Backstage and in the Audience at the Oscars

by Murtada Elfadl

One of the most indelible images we saw on sunday night was Tom hanks and Charlize Theron leading the audience in a chant of "Up, Up" to bring back the Parasite crew to finish their best picture acceptance speeches. But there were many other moments backstage and in the audience that we weren't captured by the TV cameras. Here are a few:

Margot Robbie chatting with Colin Jost and Scarlett Johansson...

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What's next for our Oscar champions?

by Cláudio Alves

Another Awards Season is over and we have newly anointed champions of the Academy Awards to applaud and celebrate. As cinephiles, the best way we have of celebrating is surely to watch and appreciate these filmmakers' work. After all, it was their sterling achievements that conquered them their little golden men and our eternal devotion. With that in mind, let's investigate the prospects of the Oscar Class of 2019, many of which already have their next movies lined up, some already in post-production even.

First up, we have the night's greatest star - the one and only Bong Joon-ho…

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At the Oscars, times are changing.

Please welcome guest contributor Mark Blankenship, who you've previously heard from as a guest panelist on the Smackdown...

Even while getting rightfully criticized by presenters who mocked the mostly-white acting line-up and the all-male slate of directors, the Academy still managed to deliver an Oscar ceremony this year that was full of historically inclusive winners. All of those victories are exciting on their own, and some even point to larger trends that suggest there's hope for this awards body yet. If the patterns hold, then the Oscars just might become prizes for all artists, no matter who they are.

For instance, Parasite's historic Best Picture triumph is even more encouraging when you consider it alongside Moonlight's win (about queer black men and boys)...

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Soundtracking: Oscar's 2019 Musical Moments

by Chris Feil

Idina Menzel's perplexed reaction shot -- we'll get to it.

This year, Oscar treated us to a more music heavy ceremony than usual. With some moments expected, some surprising, and some impromptu, the telecast had some naysayers asking “What is this?! The Grammys?!” Overall, yes, the musical numbers halted the night’s energy rather than propelled it, and that wasn’t helped by the producer’s decisions for when to have a presenter and not. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t moments of brilliant throughout. Here’s Oscar night’s musical moments from worst to best...

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Oscar Night's Top Five Presenters

by Camila Henriques

One of the challenges of a hostless Oscar ceremony is having a presenter list capable of holding the show together. For film fanatics even that isn't enough. We crave the legendary movie stars as presenters (fewer and fewer each year) and moments like Julie Andrews following Lady Gaga’s tribute to “The Sound of Music” back in 2015 or Olivia de Havilland introducing the Family Album back in 2003. Those two still give us chills. Unfortunately, the Academy Awards this year were lacking in the legendary star department. Nevertheless, the show had truly memorable bits, and a couple of future host possibilities that the Board of Governors should take note of. With that in mind, here’s a top 5 presenters/duos list for the 92nd Oscars:

Honorable mentions: Steve Martin and Chris Rock reminding us that hey, there’s still former hosts the Academy could call, Salma Hayek holding the best Oscar in the house (Oscar Isaac, that is), and Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves giving us Something’s Gotta Give nostalgia...

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