Last night, the 94th Academy Awards ceremony returned to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, after a two-year absence due to the pandemic, with hosts Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes. The big winner of the night was the sci-fi remake Dune, which earned six awards in a near sweep of the artisan categories. The big story of the night, though, was Best Actor winner Will Smith’s storming the stage to slap presenter Chris Rock after the comedian’s joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith.
The two other multiple winners were the family drama CODA, which took home three prizes (including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor Troy Kotsur) and The Eyes of Tammy Faye, which took home two (including Best Actress Jessica Chastain and Best Makeup & Hair).
Among the musical nominees, the big winner was Ariana DeBose, who was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Anita in the remake of West Side Story. In her acceptance speech, DeBose gave a shout out to Rita Moreno, who likewise earned an Oscar for her performance of Anita in the original 1961 film adaptation.
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Other musical winners included Best Documentary Feature Summer of Soul and Best Animated Feature Encanto, which had two songs performed in the ceremony. Sebastián Yatra sang the nominated “Dos Oruguitas,” while Becky G, Luis Fonsi, and Megan Thee Stallion joined the film’s cast for “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which wasn’t nominated but has topped the Billboard charts for five weeks.
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Finally, the Best Song award went to first-time nominees Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell for “No Time to Die” (from the Bond film No Time to Die), while the Best Score award went to Hans Zimmer for Dune.
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