Music

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo both walked the 2024 Oscars red carpet channeling their Wicked characters Sunday night (March 10).

The pair, presenters at this year’s awards ceremony and co-stars in the upcoming film adaptation of the musical Wicked — in which Grande portrays Glinda and Erivo portrays Elphaba — arrived in shades of pink and green, respectively.

Grande made a statement in custom Giambattista Valli Haute Couture, wearing a Glinda-inspired bubblegum pink, strapless gown with a ruched bodice and voluminous cape. Her hair was styled in an updo that balanced the look and let all eyes remain on her dress.

Erivo stunned in custom Louis Vuitton, wearing a deep green, leather gown with a V-neck and bold ruffles at her shoulders and down her back.

The first trailer for Wicked premiered on Feb. 11 during the Super Bowl, giving viewers a glimpse at Glinda and Elphaba’s first meeting. Grande gasps upon seeing Erivo, saying, “You’re green!”

Wicked hits movie theaters in two parts, with the first feature-length film premiering on Nov. 27, and the second scheduled for 2025.

Erivo took a moment to praise her co-star’s new album release on the Oscars red carpet.

“I’m so proud of her. The music is really, really beautiful,” the actress said of Grande’s Eternal Sunshine, in an interview with ET.

“I think she’s put so much hard work and heart and soul in it,” she added. “I’m so excited for how people are receiving it now.”

At Sunday’s (March 10) 2024 Oscars, Scott George led a powerful performance with the Osage Tribal Singers of “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” his nominated song from Killers of the Flower Moon.

A scene from the Martin Scorsese-directed film introduced the performance, leading into a wide shot of a large drum that had nine tribal musicians banging on it while 19 other singers and dancers surrounded the drum in a circle. The stage was lit with a red backdrop and a giant glowing sun in the center, that all the musicians were gathered in front of.

Scorsese and the rest of the crowd gave the short-but-impactful performance a rousing standing ovation, matching the celebratory nature of the nominated song.

George, the first Native American to land an Oscar nomination for best original song, told Billboard in an interview published last month that the biggest challenge of the Flower Moon process was submitting the song for an Oscar.

“None of our music is written down,” he shared. “It’s all held on to by memory. But one of the [Oscar] submission requirements was that it would be in a written form. And I just happen to know a person that took that on several years back as part of his education … And so he used that recorder that you got to take home in elementary school to find all the notes and write it all out. Within three to four days, he had it finished, and we got it submitted in time.”

George is up against Diane Warren (“The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot); Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt (“I’m Just Ken” from Barbie); Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson (“It Never Went Away” from American Symphony); and Billie Eilish and Finneas (“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie) in the achievement in music written for motion pictures (original song) category.

Sunday (March 10) marked the date of the 2024 Oscars, but it’s also Mother’s Day in the U.K. And during Dave Mullins and Brad Booker’s emotional best animated short win for WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko, Sean Ono Lennon — the son of Yoko Ono and late Beatles legend John Lennon — made sure to give his mom an extra special shout-out.

Ono Lennon, who served as an executive producer on the short film, took the stage at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles alongside Mullins and Booker. After both the director and producer gave their acceptance speeches, Sean squeezed in a tribute to Yoko Ono — even though the “wrap-it-up” music was already playing.

“My mother turned 91 this February,” he told the crowd. “Can everyone say ‘happy Mother’s Day to Yoko’?”

At his request, the audience in front of him wished the “Give Peace a Chance” artist a happy holiday in unison.

Sean is Ono and John Lennon‘s only child, born in 1975. The famed artist is also mom to a daughter, Kyoko Chan Cox, whom she shares with her ex-husband, film producer Anthony Cox, while John also had son Julian Lennon from his marriage to first wife Cynthia.

According to IMbD, WAR IS OVER! — which Sean co-wrote with Mullins — is set at a World War I front, where “a carrier pigeon delivers moves messages between two soldiers playing a chess game, unaware they are on opposite sides.”

Ono and her late husband collaborated a number of times before Lennon was fatally shot in 1980, notably on “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” The track has gone down in history as a classic Christmas tune, reaching its latest peak of No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022 — more than 50 years after it was first released.

The Oscars Red Carpet Show host Vanessa Hudgens showed off a baby bump before the 2024 awards ceremony on Sunday (March 10).

Hudgens, who wed professional baseball player Cole Tucker in December, cradled her belly while posing on the 2024 Oscars red carpet at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood Sunday afternoon.

She accentuated her shape in a chic fashion, wearing a black, body-hugging, turtleneck gown by Vera Wang, according to a report from Vogue. The couture look was accessorized with Chopard diamonds — and a glowing smile as she walked the carpet ahead of the event, while people congratulated her on the pregnancy.

Hudgens and Tucker married in Tulum, Mexico, on Dec. 2, 2023, after the couple dated for three years and got engaged by the Eiffel Tower in Paris in February 2023.

Airing at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, The Oscars Red Carpet Show is ABC’s official lead-in to the 96th Oscars. It marks Hudgens’ third consecutive year hosting the pre-show. This year she’s joined by co-host Julianne Hough. The 30-minute special, executive produced by David Chamberlin, highlights Oscar nominees, performers and presenters, and red-carpet arrivals.

The Oscars ceremony, marking the 96th year of the Academy Awards, will air on ABC starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT Sunday. Oppenheimer leads the way with 13 nominations.

For those without cable or satellite, here’s how to watch and stream the Oscars from your TV, smartphone or laptop. Billboard will be updating a full list of winners here as the night goes on.

See a clip of Hudgens gracing the red carpet via The Hollywood Reporter below.