Entertainment

The Biggest Winners at the Oscars

Published

3 years ago

April 27, 2021

Even a global pandemic can’t dim the glitz and glamor of the entertainment industry, as proven in the 93rd annual Academy Awards on April 25. If you’ve missed the Oscars telecast, here’s the lowdown on the best highlights of the night.

First off, let’s take a look at the Oscars winners this year.

Best Supporting Actor

Daniel Kaluuya won Best Supporting Actor for his acting in Judas and the Black Messiah. His co-star in the same film, Lakeith Stanfield, also got a nod for this award, along with Sacha Baron Cohen, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Paul Raci.

Best Supporting Actress

Minari’s Yuh-Jung Youn took home the Best Supporting Actress award. She bested other actresses who got a nod for the award, namely Maria Bakalova, Glenn Close, Olivia Colman, and Amanda Seyfried.

Best Picture

Nomadland snagged Best Picture this year. It won over The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Minari, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

Best Director

Perhaps one of the most trending wins this year is Chloé Zhao, who took home Best Director for her work in Nomadland. Zhao is the first woman of color to win the award and the second woman to get the Oscars Best Director trophy.

It was also the first time that two women got a nod for best director – Emerald Fennell also got a nod for her work on Promising Young Woman. Also nominated were Thomas Vinterberg, David Fincher, and Lee Isaac Chung.

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

Though she didn’t win Best Director, Emerald Fennell nabbed the Best Writing award for an original screenplay for her work on Promising Young Woman.

Best Actress

This year’s Oscars Best Actress is Frances McDormand for her impeccable performance in Nomadland. Viola Davis, Andra Day, Vanessa Kirby, and Carey Mulligan also got a nod for the award.

Best Actor

Anthony Hopkins took home the Best Actor trophy for his role in The Father, much to the dismay of Chadwick Boseman fans. The late actor got a nod for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom but wasn’t given a posthumous award (more on this below).

Oscar Upsets

Without a doubt, the biggest Oscars upset was Anthony Hopkins winning over the late Chadwick Boseman for the best actor. Though Hopkins gave a stunning portrayal in The Father, Boseman won posthumous best actor awards at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, and Screen Actors Guild.

In fact, many Boseman fans took to social media with their angry reactions over the turnout. After all, the Oscars producers switched the order of the awards this year to end with the best acting awards instead of the best picture. And many assumed that this move was a way to close the show with an award slash tribute for Boseman. Despite the upset, the Academy honored Boseman during the in memoriam segment.

On the other hand, Hopkins did not attend the ceremony to accept the award, and the show abruptly ended after calling his name. The incident triggered a fire of tweets comparing the show to botched show finales, such as Game Of Thrones.

A Win for Streaming Services

With streaming services being the reigning channel amid movie house closures, Netflix shone in the Academy Awards. In fact, the company got a whopping 36 nods this year. Two of the best picture nominees, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Mank, are under the streaming giant.

Despite not earning a best picture Oscar statue, Netflix snagged seven awards. These included two trophies for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Best Documentary Feature for My Octopus Teacher. In the same vein, the company also got the live-action short film award for Two Distant Strangers and the Best-Animated Short-Film for If Anything Happens I Love You.

This success takes us back to when Netflix first got the Best Picture nod in 2019 for Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma. Back then, film observers thought insiders might have snubbed the film intentionally. Why? Probably due to anxiety that the streaming service is holding influence in Hollywood. However, this year’s nods and wins show that that anxiety may have vanished into thin air.

Aside from Netflix, streaming companies Amazon studios and Disney Plus got two wins each.

Oscars Amid the Pandemic

Holding the awards night amid a global pandemic brought restrictions due to health protocols. For instance, attendees had to rotate in and out of Union Station to limit the number of guests present.

Despite the Union Station being the main venue, the producers spread the show across various locations due to travel restrictions. Program segments were also done in the Dolby Theatre and the Highland Center in Hollywood.

Face Masks On

Everyone at the venue needed to sport face masks. But just as with the rule in movie sets, people could only take off masks when they’re on camera. And when they’re not rolling, it was mask back on for all.

On-stage banter between presenters and even winners was very much a part of the Oscars before. But those moments were lacking this year for obvious reasons.

Glenn Close’s “Da Butt” Moves

The most viral moment of the night was probably Glenn Close’s “Da Butt” jiggle. The actress showed her bootylicious moves as she danced to Experience Unlimited’s song.

But that aside, the show mainly focused on giving out the awards. The program also showed only a few sketches and pre-recorded the performances of best song nominees. It was a pretty tame show and understandably so, given the health situation.