The Oscars Got Pretty Emotional

Some of the night's best moments included a tribute from Travolta, reunion between Indiana Jones stars
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 13, 2023 6:53 AM CDT
Here Were the Best Moments From the Oscars
Jamie Lee Curtis' speech.   (YouTube/ABC)

Everything Everywhere All at Once was the big winner at Sunday night's Academy Awards, but there were plenty of big moments to go around at the star-studded event:

  • Irritation, actually: Before the show even began, Hugh Grant made an appearance on the "red" carpet that had everyone buzzing, per the Hollywood Reporter. His interview with model Ashley Graham, who did her best to pepper him with positive questions about his attire and appearance in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, is being described as everything from "mesmerizingly awkward" to "a masterclass performance in apathy." Watch the cringey back-and-forth here.
  • Curtis' shoutout: Jamie Lee Curtis was one of four first-time nominees in the night's acting categories to take home a trophy, for best supporting actress in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and like many people who win, she mentioned her mom and dad. Unlike many people who win, her parents, the late actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, had themselves been nominated for Oscars: Leigh, in 1961 for best supporting actress in Psycho, and Curtis, in 1959 for best actor in The Defiant Ones, per Deadline. Watch their daughter's speech here.
  • Hopelessly devoted to Olivia: John Travolta took the stage for the "In Memoriam" portion of the program, and he became emotional as he introduced the segment, which included his Grease co-star, Olivia Newton-John, per People. "They've touched our hearts, they've made us smile, and became dear friends, who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to," he said, choking up. Watch here.

  • Fresh-faced Lady Gaga: The "Bad Romance" singer was all dolled up with "glossy red lipstick and darkly dramatic eye makeup" when she arrived to the Academy Awards, per Page Six. By the time she headed onstage to perform the Oscar-nominated "Hold My Hand," from Top Gun: Maverick, however, Gaga had taken off every bit of makeup and was stripped down to a T-shirt and ripped jeans. The New York Times notes, "She might have been unrecognizable if not for her hair, which was still in a French braid." Watch her performance here.
  • Bear with us: Elizabeth Banks slightly tripped as she walked onto the stage to present for best visual effects, but what really captured the audience's attention was the Cocaine Bear filmmaker's companion at the mic: a person dressed in a bear costume, who mimed all the films Banks mentioned in her presentation, per THR. See it here.
  • A big night for Encino Man: It wasn't lost on many that wins by Brendan Fraser (best actor, The Whale) and Ke Huy Quan (best supporting actor, Everything Everywhere All at Once) reunited the two actors, who'd appeared together more than 30 years ago in 1992's comedy Encino Man, per LADbible. One Encino Man co-star who perhaps felt a little left out: Pauly Shore, who nevertheless remains hopeful his own big win may someday be in the stars.
  • Indy reunites with Short Round: What's being called the night's biggest "full-circle moment" came via Quan and Harrison Ford, who announced the award for best picture. That honor went to Everything Everywhere All at Once, and cast member Quan ran up onto the stage to hug Ford, whom he'd starred with as a child actor in 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The two actors' embrace, with Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg looking on from the audience, "truly broke everyone," notes Esquire. See it here.
Check out some of the most talked-about celebrity get-ups of the night. (More Oscars stories.)

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