I guess it is not a surprise that as a person who has an interest in the movies (or, to put it more matter-of-factly, does not shut up about the movies) that I am a huge fan of the Oscar award ceremonies. I love the hard work that goes into the presentations, the dresses, and the performances of the nominated songs. I love the idea of such a huge gathering to celebrate the art of the movies. But I especially love the craziness that comes from the hodgepodge of so many people and personalities under one roof. Something weird and meme-worthy always happens at these things, and this year was no exception!
So here's a list of some of my favorite parts of the 2017 Oscars.
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1. The Award Losses
Some of the more disappointing losses for me, such as "Hidden Figures" not receiving an award and "Moana" not receiving Best Original Song, both had amazing moments in the ceremony that helped the letdown a little. The three leading ladies of "Hidden Figures" gave Katherine Johnson the recognition she deserves and was one of the best parts of the night, and Auli'i Cravalho sounded absolutely amazing in her performance of "How Far I'll Go".
2. The Animated Short Award
"Piper" won Best Animated Short film. Honestly, I had not expected this short to win at all, as much as I loved it. I did not think the Academy would have any interest in a cute little story of a baby bird. It was nice to see that feel-good stories are as valid as deep, depressing stories.
3. Reactions
Seeing all of the disgusted faces — special mention going to Brie Larson refusing to applaud — after Casey Affleck won Best Actor. And that is all that needs to be said about that.
4. Background Music?
Some of the choices for background music were unintentionally funny. I especially remember hearing "Toy Story" music during the Best Supporting Actor presentation, and later in the night I heard the "Everything is Awesome" song from "The Lego Movie." It really made me wonder what the decision process was for these songs.
5. The Big Mistake
Everyone knows about the "Moonlight"/"La La Land" Best Picture mixup, and there are way better jokes made about this than I could make, but I have to say the first thing I thought of when this happened was, "no one can complain about Adele Dazeem ever again."
6. Surprise Award
Jackie Chan with those little stuffed pandas and finally winning an award after all of his work in the movie industry was both adorable and satisfying.
7. Remembering
The "In Memoriam" segment was especially sad this year, and using Carrie Fisher's "may the force be with you" scene from "The Force Awakens" was such a good decision.
8. Speeches
My personal favorite speech was by Viola Davis, when she received her award for Actress in a Supporting Role. Especially her line of "exhuming those stories." It was such a great line and a reflection of why I want to be in the movie business in the first place.
9. Candy?
I also learned that apparently some people call Twizzlers "red vines." Interesting!
All in all it was a great night, and I cannot wait for all of iconic moments and memes that will come next year!
