Oscars 2023: The 95th Academy Awards

The 95th Academy Awards definitely wasn’t like last year’s ceremony – and for that, the people behind the scenes are probably breathing a sigh of relief.

After “the slap,” the Academy instituted a crisis team that was on hand to make sure things didn’t get out of hand.

But Sunday night was devoid of that type of drama – and of many surprises.

As expected, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was a big winner, taking home the awards for best actress, supporting actor and actress, best original screenplay, best picture and best directing categories.

Brendan Fraser bested Austin Butler for best actor, which wasn’t exactly an upset as they were both leading contenders.

The closest thing that came to a shocker was Sarah Polley’s win for best-adapted screenplay for “Women Talking,” a small film that felt very much the David that beat out the Goliath of a blockbuster, “Top Gun: Maverick,” in the category.

All of this meant the show was allowed to let the talent and their heartfelt speeches shine.

From Ruth E. Carter, who paid tribute to her centenarian mother who recently passed away as she became the first Black woman to be awarded two Oscars with her best costume design win for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” to Daniel Kwan admitting to feeling imposter syndrome with his wins as co-director and co-writer of “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Even the humor seemed to flow without much controversy, even if Kimmel did throw in a dad-type joke here and there.

It felt like a throwback to an era where the ceremony celebrated the art and artists minus the moments that go viral for the wrong reasons.

It will remain to be seen if such positivity was a positive for the ratings.

For more takeaways, click here

Take a look behind the curtain at Hollywood’s biggest night. Check out more photos from the show here.

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” took home the best picture Oscar on Sunday night.

The film’s producer, Jonathan Wang, began the speech by saying, “To my brilliant and beautiful wife, if all the shiny stuff and tuxedos goes away I would love to do taxes and laundry with you for the rest of my life.”

He also cried about his late father saying he had taught him:

Daniel Kwan, one of the directors, also spoke:

“One of the best things we can do for each other is shelter each other from the chaos of this crazy world we live in. Thank you to the storytellers here who did that for me. The world is changing rapidly and I fear that our stories are not keeping at pace. Sometimes it’s a little scary knowing that movies move at the rate of years in the world when the internet is moving at the rate of milliseconds. But I have great faith in our stories, these stories have changed my life and they have done that for generations and I know that we will get through this.”

Brendan Fraser’s best actor win for “The Whale” wasn’t a total surprise, but it was a delightful victory nonetheless.

The actor had been favored along with “Elvis” star Austin Butler to potentially take home the Oscar, and Fraser appeared both shocked and humbled by the win.

He thanked the usual suspects, including his family, agent and studio.

Fraser had a special shoutout for his costar, Hong Chau.

“I want to tell you that only whales can swim at the depth of talent of Hong Chau,” he said.

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” took home the Academy Award for best picture, capping a sweep of the major prizes Sunday night.

The A24 film led among the films nominated at the 95th Oscars, with 11 nominations. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” won seven of those awards.

Prior to tonight, the movie had won two Golden Globe Awards, five Critics’ Choice Awards (including Best Picture) and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. 

CNN Style’s Oscar Holland contributed reporting.

Michelle Yeoh continued her streak of strong acceptance speeches.

After making history as the first Asian woman to win the best actress Academy Award, she began her speech by saying “for all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” holding her statue aloft.

“This is proof that dream big, and dreams do come true,” she said.

But it was what she said next that really energized the crowd.

Hell yeah, Michelle Yeoh. Hell yeah.

She dedicated her win to her mom and all the moms because “they are really the superheroes.”

Michelle Yeoh’s performance in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” has won her the award for best actress in a leading role.

Yeoh’s win makes her the first woman of Asian descent and the first Malaysian-born performer to win an Oscar for best actress. She also is the fifth person of Asian descent to win an Oscar in an acting category, the first to win in a lead acting category and also the first actress to win for portraying a Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese-speaking character for her role as Evelyn Quan Wang  

While Yeoh became an international icon 23 years ago, thanks to Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” it wasn’t until “Everything Everywhere All at Once” that she gained her first Oscar nomination.

CNN’s Dan Heching contributed reporting.

The Oscar for best actor in a leading role went to Brendan Fraser for “The Whale.”

Fraser gave a buried-under-makeup performance as a reclusive, obese teacher in the film.

He thanked the academy and the studio for making a “bold film.” He also thanked director Darren Aronofsky for throwing him a lifeline role.

Fraser thanked his fellow nominees, saying: “It is an honor to be named beside you in this category.”

“I’m so grateful for you,” he told the crowd. “Goodnight.”

RRR’s “Naatu Naatu” won the Academy Award for best original song, the first from an Indian film production to ever do so.

Singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava made their debut at the Oscars earlier performing “Naatu Naatu,” which features lyrics from Chandrabose and music by M.M. Keervaani.

Accepting the award, Keervaani said “I grew up listening to The Carpenters and now here I am with the Oscars,” before going on to sing his speech to the tune of “Top of the World” by The Carpenters. 

Chandrabose added, “Namaste.” 

More background: “Naatu Naatu” was featured in the Telegu-language film, “RRR,” which is India’s fourth-highest grossing picture, according to IMDb, earning nearly $155 million worldwide. It became Netflix’s most-watched non-English movie last June.

CNN’s Tara Subramaniam contributed reporting.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert took home the Academy Award for best directors for their work on “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

Known as “the Daniels,” the directors thanked their families while accepting yet another award for the strange and sentimental film.

Scheinert dedicated the win to “all the mommies of the world,” including his mom, who he thanked for “not squashing my creativity.”

Kwan also expressed gratitude to his immigrant parents, siblings, son and ancestors while accepting the award.

Dressed in a sheer, form-fitting gown, Rihanna arrived on the Oscars’ champagne-colored carpet with her baby bump proudly on display — her first high-profile public appearance since last month’s Super Bowl.

The singer, who was nominated in the awards’ best original song category, wore a leather bra and maxi skirt combo with cutouts, by designer label Alaïa, layered over a mesh turtleneck.

She completed the eye-catching look with pops of bright red on her lips and nails.The star has helped redefine maternity fashion, dressing boldly throughout her first pregnancy in crop tops and lacy sheer sets.

The singer performed her Oscar-nominated song “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” at Sunday’s ceremony, having changed into another belly-baring ensemble.

Read more on CNN Style here

John Travolta had two dear friends included in the “In Memoriam” portion of the Academy Awards so it makes sense that it made him emotional.

“In this industry, we have the rare luxury of doing what we love for a living,” he said. And sometimes getting to do it with people we come to love.”

He went on to say they would be celebrating those who “touched our hearts, they made us smile, and became dear friends.”

“Who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to,” Travolta said tearfully.

That was a reference to his friend and “Grease” costar Olivia Newton-John who died in August after multiple bouts of cancer. She was 73.

His friend and “Look Who’s Talking” costar Kirstie Alley died in December at the age of 71 after a brief bout of cancer.

Rocker Lenny Kravitz performed a ballad while images of some of those we lost in the past year were shown before directing people to the Oscars site for the complete list.

The Oscar for best film editing went to Paul Rogers for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Rogers revealed this was only his second movie editing job. He thanked the cast, saying he cares about each and every one of them.

Donnie Yen introduced a performance of best song nominee “This is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” at the Academy Awards Sunday despite a petition calling for his removal as a presenter. 

The 59-year-old actor, best known for his role in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and the hugely popular “Ip Man” franchise, has long been a controversial figure among sections within his native Hong Kong, owing to his apparent criticism of the city’s pro-democracy movement.

In the days leading up to the ceremony, a petition garnered tens of thousands of signatures calling for his removal as a presenter, citing his connections to China’s ruling Communist Party.

The petition claimed Yen’s inclusion as a guest presenter at the Oscars would “damage the image and reputation of the film industry and cause serious harm to human rights and moral values.”

When contacted by CNN, Yen’s representative declined to provide a statement.

You can read more about the controversy surrounding Yen here. 

“Top Gun: Maverick” won the Academy Award for best sound.

Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor took home the award.

The movie won the domestic box office over the Labor Day weekend in 2022 — bringing in $7.9 million for the four-day holiday, making it the only film in history to take the top spot on Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend.

CNN’s Frank Pallotta contributed reporting.

Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” took home the award for best adapted screenplay.

More context: Polley, talks about what the Academy Awards means for her film.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won the Academy Award for best original screenplay for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

While Scheinert thanked his teachers, Kwan thanked his mom for protecting him, and his fellow nominees.

The two rushed through their speeches like pros, finishing up before the music played them off.

So far ar this year Rihanna has given us a Super Bowl halftime show, a surprise pregnancy and a performance at the Academy Awards.

Yet still no new album.

That may sound greedy, unless you remember that her last album, “Anti,” dropped in 2016 – as in seven years ago.

Oh she’s teased us with singing the hook on Canadian singer PartyNextDoor’s 2020 single “Believe It” and the song “Lift Me Up” from the “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” soundtrack.

The latter resulted in an emotional performance tonight from the singer “Wakanda” star Danai Gurira called “royalty in her own right.” The song was written in tribute to “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman, who died from colon cancer in 2020 at the age of 43.

The visibly pregnant Rihanna received a standing ovation.

Malala handled the bit perfectly.

The international activist and Nobel Prize laureate got in on the joke when Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel came into the audience for a segment that he said involved asking viewer-submitted questions.

He asked Malala if she thought Harry Styles had spit on his “Don’t Worry Darling” co-star Chris Pine. (For the record, that’s a reference to a viral rumor from the Venice Film Festival back in March, which was dismissed by those actually involved.)

Malala’s response? “I only talk about peace.”

Way to lean into it, Malala.

Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett took home the Academy Award for best visual effects for their work in “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

The movie was the highest-grossing film of 2022, bringing in more than $2 billion worldwide, according to imdb.com. Its box office total makes James Cameron the only director with three of his films to have made over $2 billion, as well as in the top six bestselling movies of all time.

CNN’s Dan Heching contributed reporting.

The Oscar for best original score goes to “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

Composer Volker Bertelmann thanked his mom who said if you want to change humanity you have to start with yourself.

Fun fact: Bertelmann told Variety that the score was influenced by Led Zeppelin.

Christian M. Goldbeck and Ernestine Hipper won the award for best production design for their work in “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

The Oscars highlighted best original song nominee “Naatu Naatu” with a musical performance, recreating its featured scene from the Telugu-language drama “RRR.”

Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, who introduced the performance, called the song “a total banger.”

It is the first song from an Indian production to ever be nominated for an Oscar. Praised for its buoyant choreography and catchy tune, the song won India’s first ever Golden Globe in the best original song category last month.

The original song features Telugu superstars Ram Charan and N. T. Rama Rao Jr., known as Jr NTR, who dance in perfect synchronization to the lyrics. The video has more than 122 million views on YouTube. 

The Indian film industry produces tens of thousands of movies every year in multiple languages, and “RRR,” which stands for Rise Roar Revolt, is the country’s fourth-highest grossing picture, according to IMDb, earning nearly $155 million worldwide. It became Netflix’s most-watched non-English movie last June.

“Naatu Naatu” is the first song from an Indian film to be nominated for an Oscar.

Lady Gaga took the stage to perform an emotional and rousing rendition of her song, “Hold My Hand” during the Oscars Sunday night.

The song, from “Top Gun: Maverick,” is nominated for an Oscar in the category of best original song.

Gaga went makeup-free and wore a t-shirt and jeans for the performance.

Gaga received a standing ovation.

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” took home the Academy Award for best animated short film.

Awards shows are often the place where celebrities look to make a social or political statement, and the Academy Awards is no different.

On Sunday night, some attendees donned blue ribbons. The UN Refugee Agency said on Twitter the gesture was in support of their #WithRefugees campaign.

“Best thing about the #Oscars tonight? The stars rocking our blue ribbons on the red carpet,” the tweet read. “RT if you stand #WithRefugees too, no matter who they are, or where they come from.”

Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Moonga’s “The Elephant Whisperers” won the award for best documentary short film.

The film depicts the relationship between an indigenous couple and an orphaned baby elephant.

A little more than halfway through the Oscars ceremony, host Jimmy Kimmel brought up the slap again, saying that viewers might at the midway point “miss the slap” a little.

Kimmel, referencing last year’s Will Smith incident, was joking that the crowd probably needed some excitement with so much longer to go.

Several of the major awards have yet to be announced nearly two hours into the show.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” wins the Oscar for best international feature film.

It is also the first German-language movie to be nominated in the best picture category.

Edward Berger’s adaptation of the German World War I novel cleaned up at the BAFTAs, including a surprise win for best picture. It’s been quite a journey for the film, which was released by Netflix in October with relatively little fanfare, only for it to chime with awards season voters. The streamer has been campaigning heavily ever since.

CNN’s Thomas Page contributed to this post.

Ruth Carter took home the Academy Award for best costume design for her work in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

While accepting the award, she thanked the Academy “for recognizing the super hero that is a Black woman.”

“She endures. She loves. She overcomes,” Carter said. “She is every woman in this film. She is my mother. This week Mabel Carter became an ancestor.”

She called on the late “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman to “please take care of mom.” Boseman died in 2020 after battling colon cancer.

Carter’s win puts her in esteemed company. Only four other Black Oscar winners have earned multiple statues in competitive categories – Denzel Washington, sound mixer Willie D. Burton, sound mixer Russell Williams II and Mahershala Ali. 

She is the first Black woman to accomplish the feat. In 2019, Carter became the first Black woman to win in the best costume design category for her work on the first “Black Panther” film. 

It’s expected that someone might make an ass of themselves on an awards show night, but the Oscars audience seemed more than a little surprised when an actual donkey showed up.

Jenny, the adorable donkey who fatefully appeared in the film “The Banshees of Inisherin,” was brought on stage by host Jimmy Kimmel, who said that in addition to being a performer, Jenny was a “certified emotional support donkey.”

At least, Kimmel said, that’s what they told the airline to get Jenny to Los Angeles for the awards show.

Kimmel offered hugs with Jenny if anyone needed them, before joking: “Let’s get you back on that Spirit Airlines flight now, huh?”

“The Whale” won the Academy Award for best makeup and hairstyling.

Star Brendan Fraser gives a buried-under-makeup performance as a reclusive, obese teacher in the film.

The film was not without controversy, as one of its most-discussed features was the fat suit Fraser wears to portray a 600-pound character. While some critics found the performance highly empathetic, others said the film was fatphobic.

James Friend took home the Academy Award for achievement in cinematography for their work on “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

He thanked his family, the Academy, his fellow nominees and film crew.

Edward Berger’s adaptation of the German World War I novel cleaned up at the BAFTAs, including a surprise win for best picture.

It’s been quite a journey for the film, which was released by Netflix in October with relatively little fanfare, only for it to chime with awards season voters. The streamer has been campaigning heavily ever since.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be such a shock: Take away the foreign language aspect of the film, which is in German, and it does look a lot like the prestige films that have defined awards seasons of yore.

CNN’s Thomas Page contributed reporting.

During the acceptance speech for “An Irish Goodbye,” which won for best live action short film, one of the film’s stars received an unexpected surprise.

James Martin was not just celebrating his Oscar win, but his birthday as well.

Midway through the speech, his co-stars told the audience that they wanted to sing him “Happy Birthday,” and they did. The audience sang along and some even had tears in their eyes.

“An Irish Goodbye” has won the Oscar for best live action short film.

This movie is set on a farm in Northern Ireland where two estranged brothers are forced to spend time together following the death of their mother.

“Navalny” won the Academy Award for best documentary feature.

The CNN Film follows Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny through his political rise, attempted assassination and search to uncover the truth.

In his acceptance speech, filmmaker Daniel Roher thanked the Navalny family.

After Roher spoke, Alexey Navalny’s wife Yulia Navalny said her husband “is in prison just for telling the truth” and “defending democracy.”

Navalny, a Kremlin critic and activist, was sentenced to nine years in prison on fraud charges that he said were politically motivated.

The award for “Navalny” is the first Oscars win for CNN Films.

Some background: Dasha Navalnaya speaks to CNN about her father’s condition on the champagne carpet at the 95th Academy Awards.

Jamie Lee Curtis appeared to be truly surprised upon hearing her name as best actress in a supporting role, yelling “shut up” from her seat when she was announced.

While Curtis has had a prolific career in film and television, making her an indelible Hollywood figure, this was her first Academy Awards nomination — and now, her first win.

In his acceptance speech after winning best supporting actor, Ke Huy Quan once again delivered an earnest and emotional speech, which spoke to never giving up on your dreams.

The former child star, who for years worked behind the camera after roles for him dried up, tearfully thanked his mother to start.

“My mom is 84 years old and she’s at home watching,” he said. “Mom, I just won an Oscar.”

He also thanked her for her sacrifices and paid tribute to his status as a former refugee.

“My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp and somehow I ended up here, on Hollywood’s biggest stage,” Quan said. “They say things like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream.”

He also paid tribute to his wife, Echo, whom he said “month after month, year after year for 20 years told me that one day my time will come.”

“Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine,” he said. “To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.”

Earlier on the red carpet, Quan mentioned that his family, including his brother whom he also thanked, had traveled from Houston to support him on Oscars night.

The actor has been the darling of the awards season as the comeback story of the year, moving many to tears with each of his wins.

Jamie Lee Curtis won the award for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” as Deirdre Beaubeirdre.

It’s the beloved American actress’ first Oscar, and it came shortly after her “Everything” co-star Ke Huy Quan won best supporting actor for his role in the film.

“I just won an Oscar,” she said tearfully, acknowledging the “hundreds of people” who helped her get to this point.

Ke Huy Quan won the Oscar for best actor in a supporting role for his performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Huy Quan, who was a child actor in some iconic films like “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” is the first Vietnam-born actor to win the Oscar for an acting performance.

He’s also the first actor to win an Oscar for portraying a Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese-speaking character in his role as Waymond Wang.

Two of the people being credited with getting audiences back in the theater apparently have skipped the biggest night that celebrates movies.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel mentioned in his opening monologue that both Tom Cruise and James Cameron were not in attendance, though he joked that perhaps Cruise was there, dressed as nominee Judd Hirsch.

While Cruise’s blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” is nominated for best film, Deadline reported the star was skipping the show because of work.

Meanwhile, Kimmel mentioned there was some speculation that Cameron sat this one out because he had not been nominated in the directing category for “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which is also nominated for best film.

“Avatar” producer Jon Landau said on the red carpet (which was really champagne-colored) that Cameron was not coming for “personal reasons.”

Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pinocchio” took home the Academy Award for best animated feature. It was the first award announced of the night.

“Animation is ready to be taken to the next step,” Del Toro said while accepting the award. “We are all ready for it. Please help us. Keep animation in the conversation.”

The filmmaker, who used stop-motion animation to create the latest “Pinocchio” adaptation, went on to thank his family and Netflix.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel jokes that if any audience member wants to incite violence or “get jiggy with it,” in a reference to Will Smith’s song, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” he’s got backup.

Kimmel joked that they would have to get through Michelle Yeoh, Michael B. Jordan, Steven Spielberg and many others to get to him on stage.

Background: During 2022’s ceremony, Smith walked on stage at the Oscars and slapped Chris Rock, who was presenting at the time, after he made a joke about Smith’s wife’s shaved head.

Smith later apologized, but The Academy sanctioned the actor by banning him from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel opened the show by declaring this the year “when the world finally got out of the house” to see the nominated films the way they were intended to be seen: in a theater.

The host entered the stage for his opening monologue via parachute, in a reference to his opening “Top Gun” skit, cracked a joke about adjusting his “danger zone” and teased Nicole Kidman for her viral AMC Theatres campaign.

Kimmel noted there are 16 first-time nominees at this year’s Oscars.

Jimmy Kimmel first appeared at the 95th Oscars ceremony in a skit where he pretended to be in the “Top Gun” movie franchise.

Sitting behind Tom Cruise in a fighter jet, he pulls off a helmet labeled with the call sign “Meatball.” Cruise advised him to eject from the plane, then Kimmel dropped on to the stage via parachute.

“Top Gun: Maverick” is nominated in several categories this evening.

The 95th Academy Awards have begun at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the event for a third time.

It’s time to see which of Hollywood’s biggest stars take home the honors.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” leads the Oscars with 11 nominations. And the genre-defying movie’s cast turned up in style.

Michelle Yeoh was among the night’s best-dressed celebrities in a white-feathered Dior gown, while James Hong arrived on the champagne-colored carpet wearing one of the night’s boldest accessory: a blue bowtie adorned with — in a nod to the film — a pair of googly eyes.

See the pictures below, and more of our red carpet coverage here.

The 95th Academy Awards is set to take place at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre tonight. Here’s a look at the nominees:

Best picture

Actress in a supporting role

Actor in a supporting role

Actor in a leading role

Actress in a leading role

See the full list of nominees here.

Stars are arriving dressed-to-the-nines at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 95th Academy Awards. One of the trends to emerge this year is the color white — with stars like Michelle Yeoh and Halle Berry embracing the trend.

The Oscars are one of the most anticipated nights of fashion. Check out our red carpet coverage here. 

Pedro Pascal appeared on the pre-Oscars red carpet coverage on ABC, where host Ashley Graham asked the “Last of Us” star if he’d seen all the TikToks about him.

After first pausing and saying “no” he didn’t use the social media platform, he then quietly added: “I have a secret one.”

Graham either didn’t pick up on it or ignored it, but now Pascal fans know he’s been checking on all their posts about the actor.

Fresh off of her record-breaking 2023 Super Bowl halftime performance, Rihanna is set to perform “Lift Me Up” from Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” during the Oscars telecast, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced last month.

“Lift Me Up” was co-written by Rihanna, Tems, Ludwig Göransson and the film’s director Ryan Coogler. The ballad is nominated for best original song at this year’s Oscars, marking Rihanna’s first-ever Academy Award nomination.

It’s already been a huge year for Rihanna. Earlier this month, the nine-time Grammy-winner announced she’s expecting another child with rapper A$AP Rocky following the Super Bowl, where she performed live for the first time in seven years.

The scene on the red carpet tonight is filled with arriving celebrities, applause and excitement ahead of the 95th Academy Awards.

It included:

Actor Harry Shum appeared to be dancing as fans chanted for him.

Jamie Lee Curtis waving to crowds.

Actress Ariana Debose taking selfies with fans.

Model Winnie Harlowe’s team fixing her dress on the carpet as she posed for pictures.

Singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz arriving to roaring applause.

Florence Pugh going up to fans taking selfies with their cameras. Pugh saying “Hi” to Ashley Graham as they passed each other.

Angela Bassett wowed on the red carpet with a purple ensemble.

Bassett is nominated for best supporting actress for her role as Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”

In an interview with E!’s Laverne Cox, Bassett said she was wearing Moschino by Jeremy Scott. The color was purposeful for the woman who played the Queen of Wakanda.

“It’s royal purple,” Bassett said. “The color of royalty, bringing it to the carpet.”

She also reflected on how this awards season feels compared to 30 years ago, when she was nominated for her role as Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”

“Love and support compounded,” she said. “Compounded, compounded, compounded. I’ve felt it with me this entire journey. It’s been wonderful.”

Angela Bassett’s powerful performance as Queen Ramonda in the “Black Panther” sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” earned her a best supporting actress nomination for the 95th Academy Awards.

While it was not her first nomination (Bassett received a best actress nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in 1993’s biopic “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”), the news did mark a few firsts: The nod made her the first person of color, the first woman and the first Marvel Studios actor to be nominated for a performance in a comic book adaptation.

“This morning is a little extra special in the Bassett Vance household with news of my Oscar nomination,” Bassett said in a statement to CNN. “What has drawn me to each of the women I’ve portrayed throughout my career is their strength, compassion, resilience, and power. Wakanda Forever’s Queen Ramonda is a character that touched my spirit because she is a mother and a leader who must care for her grieving nation as much as she cares for her family in mourning. Ramonda is a love letter that reflects and acknowledges what we women do everyday.”

Earlier this month, Bassett took home a Golden Globe for the same role.

Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the Academy Awards for a third time, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In a recent interview ahead of the big night, Kimmel said he’s ready for anything.

“Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap,” Kimmel said jokingly in a statement. “Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said no.”

As for what we can expect from Kimmel this year?

He said it’s simple – he’ll tell jokes.

“I don’t have a lot of talents, so there’s not a huge number of areas for me to draw from outside of telling jokes,” he said. “I mean, I am pretty good at drawing cartoons, so I guess I could sit down and do caricatures of the stars?”

“The best advice I got about hosting the Oscars was from Billy Crystal, who told me, ‘Play to the room,’” Kimmel added. “You always have to be conscious of the audience at home and make sure they understand what’s going on, but you also want to get laughs in the room — and if you don’t get that, it’s not going to play well for people watching on TV.”

Kimmel previously helmed the ceremony in 2017 and 2018. His last foray into hosting the awards show was memorable for the infamous “La La Land” and “Moonlight” Best Picture mix-up.

Rihanna isn’t the only superstar singer who will be performing at the Oscars.

According to ABC, Lady Gaga will be singing her “Top Gun: Maverick” theme song “Hold My Hand.”

Variety was the first to report that despite earlier reports that Gaga would be skipping the awards show because of being busy with her starring role in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the Oscar-winning singer (for best original song in 2019 for her hit “Shallow” with Bradley Cooper” from “A Star Is Born”) will be taking to the stage on Hollywood’s biggest night.

The other best original song nominees, Rihanna (“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), Sofia Carson and Diane Warren (“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman”), Stephanie Hsu, David Byrne and Son Lux (“This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava (“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”) are also expected to perform, according to Variety.

In a year that saw many critically acclaimed films helmed by female directors, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has take heat for failing to nominate any women in the directing category.

“Women Talking” was nominated in the best picture category, but its director Sarah Polley was shut out.

Other notable names ignored by the Academy: Charlotte Wells for her work on “Aftersun,” Maria Schrader for “She Said,” Gina Prince-Bythewood for “The Woman King” and Domee Shi, director of the animated Pixar film “Turning Red.”

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It’s one of the most famous trophies in the world.

The Oscar statuette has been honoring the best in film since 1929. But its production — and materials — have changed over the years.

Photographer Christopher Payne went behind the scenes to see how each statuette is made.

“For me what was interesting was seeing this distinctive shape, that we all know and love and recognize, in its various forms leading up to the finished product,” Payne said.

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It may be a favorite to take best film this year, but one of the directors of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is beseeching fans to show some grace, regardless of the outcome.

Daniel Kwan, who along with Daniel Scheinert is nominated in the best director category for the film, posted a series of tweets Saturday on his verified Twitter account which began:

“It has been exactly one year since our film premiered at SXSW. I tried (and failed) to sum up all of my feelings in a far too sincere instagram post you can go and find if you’re curious (or bored).”
“I’m probably going to take a break from social media for after tomorrow,” he tweeted. “The last thing I ask of any fans of our film is to be gracious and kind tomorrow, especially if we don’t pick up awards that you might have felt we deserved.”

While noting that he loves “every one of the films we are up against for different reasons” he added:

Kwan also took a playful swipe at the critics who have been less supportive.

“P.S. to the people who hate the film with their entire being: I’m sorry we ruined cinema for you forever,” he tweeted. “I hope we can make it up to you on the next one <3.”

The red carpet is ancient – literally.

The first reference dates back to 458 BC when Greek playwright Aeschylus wrote of a crimson-embroidered path laid by Clytemnestra for her husband Agamemnon to follow on his return from war.

Nice gesture? Far from it. Both had been having affairs, but Clytemnestra didn’t take kindly to her husband bringing his lover back with him. Also, Agamemnon had sacrificed their daughter in a deal with the gods.

The red carpet led into their home, and to Agamemnon being murdered, either by his wife or her lover (accounts vary).

So, the red carpet has bloodthirsty origins. To learn more about how it became adopted by Hollywood, watch the video or read the story on CNN Style.

The Oscars have never been exactly predictable, but Hollywood’s biggest night used to consistently reward crowdpleasers. But over the last two decades, the Oscars have largely avoided rewarding the blockbuster films that once dominated the awards.

Earning a nomination – and eventually winning – an Oscar is no easy feat, and many of the biggest box office smashes of the year don’t stand a chance at best picture. And if they are nominated, like “Avatar: The Way of Water,” awards prognosticators don’t expect them to win.

Here’s why, according to experts in film and award shows:

Best picture voting doesn’t reward risks: For every Oscar category except best picture, the nominee with the most votes wins. But Academy members use a preferential ballot when voting for the top prize, ranking the nominees in their preferred order. Ballots are whittled down and films are knocked out until one film ranked consistently high across a multitude of ballots remains. Polarizing films have a harder time winning best picture with this system.

Blockbusters have changed: It’s not that Oscars voters are anti-blockbuster – it’s just that blockbusters today are less original fare than the likes of “E.T.” and “Titanic.” Instead, there are more sequels, reboots, prequels or other variations on familiar IP (intellectual property), experts told CNN, making the Academy less inclined to reward them.

Oscars voters tend to reward “important” films: The films that wind up getting nominated for Oscars don’t have much in common these days. Some have a veneer of prestige based on creative teams or source material, while others have indie credibility or the mass approval of audiences – but Academy voters do tend to reward “important” films, said Dave Karger, a Turner Classic Movies host and Entertainment Weekly award correspondent. These films “speak to the times or offer some kind of social message,” he said.

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Sit back and get comfy while you watch the glitz and glamour of the 95th Oscars.

ABC will broadcast the show starting at 8 p.m. EST. You can also stream the Oscars on Hulu+ Live TV, fubuTV, and DIRECTV Stream.

The Oscar winners in all 23 categories will be revealed live, unlike last year, when several award presentations were prerecorded in an effort to shorten the traditionally lengthy show.

While some are still talking about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on stage at the event a year ago, Smith won’t be in attendance on Sunday as he was banned from attending the Oscars for the next 10 years.

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Björk’s infamous swan dress may be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about 2001 Oscars fashion, but there’s another ensemble that has become emblematic of the early 2000s: Gillian Anderson, at the height of “The X-Files” fame, stepping out for the Vanity Fair afterparty in a backless navy number with a cheeky surprise.

When she turned around, her thong was fully visible, rising up from the ultra-low Eduardo Lucero jersey dress she was wearing.

Anderson revealed in 2016 during a panel discussion in Los Angeles that the style choice was a last-minute decision and was made out of necessity. But it was just one of the many visible thongs of the era — from Halle Berry to Rose McGowan — that made appearances on red-carpet events.

Lately, the trend has resurfaced thanks to Bella Hadid, Alexa Demie and Hailey Bieber, the last of whom Anderson recognized in a throwback post comparing side-by-side looks. 

“Another example of necessity being the mother of invention,” she wrote.

Read more on this iconic fashion moment on CNN Style.