Oscars 2022 happened this Sunday, 27th March 2022 and it truly was a memorable night. Stay tuned for all the exciting highlights on the most talked about night in Hollywood. It truly was a star studded affair, from the red carpet to the annual ceremony the 94th Academy Awards truly went all out.
As a lover of the cinematic arts, you need to keep up with this awards night cum gala featuring all the big names of Hollywood. The awards season of Hollywood concludes every year with the grand ceremony at the Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have been celebrating the pioneers of the art of cinema for 94 glorious years.
Oscars 2022 was hosted by a prolific comedic trio, Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes. This trio was widely appreciated for their comic relief after a tragic year of the global pandemic of Covid19 which halted the Oscars 2021 from being held with grandeur.
Dune was the most accoladed movie at the 94th Academy Awards, winning a total 6 awards and The Power of the Dog bagged the Best Director award for Jane Campion and it also had the highest number of nominations for the night, with a total of whooping 12 nominations.
The 94th Academy Awards had its fair share of controversies too. Host Amy Schumer and various other celebrities like Sean Penn urged the Academy to invite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to give a speech at the ceremony to highlight the onset of the tensions and horrors of the Russo-Ukrainian War to a huge global viewership.
The invitation did not happen even after their requests sparked a lot of controversies. Keep on reading to find out the details of the event that has shaken all the viewers and netizens around the world! Chris Rock’s Punchline versus Will Smith’s slap.
Fashion At The Red Carpet Of Oscars 2022
Numerous stars graced the red carpet at the Oscars 2022 and they of course served looks and we are all here for it! All the stars looked absolutely stunning in their luxurious designer dresses and suits, they made the whole affair stylish and unquestionably a night to remember.
Here are some of our favorite looks at the 94th Academy Awards
1. Rachel Zegler
The ‘West Side Story’ actress sparked drama when she had revealed on Instagram that she was not invited to Oscars 2022 but soon The Academy had included her in the list of presenters after her fans took to the internet to express their anger and disappointment.
Rachel was spotted looking drop dead gorgeous in this Dior Haute Couture black dress which accentuated her figure eloquently. Rachel Zegler has surely made her mark on the world stage and she is one of the best known stars of the next generation that everyone has their eyes on now that she has been cast as Snow White in its live action.
2. Zendaya
This uberly famed star of the New Generation did not get much screen time on the blockbuster movie ‘Dune’ but the movie swept the floor with its wins and Zendaya swept our hearts with her performances this year.
Zendaya donned a simple but elegant piece by Valentino, this stunning mix of satin and sequin is surely a fashion trend to look out for in 2022. As Euphoria’s lead actress, Zendaya surely could not miss the mark in the arena of fashion.
3. Timothee Chalamet
Lead man of the big winner of the night, ‘Dune’, had turned up the red carpet’s temperature when he abandoned his shirt for a jacket and trousers ensemble by Louis Vuitton. Two of his movies, ‘Dune’ and ‘Don’t Look Up’ were the top contenders at Oscars 2022 and he surely had to make an iconic appearance at the red carpet.
4. Lily James
Lily James surely wanted to make a Cinderella comeback after starring as Cinderella in the 2015 live action movie and she has successfully done so. Lily James turned heads when she entered in her Versace gown which was as sparkly as her personality but the true turning point of the whole look was the sheer pink lace fabric and the silhouette of her dress which made her look absolutely ethereal.
Controversies
The 94th Academy awards was surrounded by controversy leading up to the day of the ceremony and on the big day as well.
Pre-Recorded Award Presentation
Similar to the 91st edition of the Oscars, which received widespread backlash, the academy decided to pre-record 8 award categories in an attempt to shorten the event and to include musical performances and film clips. The winners of the 8 award categories were presented with the award and their acceptance was recorded in a bid to meet the demands of ABC, the broadcasting company that televises the ceremony.
Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Live Short Film and Best Makeup and Hairstyling were a few of the categories that were excluded from the live broadcast. Many prominent figures from the industry spoke against this decision including the likes of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and eventual best director winner Jane Campion.
Jessica Chastain, who went to win the best actress award, refused to be a part of the red carpet so that she could be present while the team of The Eyes of Tammy Faye won the Oscar for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Despite ABC’s and the Academy’s efforts, the ceremony went on for 3 hours and 42 minutes which is the longest one since 2018.
Regina Hall’s Covid Jokes Were In Bad Taste
Regina Hall’s gag of finding a partner at the Oscars did not go well. Hall called up Bradley Cooper, Simu Liu, Tyler Perry and Timothee Chalamet to get them tested for covid. For the lack of testing kits or the lack of a sense of humor, Hall offered to test the actors by swabbing the back of their mouths with her tongue.
Hall invited Will Smith on stage as well after joking about Will and Jada’s marriage being open but Will refused to get off his seat. That’s not all, Regina Hall even gave Jason Momoa and Josh Brolin a pat-down which she claimed was for security reasons for the sake of her joke.
Will Smith’s Feud With Chris Rock
This is THE moment that has got everyone talking about the Oscars 2022, this was totally unexpected and absolutely shocking. Chris Rock decided to take a dig at Jada Pinkett Smith’s short hairstyle when he was on stage to present the award for Best Documentary Feature.
The comedian said that he is looking forward to the sequel of GI Jane while referring to her short hair. A few seconds later, Will Smith rose from his seat as he walked toward the stage and slapped Chris Rock across his face and returned to his seat. Will Smith was seen shouting at Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his jokes when Rock tried to tell him it was just a GI Jane joke.
The reason behind Jada Smith’s short hairstyle is due to Alopecia which she is suffering from. Later that evening, less than an hour after Chris Rock had his feathers ruffled on live TV, Will Smith was presented with his Academy Award for Best Actor.
During his acceptance speech, Smith broke down in tears as he drew parallels to being a crazy father like Richard Williams. Smith Apologized to the Academy for his altercation but not Chris Rock. LAPD later confirmed that the comedian refused to press charges on Smith.
94th Academy Awards Winners
The Academy Awards for the year 2022 were handed out at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards. CODA beat The Power Of The Dog, West Side Story, Drive My Car, King Richard and Dune among other nominees to win the Oscar. CODA also won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay which was taken home by Sian Heder.
Jane Campion won the Academy Award for Best Director this year for her work in The Power Of The Dog after missing out last year when she lost to Chloe Zhao. Both the directors created history as the pair became the first occurrence of female directors to win the award back to back.
King Richard actor Will Smith bagged the Oscar for Best Actor minutes after his incident with Chris Rock.
Jessica Chastain won the Oscar for Best Actress for her titular role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. The movie also won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling which was excluded from the live event.
Troy Kotsur became the second-ever deaf person to win an Oscar for his role as Frank Rossi in CODA, the first winner being Troy’s co-star Marlee Matlin back in 1987. The actor won his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Ariana DeBose won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in West Side Story.
Best Picture nominee Belfast won the Academy Award in the category of Best Original Screenplay. Encanto won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film while the Japanese movie, Drive My Car won an Oscar for Best International Feature Film. Summer of Soul took home the Best Documentary Feature honor. Billie Eilish and Finneas’ No Time To Die from the latest James Bond movie won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Ben Proudfoot won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. Riz Ahmed and Aneil Karia’s The Long Goodbye won Best Live Action Short Film. The duo of Alberto Milego and Leo Sanchez won Best Animated Short Film for The Windshield Wiper. All of these winners were denied the honors of being presented with their awards live and had to settle for a pre-recorded ceremony. Hans Zimmer, for his work in Dune, won his first Academy Award for Best Original Score also joins the other 8 winners who were included in the pre-recorded segment.
Jenny Beavan won in the Best Costume Design category for Cruella while Joe Walker of Dune won the Oscar for Best Film Editing. Dune went on to bag 4 more awards, taking the film’s total to 6 wins from 10 nominations. The film won Oscars for Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.
