95th Annual Oscar Awards Ceremony 2023 Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel
In case you missed the 95th annual Oscar Awards Ceremony, they were televised on March 12, 2023 and emceed by Jimmy Kimmel, his third time hosting. Kimmel said that everyone good must have already turned them down to host the awards! It was a night full of laughs, tears, topped off with a terrifying coked up bear making uncanny appearances.
Kimmel parachuted in from a Top Gun fighter jet cockpit, flown by Top Gun’s Maverick Tom Cruise, (which won many nominations) before landing on stage stating, “My banshees are caught in my inisherin.” An allegory from the Irish Civil War comedy/drama, “The Banshees of Inisherin”, meditating the way we define ourselves through others”, on a fictional island. He jokingly offered an emotional support donkey brought from Ireland, stating if anyone needed a hug or emotional support, the mule was there for them.
Kimmel offered numerous jokes about last year’s violent slap between Will Smith and Chris Rock. Kimmel reassures guests as this year as being different, with a “crisis team” in place for any violence that may occur during the awards ceremony this year. He further stated, “the audience could just do what they did last year if there is any violence, which was absolutely NOTHING.”
The sci-fi film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” got the most nominations overall. Actress Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman and the second woman of color to win the award for Best Actress, by starring in this film.
Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor for his starring role alongside Yeoh. He won the crowd over with his heartfelt and emotional speech about his experience as a Vietnamese immigrant. “My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage,” he said tearfully. He got his start playing in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and also in Goonies in the 1980s.
Brendan Fraser in “The Whale”, is a gay English teacher who becomes unhealthily obese after the loss of his lover, while desperately seeking a reconnection with his daughter. Fraser did have to gain some weight for the role, but not all 400 lb., as he wore a “fat suit” to fulfill the rest.
A promotional trailer debuted of Disney’s newest Little Mermaid movie stealing away some attention from the awards ceremony and was critiqued for doing just that.
Cocaine Bear practically mauled Malala Yousafzai, the human rights activist from Pakistan who survived being shot at age 15 due to her opposition to the Taliban on women receiving education, being Kimmel shouted to leave her alone.
Navalny won the Best Documentary feature. The family of Alexei Navalny accepted the award on his behalf, as he is still in a Russian prison, with his health ailing from a botched poisoning attempt on his life. It was alas another tearful awards acceptance and speech delivery.
https://www.cnn.com/entertainment/live-news/oscars 2023/h_d5bf4c59e24d629b00234da31a04b171 to view a complete listing and categories of awards.
