom Cruise: "You know, Tom and James Cameron didn't show up tonight. The two guys who insisted we go to the theater didn't come to the theater."
"Pablo Eskobear" and Jenny the mule, stars of the Oscars
The animal that stars in the film "Cocaine Bear," jokingly named "Pablo Eskobear," also attended the Oscars. He starred in an amusing moment when a person dressed as the animal accompanied Elizabeth Banks, the film's director, to present the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. There, the director took the opportunity to reflect on the importance of visual effects in the film industry:
'Avatar' is visual effects. ... 'All Quiet on the West Front'? That's visual effects. It was a real war, but real visual effects. Batman flying around is not real. Tom Cruise flying around is real, but also visual effects. Wakanda? Wakanda is totally real. Visual effects can enhance any story and are an incredible tool for filmmakers like me. Without visual effects, 'Cocaine Bear' would have been some actor in a bear suit...probably on cocaine.
Elizabeth Banks and #CocaineBear present at the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/1G1DcYvDiO
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 13, 2023
Jenny the mule also appeared at the Oscars. One of the stars of "The Banshees of Inisherin" took the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles wearing an emotional support animal vest. Before an emotional Colin Farrell (Jenny the mule's co-star), Jimmy Kimmel took the opportunity to stress the importance of these animals, but without losing his comic touch: "Not only is Jenny an actress, she's a certified emotional support donkey. At least that's what we told the airline to get her on the plane from Ireland," he said.
Jenny from ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ made her #Oscars debut! pic.twitter.com/sR8Sb4A82x
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) March 13, 2023
Minutes later, the truth was revealed: it was not the real Jenny; the real one was still in Ireland and had been replaced by another one to star in this tender moment of the Oscars.
A birthday celebration hard to forget
If there is anyone who will not easily forget this Sunday night, it will be James Martin. The star of "An Irish Goobye" did not expect to experience such a tender moment when the directors of the short film, Tom Berkeley and Ross White, came up to accept the Oscar for Best Short Film. At that moment, they decided to give an unexpected gift to the actor with Down syndrome.
This award is actually the second most important thing about today, because it is this man's birthday. He's out here in Hollywood, wearing a leopard print suit jacket. We would like to use the rest of our time up here to sing for James.
► VIDEO: James Martin, star of Oscar winning live-action short, 'An Irish Goodbye' has happy birthday sang for him at the ceremony #OscarsIE pic.twitter.com/MuNOlFuNM9
— Irish Times Video (@irishtimesvideo) March 13, 2023
The reunion between Tapón and Harrison Ford and John Travolta add an emotional touch to the gala
There were also no shortage of tears at the 95th Oscars. They were evident from the beginning of the ceremony. A thrilled Jamie Lee Curtis collected her award for Best Supporting Actress for "Everything Everywhere All at Once" while Angela Bassett ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever") could not hide her disappointment after seeing the Oscar slip through her fingers as she was became one of the memes of the night:
🏆 La reacción de Angela Bassett al #Oscar de Jamie Lee Curtis es digna de ver en slomo.pic.twitter.com/P5BKekKAOy
— Emilio Doménech (@Nanisimo) March 13, 2023
Another who could not hold back tears was John Travolta. He presented the In Memoriam, the most emotional moment of the gala that featured a performance by Lenny Kravitz, and Travolta could not hold back the tears as he remembered his "Grease" co-star, Olivia Newton-John, who passed away on Aug. 8, 2022.
Ke Huy Quan will also be remembered for starring in two of the most emotional moments of the evening. First, when he went up and gave his acceptance speech for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "Everything Everywhere All at Once." There, in tears, he dedicated the award to his mother:
My mother is 84 years old, and she's at home watching it. Mom, I just won an Oscar! My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow I ended up here. ... This is the American dream.
However, the best part came at the end of the gala. In the absence of Tom Cruise, the person in charge of announcing which film would win the award for Best Picture was none other than Harrison Ford. He had shared the screen with Ke Huy Quan in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" when the latter was just a child, and the embrace the two shared became one of the best moments of the night:
Apart from the Historic #NaatuNaatu #Oscar Win 🤩
My Favourite Moment of #Oscars2023 is got to be #HarrisonFord & #KeHuyQuan reuniting at the #Oscars Stage since "Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom" & #StevenSpielberg being so proud of them 😍🥰😍#AcademyAwards… https://t.co/19vgXGTO7c pic.twitter.com/nS8YCmVufx— Ayyo (@AyyAyy0) March 13, 2023
