Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Logo of The Mercer Cluster
Friday, Mar 29, 2024
Interested in Working for the Cluster? Ask about joining our Discord!

5 things to start your week: Oscars Edition

The 88th Academy Awards ceremony honored the best films of 2015.
The 88th Academy Awards ceremony honored the best films of 2015.

Chris Rock hosts

After a montage of major films from the past year, Chris Rock opened the 88th annual Academy Awards with his monologue. Audiences expected him to address the racial controversy surrounding the show, and he wasted no time, saying, "Man, I counted at least 15 black people on that montage. I’m here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the White People’s Choice Awards." He dedicated his time on stage to talk about racism and sexism, taking jabs at the film industry with his sharp-witted comedy.

 

A platform for change

With millions of people watching, some Oscar winners chose to use their moments on stage to address societal issues. Adam McKay, who won alongside Charles Randolph for Best Adapted Screenplay, urged US voters to choose candidates who do not support big money, big banks, and the oil industry. Joe Biden introduced Lady Gaga with a speech about sexual assault, and a promotion for itsonus.org. Gaga shared the stage with 50 sexual assault victims during her performance of the Oscar nominated song 'Til it Happens to You.' Leonardo DiCaprio also used the remaining minute of his Best Actor winning speech to talk about climate change, urging viewers to make a change for this generation and those to come.

The big winners

Over the past 12 years, Leonardo DiCaprio has been nominated  6 times, but it was not until last night that he won his first Oscar. Brie Larson took home the win for Best Actress for her performance in "Room." Alejandro González Iñárritu won Best Director for the second year in a row. "Bridge of Spies," "Mad Max: Fury Road," "The Revenant," "Room," "Brooklyn," "The Martian," and "The Big Short" were among the nominees for Best Picture, but "Spotlight" took home the big win of the evening.



via GIPHY

 

The snubs & surprises

Though predictions can be made about the Oscar winners, there are bound to be a few surprises. Perhaps the most notable was Sylvester's Stalone loss to Mark Rylance for Best Supporting Actor. Best Original Song went to 'Writing's on the Wall,' despite the many predictions for ''Til it Happens to You.' The Best Picture win also came as a bit of a shock. Though "Spotlight" faced a lot of Oscar buzz, "The Big Short" and "The Revenant" were among the top contenders as well.

 

Screen-Shot-2016-02-29-at-3.57.08-AM-300x277
flickr.com


10 million & counting

#Oscars was the worldwide trending topic on Twitter Sunday evening, clocking in with over 10 million tweets. Viewers gave their own commentary, shared gifs of Leo in anticipation and celebration, and retweeted their favorites. If you missed any of the action, check out some of the highlights below.

 

 

Chris Rock’s opening monologue:










Lady Gaga performance of ‘’Til it Happens to You’:





Leo’s big win:







Spotlight wins Best Picture:





 

Click here for a full list winners at the 88th Academy Awards.


Comments

Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2024 The Mercer Cluster, Mercer University