2017 Oscars
The 2017 Oscars were held in Hollywood on Sunday the 26th of February, and even if you don’t care about celebrities or the film industry, it was entertaining to watch, especially with Jimmy Kimmel, the host, cracking jokes and making food rain from the sky. The night ended with a memorable delivery of the last award for best picture which has caused quite a bit of buzz in the media, making the 2017 Oscars one to remember.
The ceremony started with Justin Timberlake performing “Can’t Stop the Feeling” and a message of unity from Jimmy Kimmel. Of course, being a comedian, he did this in a way that mixed humor and genuine concern for the world’s current unrest. The night also happened to showcase Meryl Streep’s 20th Oscar nomination. Yes, her 20th nomination. That received a well deserved standing ovation from the audience.
The night did not shy away from bringing politics into the mix. Jimmy Kimmel literally tweeted at President Trump. However, the night’s main focus was on acceptance of diversity and tolerance of others. Many celebrities spoke out about their belief in accepting others and uniting people through the art of film. The Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs came on stage and reassured viewers that there would be no discrimination during this event saying, “Art has no borders.”
Aside from Meryl Streep achieving her 20th Oscar nomination, there were a couple other notable achievements as well. Mahershala Ali, who starred in “Moonlight”, was the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar, and Damien Chazelle who directed “La La Land” was the youngest person in history to win an Oscar in his category: Achievement in Directing.
There were a few music performances during the night. After J.T.’s performance, Lin Manuel Miranda, famous for his work with the Broadway play “Hamilton”, came on stage to introduce (while rapping of course) Auli’i Cravalho who was the voice of Moana in the film “Moana”. At only 16 years old, she sang “How Far I’ll Go” from the movie during the Oscars night. The next performance was by Sting singing “The Empty Chair”. The fourth performance was given to John Legend who sang “City of Stars” while playing piano. The last performance of the night was a memoriam of people in the film industry that have passed with Sara Bareilles singing “Both Sides Now” by Joni Mitchell.
The 2017 Oscars was a memorable night, mostly due to the last few minutes. The last award given out, for best picture, suffered from a Steve Harvey moment. The presenters were handed the wrong envelope making them believe that the film “La La Land” had won. However, the film “Moonlight” was actually the one to receive the Oscar. Besides this mix-up, the Oscars went smoothly. It’s always fun to see your favorite actors, actresses, directors, producers, etc. outside of the movie screen, and it’s even better when they address real-world concerns in a way that unites rather than divides. However, they do this best in the form of film which is what the night celebrated.
2017 Oscar Winners:
Best Supporting Actor– Mahershala Ali– “Moonlight”
Achievement in Makeup– Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini, and Christopher Nelson– “Suicide Squad”
Achievement in Costume Design: Colleen Atwood- “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
Best Documentary Feature: “O.J. Made in America”- Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow
Achievement in Sound Editing– Sylvain Bellemare– “Arrival”
Achievement in Sound Mixing– Kevin O’Connell– “Hacksaw Ridge”
Actress in Supporting Role– Viola Davis– “Fences”
Best Foreign Language Film– “The Salesman”– Asghar Farhadi
Best Animated Short Film– “Piper”– Alan Barillaro, Marc Sondheimer
Best Animated Feature Film– “Zootopia”– Byron Howard and Rich Moore
Achievement in Production Design– “La La Land”– David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds Wasco
Achievement in Visual Effects– “The Jungle Book”– Robert Legato, Dan Lemmon
Achievement in Film Editing– John Gilbert– “Hacksaw Ridge”
Best Documentary Short Subject– “The White Helmets”– Orlando Von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara
Best Live Action Short Film– “Sing”– Kristof Deah and Anna Udvardy
Achievement in Cinematography- Linus Sandgren- “La La Land”
Best Original Score– Justin Hurwitz– “La La Land”
Best Original Song– Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul– “City of Stars” in “La La Land”
Best Original Screenplay– “Manchester by the Sea”– Kenneth Lonergan
Best Adapted Screenplay– “Moonlight” – Berry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney
Achievement in Directing– Damien Chazelle– “La La Land”
Actor in a Leading Role– Casey Affleck– “Manchester by the Sea”
Best Actress– Emma Stone– “La La Land”
Best Picture– “Moonlight”