‘Batman’ Villains, Streaker, & Kens! Best, Most Nostalgic Moments from the 2024 Oscars & One Miss
Many award shows bank on nostalgia to get viewers to talk and the Oscars were no exception. Even one of the most anticipated performances of the night had some nostalgic surprises! Last night, the 2024 Oscars aired from the Dolby Theater, and here are some of the top moments we couldn’t stop buzzing about, good and bad.
‘Batman’ villain reunion
Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger reunited to present the award for Best Visual Effects and Best Film Editing. They starred together in the comedy Twins, 36 years ago. During their appearance, they joked about their previous roles of being Batman villains. DeVito said, “Well, Arnold and I are presenting tonight together for a very obvious reason.” Schwarzenegger responded, “We both tried to kill Batman.” DeVito famously played the Penguin, while Schwarzenegger played Mr. Freeze and the camera panned to Michael Keaton, who played Batman in several films. Keaton jokingly glared at them.
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
Rich Polk/Variety via Getty Images
Michael Keaton had another fun reunion during the show, this time with Catherine O’Hara. The actors are set to reprise their Beetlejuice roles in the upcoming sequel. They presented the award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, the award which Beetlejuice won in 1989. The new film comes out on September 6, 2024!
A streaker returns
WWE star and actor John Cena was part of a bit meant to poke fun at an incident that happened in 1974. In ’74, a streaker appeared behind host David Niven while he was introducing Elizabeth Taylor and ran across the stage. Cena came out with no clothes on, with only an envelope covering him up. He presented the award for Best Costume Design, with a little help from host Jimmy Kimmel and it was one of the funniest parts of the night.
“I’m Just Ken” was very reminiscent of an iconic Marilyn Monroe performance
Of course, one of the best performances of the night featured Ryan Gosling and his army of Kens from Barbie. Slash of Guns N’ Roses and the late Eddie Van Halen‘s son Wolfgang Van Halen were surprise guests and brought a rock element to the performance. We noticed that the “I’m Just Ken” performance was very reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe‘s iconic performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the 1953 film, Gentleman Prefer Blondes. Did you notice this?
Rita Moreno got emotional about America
Aliah Anderson/Getty Images
Rita Moreno, best known for West Side Story, gave an emotional speech about actor America Ferrera and the Barbie film. She sang, “America, America,” referencing the popular West Side Story song, and then said, “Your powerful Barbie monologue is perhaps the most talked-about moment in the most talked-about movie of the past year. Your words and the passion with which you delivered them about the most impossible standards females must try to live up to galvanized not only women but everyone with a pulse.”
The ‘In Memoriam’ segment was criticized yet again
Unfortunately, one of the misses of the evening was the In Memoriam segment. It seems that many award shows are criticized for this segment as they often leave out notable celebrities who passed away in the last year. At this year’s Oscars, Andrea Bocelli and his son, Matteo Bocelli sang “Time to Say Goodbye,” near an interpretive dance. Some found fault with the dance, saying that it took away from the video of the late stars. Some also said it was hard to read the names and noted that Treat Williams, Lance Reddick, Norman Lear, Burt Young, Suzanne Somers, and others were left out of the main video montage.
Remind Tell us, what was your favorite and least favorite part of this year’s Oscars?
The Oscars
March 2022
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