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In between jokes about the infamous Will Smith Oscars 2022 slap, returning host Jimmy Kimmel squeezed in a jab at Nick Cannon‘s large number of children during his opening monologue at this year’s Academy Awards. And shortly after the ceremony wrapped, the Masked Singer host himself reacted to the callout, which he though was all in good fun.
“I heard about that,” Cannon told TMZ as he was leaving a restaurant Sunday night (March 12). “It’s hilarious. I created Wild N’ Out — I can hear jokes all day long.”
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! host effortlessly looped in a joke at Cannon’s headling-making fertility rate — the Drumline star is a father to 12 children, eight of which were born within a two-year span — by mentioning that one of the night’s nominated films, Avatar: The Way of Water, cost Disney two billion dollars to make. “Just to break even, all of Nick Cannon’s kids had to see Avatar four times,” Kimmel quipped.
There’s no hard feelings between the two men, though. “Kimmel’s my man,” Cannon added.
The former America’s Got Talent host first became a dad when he welcomed twins with his megastar ex-wife Mariah Carey in 2011. In the years following the couple’s 2014 split, he had 10 more babies with five other women: Brittany Bell, Abby De La Rosa, Bre Tiesi, LaNisha Cole and Alyssa Scott.
Many have wondered if and when Cannon will put an end to his oats-sowing, including the female TMZ reporter who closed their Sunday night chat by asking if he planned on putting a cap on his child count — not that she got a real answer to the question. “I don’t know. Whatchu doing later?” he joked, laughing slyly as he closed his car door.
The 2023 Oscars has officially come and gone. Celebrities, actresses and musicians attended the 95th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night (March 12) to celebrate and honor the most talked about movies released within the past year, and of course, the ceremony included performances by best original song nominees Rihanna, Lady Gaga and more.
Ri took the stage in a stunning Maison Margiela Artisanal look — black pants and black bra with dazzling rhinestones parading down the length of her baby bump — to give “Lift Me Up” from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack its live debut. The track marked the pop star’s first Oscar nomination, alongside Tems, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson. The singer delivered a soaring performance of the song accompanied by a backing choir, imbuing the live rendition with as much emotion — if not more — than the original recording.
After initially declining to perform at the telecast, Gaga surprised fans by taking the stage for “Hold My Hand” from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack. The Academy Award winner — who performed makeup-free and in a casual outfit — began the set with a few words. “I wrote this song with my friend BloodPop for the film Top Gun: Maverick in my studio basement,” she began. “There’s heroes all around us, in unassuming places, but you might find that you can be your own hero even if you feel broken inside.”
David Byrne with Stephanie Hsu and Son Lux; Sofia Carson with Diane Warren; Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava; and Lenny Kravitz also performed at the Oscars. Which performance was your favorite? Vote in our poll below.
As Waymond Wang famously says in Everything Everywhere All At Once, “Please, be kind. Especially when we don’t know what’s going on.”
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka “The Daniels”) certainly took that advice from their character when they accepted the award for best directing at the 2023 Oscars on Sunday (March 12). Dedicating the award to “all the mommies of the world,” Scheinert especially thanked his parents for supporting his passion throughout his life. “Thank you for not squashing my creativity when I was making really disturbing horror films, or really perverted comedy films, or dressing in drag as a kid, which is a threat to nobody.”
That final comment seemed to come as a shot at Tennessee lawmakers, who earlier this month passed a law banning drag performances from taking place on public property, claiming drag posed a threat to children. While Tennessee became the first state to enact such a ban, a number of other states — including North Dakota, Texas, West Virigina, Nebraska and South Carolina — are currently advancing similar legislation.
The Daniels were the big winners at Sunday night’s telecast, as Everything Everywhere All At Once took home a whopping seven awards out of the 11 it was nominated for, including best picture, best direction, best original screenplay, best film editing, and three of the four major acting awards (best actress for Michele Yeoh, best supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan and best supporting actress for Jamie Lee Curtis).
Check out the Daniels’ full speech following their best directing win at the 2023 Oscars above.
The Oscars were a family affair for Rihanna. At her side throughout the Sunday night (March 12) awards show was A$AP Rocky, who was captured cradling the “Umbrella” singer’s baby bump in an adorable backstage moment.
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The couple — currently expecting baby No. 2 — posed for a few photos backstage shortly after Ri finished performing her Wakanda Forever track, “Lift Me Up,” which was nominated for best original song. The Fenty Beauty founder looked characteristically glamorous in a mint green skirt and shawl combo that left her growing bump bare and on display.
In a couple of the photos, Rocky — dapper in a white tuxedo jacket — giggles into his partner’s ear as he wraps one hand around her waist and the other around her belly.
ASAP Rocky and Rihanna backstage at the 95th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California.
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The only family member missing from the snapshot was the couple’s 10-month-old son, who was probably sound asleep given that the three-hour ceremony lasted until about 11:30 p.m. ET. Rocky and Rihanna welcomed their first child in May last year, about nine months before the “Rude Boy” musician would wordlessly announce her second pregnancy by debuting her unmistakable baby bump during her Super Bowl Halftime Show performance in February.
Rihanna looked equally stunning onstage at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre while performing “Lift Me Up,” which she delivered on an elevated stage in a dress dripping with diamonds. Though the best original song statuette went to “Naatu Naatu” from RRR, the makeup mogul still got to celebrate her first ever Academy Award nomination while honoring late Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman.
Check out Rihanna’s Oscars performance below:
The Oscars might be the film world’s biggest night, but this year, music was front and center too.
The best original song nominations and Academy Awards performers included two of the biggest pop stars in the world in Rihanna and Lady Gaga, not to mention previous winner David Byrne, Diane Warren up for a 14th time, and Golden Globe victors (and eventual 2023 Oscar champs) M. M. Keeravani and Chandrabose. We also had Lenny Kravitz soundtracking the “in memoriam” segment, Austin Butler nominated for playing rock legend Elvis Presley, and Halle Bailey introducing the first trailer for Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
It was only confirmed earlier Sunday that Gaga would sing her nominated song “Hold My Hand,” and her onstage intro explained why she decided to perform after all. “I wrote this song with my friend BloodPop for the film Top Gun: Maverick in my studio basement,” she said. “It’s deeply personal for me, and I think that we all need each other. We need a lot of love to walk through this life, and we all need a hero sometimes. There’s heroes all around us, in unassuming places, but you might find that you can be your own hero even if you feel broken inside.”
But beyond what you saw onscreen, Billboard was inside Hollywood’s Dolby Theater on Sunday night (March 12) and at the Governors Ball afterparty to cover all the action in person, and we’ve rounded up seven music moments the cameras didn’t catch — and one moment the in-person crowd missed.
A Round of ‘Applause’ for Hollywood Magic
Image Credit: Rich Polk
The first performance of the night was from 14-time nominee Diane Warren, who accompanied singer Sofia Carson on the song “Applause” from the anthology film Tell It Like a Woman. The performance was introduced by Woman star Cara Delevingne, but what the TV audience couldn’t see while the actress was onscreen was that a full production was being set up on the stage, including Warren’s grand piano, a string section and a full choir. It all looked like a well-oiled machine when an elegant Carson sauntered onstage in an ethereal cape dress, but a lot went into the brisk two-minute performance. When the show cut to commercial break, Warren took a small bow and got a lot of love from the Academy audience — which clearly loves the celebrated songwriter.
‘Everything’ Out of Nowhere All at Once
The Oscars’ secret weapon on Sunday night was a multi-leveled, dynamic stage that allowed a lot of varied setups without a lot of chaos visible to the in-house audience. The best deployment of the stage was for David Byrne, Son Lux and Stephanie Hsu’s performance of the nominated Everything Everywhere All at Once song “This Is a Life.” The performers started out below the stage and then all of a sudden, they rose up from the depths along with the band’s instruments and a troupe of white-clad dancers, adding to the overall surprise factor of the offbeat song.
Not ‘Part of Your World’
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The audience was very excited when Halle Bailey and Melissa McCarthy came out to present a brand-new trailer for the live-action Little Mermaid remake — but that excitement soon fizzled when Bailey informed the Dolby crowd that the musical preview wouldn’t be shown in the theater. Apparently, the VIP crowd didn’t get all the perks of the night.
Gaga’s Band Lovefest
Lady Gaga kept things simple for a last-minute performance of her nominated song “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick, wearing a T-shirt, jeans and sneakers with no makeup for the mostly unplugged jam session. She stuck around onstage once the show went to commercial break and gave all four members of her band hugs as the crowd gave her a standing ovation. Then she blew the audience a kiss, waved and rushed backstage to get back into glam for her category to be announced.
Baby On Board
The Oscars crew wasn’t leaving anything to chance for Rihanna’s performance, for which the pop superstar had to make her way to the stage in the dark while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever star Danai Gurira introduced her. Before Rihanna performed “Lift Me Up,” she was accompanied by a half-dozen crew members to center stage, likely taking extra care since she’s currently expecting her second baby with A$AP Rocky, as revealed during last month’s Super Bowl halftime show. And when she wrapped up, the half-dozen assistants were back with flashlights to lead her backstage.
A Light Moment for Lenny
Lenny Kravitz soundtracked the night’s “in memoriam” tribute with a subdued performance of “Calling All Angels” appropriate for the gravity of the segment. What fans at home didn’t see, though, is once the tribute ended in complete silence and Kravitz got the all-clear that the show had gone to commercial break, he stood up and gave the crowd a big wave and a smile. While the “in memoriam” segment is never really about the performer, it was nice to see Lenny get some love for the set.
Some Accessories for the Afterparty
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Coming out on top over all the star power in the best original song category were M. M. Keeravaani and Chandrabose, who wrote the song “Naatu Naatu” for the blockbuster Indian film RRR. After a high-energy performance and a Carpenters-inspired acceptance speech, Billboard spotted the duo arriving triumphantly to the Oscars Governors Ball afterparty, each holding an Oscar and ready to get their hardware engraved inside.
You can’t have an Oscar telecast without Snubs & Surprises. It’s an unwritten law. This year, mercifully, the surprises had nothing to do with bad behavior or mishandled envelopes, but simply with awards outcomes that not everyone saw coming.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 95th Oscars, which were held Sunday (March 12) at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Everything Everywhere All at Once was the top winner, with seven Oscars.
EEAAO became only the third film – and the first in nearly 50 years – to win three acting Oscars. The first two, both classics, were A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and Network (1976). The film’s star, Michelle Yeoh, won best actress, while Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis took the supporting awards.
“The Daniels” – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – won three Oscars on Sunday (March 12) for co-producing, co-writing and co-directing the buzzy film. This marks just the second time in Oscar history that two people have shared three awards on Oscar night. Joel and Ethan Coen won Oscars for serving in the same capacities 15 years ago for No Country for Old Men.
For the second year in a row, all four of the acting winners – Brendan Fraser, Yeoh, Quan and Curtis – had previously won at the SAG Awards. This is the eighth time in the past 14 years that all four Oscar winners had won at the SAG Awards, a surprisingly high rate of agreement.
Here are some of the more notable snubs and surprises from Oscar night 2023.
Snub: Austin Butler
Even though Brendan Fraser won the SAG Award last month, many expected Austin Butler to win the Oscar for best actor. It was a star-making performance. Moreover, Lisa Marie Presley’s shocking death just as awards season was heating up seemed to be a factor that might weigh in his favor. People would want to see Butler pay tribute to not only Elvis, but his daughter, who was on hand to see Butler win best actor in a drama at the Golden Globes on Jan. 10. She died two days later.
Surprise: The Whale
The Whale was a polarizing movie. Many were moved by it, but others harshly dismissed it. Still, it was one of only three multiple Oscar winners this year, with its two wins trailing only Everything Everywhere All at Once (with seven wins) and All Quiet on the Western Front (with two).
Snub: The Banshees of Inisherin
The acclaimed film was shut out despite nine nominations. Other films with six or more nominations that didn’t win any awards are Elvis (eight nods), The Fabelmans (seven), and Tár (six).
Snub: Rihanna and Lady Gaga
The Oscars had nominated songs – and performances on the telecast – by two of the hottest female music stars on the planet, but Oscar voters gave their best original song award to “Naatu Naatu” from RRR. The joyous song was a highlight of the telecast, but it is rather remarkable that it beat back songs from such high-powered competition.
Snub: Steven Spielberg and John Williams
They are far and away the most successful director and composer in movie history. Both were top contenders for The Fabelmans, but neither went home with an Oscar. Williams is 91 and Spielberg is 76, so this might be their final collaboration, but let’s hope not.
Snub (Sort of): Angela Bassett
Bassett was nominated for best supporting actress for Black Panther: Wakanada Forever, but lost to Jamie Lee Curtis for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Curtis had also prevailed at the SAG Awards. Even so, some thought Bassett would prevail here, for a couple of reasons. Bassett was nominated previously, for 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do With It, so she was more “overdue” than Curtis, who was a first-time nominee. And no Black actresses were nominated for best actress, even though two were very much in the conversation – Viola Davis for The Woman King and Danielle Deadwyler in Till.
Snub (But Not Really): Diane Warren
Warren lost in the best original song category for the 14th time when “Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman lost to “Naatu Naatu.” Warren has yet to win. But you can’t really call that a snub. Warren said it best in talking with Billboard after the nominations were announced: “I joke around that I’ve lost 13 times, but I haven’t. I’ve won 13 times. The fact that my peers who are the best of the best in music and movies in the world have chosen songs of mine all these times is a giant win in itself.”
Everything, Everywhere All at Once lived up to is name at the 2023 Oscars, which were presented at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood on Sunday (March 12). EEAAO became only the third film – and the first in nearly 50 years – to win three acting Oscars. The first two, both classics, were A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and Network (1976). The film’s star, Michelle Yeoh, won best actress, while Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis took the supporting awards.
“The Daniels” – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert – won three Oscars for co-producing, co-writing and co-directing the buzzy film. This marks just the second time in Oscar history that two people have shared three awards on Oscar night. Joel and Ethan Coen won Oscars for serving in the same three capacities 15 years ago for No Country for Old Men.
The Daniels are the just third pair to win an Oscar for directing. They follow Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise for West Side Story (1961) and the Coen Brothers for the aforementioned No Country for Old Men (2007).
Kwan is the first writer of a Chinese descent to win best original screenplay.
Many others set records at the 95th Oscars, Take a look:
“Naatu Naatu” from RRR won best original song. It’s the first song performed in a language other than English to win in this category since “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire 14 years ago. “Naatu Naatu” is an Indian Telugu-language song. “Jai Ho” was performed in Hindi.
Three other such songs have won over the years – “Mona Lisa” from Captain, Carey, U.S.A. (which is performed in Spanish by a troubadour in the 1950 film, though it is best known for Nat King Cole’s smash cover version in English); “Never on Sunday” from the film of the same name (which is performed in Greek in the 1960 film); and “Al otro lado del río” from The Motorcycle Diaries (which is performed in Spanish in the 2004 film).
In a charming speech, M.M. Keeravaani said he grew up listening to the Carpenters and now here he is at the Oscars. The Carpenters performed the nominated “Bless the Beasts and Children” on the Oscar stage in 1972.
Ruth E. Carter won best costume design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Carter is the first African American woman to win multiple Oscars. She previously won for the first installment of Black Panther. Only four other African Americans – all men – have won two competitive Oscars – actors Denzel Washington and Mahershala Ali; and sound experts Willie D. Burton and Russell Williams II.
In accepting her second Oscar, Carter said “Thank you for recognizing the superhero that is the Black woman.” She dedicated the award to her mother who, in Carter’s phrase, “became an ancestor” last week at age 101.
For the second year in a row, all four of the acting winners – Brendan Fraser, Yeoh, Quan and Curtis – had previously won at the SAG Awards. This is the eighth time in the past 14 years that all four Oscar winners had previously won at the SAG Awards, a surprisingly high rate of agreement.
Fraser won best actor for The Whale, becoming the first Canadian to win in that category. The actor holds dual Canadian-American citizenship.
Yeoh is the first Southeast Asian actress to win best actress. Quan is the first actor born in Vietnam to win an Oscar.
Curtis’ parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, were both nominated for acting Oscars, but didn’t win. Curtis was nominated for best actor for The Defiant Ones (1958); Leigh for best supporting actress for Psycho (1960).
All Quiet on the Western Front won best international feature film. It’s the third German film to win in that category since 2000. Nowhere in America won the 2002 award. The Lives of Others took the 2006 award. Before that, the West German entry The Tin Drum won the 1979 award.
Volker Bertelmann won best original score for All Quiet on the Western Front. This is the second year in a row that the award has gone to a German composer. Hans Zimmer won last year for Dune. Bertelmann triumphed in a strong field which included John Williams, a five-time winner for his scores, and Justin Hurwitz, who won for his La La Land score. Bertelmann’s score also won a BAFTA Award last month.
James Friend won achievement in cinematography for All Quiet on the Western Front. Just as noteworthy, Mandy Walker lost for her work on Elvis. She was vying to become the first woman to win in the category. Only two other women have ever been nominated in the category – Rachel Morrison for Mudbound (2018) and Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog (2021).
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio won best animated feature film of the year. It’s del Toro’s third Oscar win. He won five years ago for producing and directing The Shape of Water.
Avatar: The Way of Water won for achievement in visual effects The first Avatar film also won in this category. Avatar is the sixth franchise to win multiple Oscars in this category. It follows Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Aliens, King Kong and Star Wars.
The 95th Academy Awards, which aired live on ABC, took over the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday (March 12).
Everything Everywhere All at Once was the evening’s biggest winner, nabbing seven trophies out of its 11 nominations, including best picture, best directing, best actress, best supporting actress and best supporting actor.
Pop royalty was present and accounted for, with Rihanna performing “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Lady Gaga belting “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick. Both were nominated in the best original song category, but lost out to M.M. Keeravaani and Chandrabose for “Naatu Naatu” from RRR. In the best original score category, Volker Bertelmann won for All Quiet on the Western Front.
John Travolta introduced Lenny Kravitz’s performance of “Calling All Angels” during the In Memoriam segment. Travolta paid homage to “dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to,” choking up while referencing his late Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John, who died last August at age 73. Travolta teared up while saluting his friend and musical collaborator.
It was host Jimmy Kimmel’s third time steering the Academy Awards. In his opening monologue, Kimmel naturally had a joke about Will Smith’s infamous slap of 2022 Oscars host Chris Rock. “We want me to feel safe. We have strict policies in place. If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during this show, you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech,” Kimmel said.
Lady Gaga
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Lady Gaga at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Janelle Monáe & Kate Hudson
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Janelle Monáe and Kate Hudson at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
David Byrne & Stephanie Hsu
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David Byrne and Stephanie Hsu perform at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Chandrabose & M. M. Keeravani
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Chandrabose and M. M. Keeravani accept the Best Original Song award for ‘Naatu Naatu’ from “RRR” onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, Calif.
Lady Gaga & Jamie Lee Curtis
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Lady Gaga and Jamie Lee Curtis at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Melissa McCarthy & Halle Bailey
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Melissa McCarthy and Halle Bailey at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
John Travolta
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John Travolta speaks onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Cali.
Rihanna
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Rihanna performs onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, Calif.
A$AP Rocky
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A$AP Rocky at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Diane Warren & Sofia Carson
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Diane Warren and Sofia Carson at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Kartiki Gonsalves & Guneet Monga
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Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Volker Bertelmann
Image Credit: Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via GI
Volker Bertelmann accepts the award for Original Score at the 95th Academy Awards in the Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, Calif.
Rihanna
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Rihanna performs at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth Olsen & Pedro Pascal
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Elizabeth Olsen and Pedro Pascal at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Riz Ahmed & Questlove
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Riz Ahmed and Questlove speak onstage at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Sofia Carson
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Sofia Carson at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Morgan Freeman & Margot Robbie
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Morgan Freeman and Margot Robbie at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Ke Huy Quan
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Ke Huy Quan at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Jamie Lee Curtis
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Jamie Lee Curtis at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Emily Blunt & Dwayne Johnson
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Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Jimmy Kimmel
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Jimmy Kimmel at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Guillermo del Toro & Mark Gustafson
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Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson accept the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Ross White, James Martin & Tom Berkeley
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Ross White, James Martin, and Tom Berkeley at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Jamie Lee Curtis
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Jamie Lee Curtis at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Idris Elba & Nicole Kidman
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Idris Elba and Nicole Kidman at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Paul Rogers
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Paul Rogers at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Mindy Kaling & John Cho
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Mindy Kaling and John Cho at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Nicole Kidman & Jamie Lee Curtis
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Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Sarah Polley
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Sarah Polley at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Daniel Scheinert & Dan Kwan
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Daniel Scheinert and Dan Kwan at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Florence Pugh & Andrew Garfield
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Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Eric Saindon, Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett & Joe Letteri
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Eric Saindon, Richard Baneham, Daniel Barrett and Joe Letteri at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth Banks
Image Credit: Rich Polk
Elizabeth Banks at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Dolby Theatre on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Rock legend Lenny Kravitz was present at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday (March 12) to perform the In Memoriam musical accompaniment at the 2023 Oscars. Each year, the Academy Awards pay homage to cinematic legends, both behind and in front of the camera, who have died since the last year’s ceremony.
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Prior to his performance, John Travolta took the stage to introduce him. “In this industry we have a rare luxury of getting to do what we love for a living and sometimes getting to do it with people that we come to love,” Travolta said. “It’s only fitting that we celebrate those we lost.”
Of those departed talents, Travolta said, “They’ve touched our hearts, made us smile and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to.” As he delivered that last line, a reference to his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John’s song “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” he noticeably choked up, pushing back tears. Newton-John, who topped the Billboard Hot 100 five times, died last August at the age of 73. Travolta and Newton-John remained lifelong friends after starring in the smash 1978 film Grease, which launched both of their careers into the stratosphere.
Kravitz performed an elegant, heartfelt rendition of “Calling All Angels” from his 2004 album Baptism. “Calling All Angels” was one of that album’s singles. Last fall, Kravitz covered Billboard alongside rising star Steve Lacy. The “Bad Habit” singer cites Kravitz as a career inspiration, and the two discussed everything from their favorite musicians to playing the drums.
Following a chilling performance from Rihanna of “Lift Me Up” — the last best original song contender to be performed at the 2023 Oscars — it was finally time to announce the award. Together, Janelle Monáe and Kate Hudson announced the winner to be RRR‘s “Naatu Naatu.”
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Composer M.M. Keeravani and artist-lyricist Chandrabose accepted the win — it was the first nomination for both. The global hit “Naatu Naatu” soundtracks the most vibrant and upbeat scene in the otherwise battle-filled film.
“I grew up listening to the Carpenters and now here I am with the Oscars,” Keeravani said with a wide grin. He then continued to sing-speak the rest of his acceptance speech before concluding: “I love you all!” As for Chandrabose, he had a one-word message: “Namaste.”
“Naatu Naatu” (an Indian Telugu-language song) is the first song performed in a language other than English to win in this category since “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire 14 years ago.
“Naatu Naatu” competed against “Applause” (Tell It Like a Woman, music and lyric by Dianne Warren), “Hold My Hand” (Top Gun: Maverick, music and lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop), “Lift Me Up” (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson and lyric by Tems and Coogler) and “This Is a Life” (Everything Everywhere All at Once, music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne).
Keeravani previously told Billboard he was hoping to meet Rihanna at the Oscars. As for what’s next? He said: “I am looking forward to the world embracing more and more Indian songs, movies, stories and cultures. Not only from me, but from my fellow musicians, directors and movie-makers in India.”