LIVE OSCARS BLOG – Jimmy Kimmel, ‘Oppenheimer’ and More

Welcome to HiT’s Oscars live blog!

Let the show begin!

10:22 pm EST ... It’s “Oppenheimer.” Of course. 

10:20 pm EST … Kimmel read aloud a social media slam that he said was from President Donald Trump. And he made a crack about Trump and jail. Couldn’t help himself. And I’m betting that message was from the big guy himself.

10: 14 pm EST … Your Best Actress is Emma Stone. NOT Lily Gladstone.

Let the outrage begin.

10:10 pm EST … It’s almost over. It won’t be the longest show … ever. A pleasant surprise all around, or maybe my expectations are just super low. The ratings story will be interesting. I’m guessing around the same as last year.

10:05 pm EST … Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer.” Best Director. It’s official. It’s overdue. He’s the only director who can “open” a movie in this era. Even Spielberg can’t in 2024.

Now, give him the Bond franchise. Please?

10:02 pm EST … And the Best Actor is … Cillian Murphy. Richly deserved, but man I wanted Paul Giamatti to win.

“I’d like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.” Again. no politics.

9:50 pm EST … I missed this terrible, awful moment from the “Zone of Interest” team earlier tonight..

“Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has lead to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack in Gaza.”

9:34 pm EST … “I’m Just Ken” won me over. Bigly. And I didn’t love “Barbie.” A joyous marriage of pop music and fun choreography. This Oscars telecast is the best in years.

9:31 pm EST … Your humble Oscar blogger realizes he’s gotten the time stamps wrong ALL NIGHT. Ugh. Apologies! Yes, I went back and fixed it. I think…

9:28 pm EST … Comedian John Mulvaney crushes his intro jokes. Hey, Oscar. He’s 150 times funnier than the actual host. Just sayin’

9:23 pm EST ... What beloved actor will be rudely omitted during the “In Memoriam” segment? Place your bets.

9:21 pm EST … There’s no end in sight, and it’s nearly 2.5 hours long. It’s still smart to combine two categories in essentially one presentation, which they’ve been doing all night. That might mean we’ll be out of here by the 3.5 hour mark. Can’t believe I just typed that.

9:12 pm EST …  Ukraine gets its closeup. “I cannot change the history, cannot change the past, but we all together … I’m on you .. some of the most talented people in the world. We can make sure that the history record is set straight and history will prevail.”

That’s “20 Days in Mariupol” director Mstyslav Chernov after winning the Best Documentary Oscar.

8:49 pm EST ... “Godzilla Minus One” wins for Best Visual FX. Less than $15 million!!! What a win!

8:48 pm EST …  The “Twins” reunion (Ah-nold and Danny) brings us a great stare down between the former Bat villains and Michael Keaton AKA “I’m Batman” seated in the crowd. Funny. Nostalgic. Has Team Oscar finally learned how to put on a sweet, upbeat show? 

8:45 pm EST … So far, so … OK. No lectures. Only one political quip. A few nice surprises and intros.

8:40 pm EST … The Best Supporting Actor is Robert Downey, Jr. Very competitive category.

Downey: “I’d like to thank my terrible childhood… and the Academy in that order.”

What is the red button Mark Ruffalo is wearing? Dare we even ask?

8:27 pm EST … Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling trade barbs over their Barbenheimer films. Funny. Silly. On point. Well done, again. Maybe there’s hope for the show…

8:23 pm EST … “The Zone of Interest” wins Best International Film. No shock. One of the most powerful concepts behind a movie in ages… but there’s little story or plot to propel it. Sorry not sorry.

Naturally, the winners make a moral equivalence between the victims of Oct. 7 and the people of Gaza. Of course. What did Harvey say? Hollywood has the best morals.

8:22 pm EST ... If Lily Gladstone doesn’t win Best Actress tonight the “Barbie” outcry will look tame by comparison.

8:20 pm EST … I like the choice of presenters so far. Some real stars, plus no pandering to the youth demographic that’s busy on TikTok.

8:10 pm EST … To honor the 50th anniversary of the Oscar’s streaker, John Cena goes au naturel for … Best Costumes. Funny. Clever. And Cena is just a riot. As always.

“Poor Things.” 

Again.

8:05 pm EST … Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara give a primer on how to be funny, self-deprecating and sly with an award presentation for Hair/Makeup.

The award for Best Production Design goes to … “Poor Things”

IS THERE AN UPSET IN THE MAKING? That’s twice the bizarro comedy trumped “Oppenheimer.”

“The last thing we want is for people to know what we actually look like,” the “Schitt’s Creek” star said with a twinkle.

7:54 pm EST … Best Adapted Screenplay winner is “American Fiction!” No “Barbie,” no “Oppenheimer.” A genuine upset. “Fiction” is good but meandering. When it’s on target, though, it is scorching.

Take that, woke literary world.  Huge reception from audience.

Winner Cord Jefferson: “This is a risk averse industry, but $200 million movies are also risk … instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies.”

7:48 pm EST … Best Original Screenplay goes to “Anatomy of a Fall.” If you haven’t seen it, runner-up “Past Lives” is quite good.

The pre-award banter between Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy was … not good. Strained, even. Where are the writers?

So far, this is like every other Oscars telecast. No innovations. There’s a looong way to go. 

7:41 pm EST …Best Animated Feature goes to … “The Boy and the Heron.” An upset of sorts, since “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” seemed like a lock and the first film in the franchise won the Oscar four years ago.

7:26 pm EST … As expected, Da’Vine Joy Randolph nabs the Best Supporting Actress award for “The Holdovers.”

“God is so good,” she said in accepting to the award. She thanked her mother for pushing her to flex her acting skills. She gave a special shout out to her publicist.

7:21 pm EST …  A weak, often mean spirited monologue by Kimmel. He mocked Robert Downey, Jr.’s drug past, Steven Spielberg’s age (he’s 76) and Robert De Niro’s young galpal. One political jab – he mocked Sen. Katie Britt.

Kimmel, of course, had to mention the lack of a Best Director nom for “Barbie’s” Greta Gerwig. At least when the crowd cheered his virtue signal Kimmel cracked, “you didn’t vote for her” to the crowd.

He hit some “typical” Oscar monologue notes, including his riff on the way-too-long “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

“When I went to see ‘Killers’ I had my mail forwarded to the theater.”

His monologue felt rushed, perhaps due to the show’s delayed start.

8:08 pm EST … You’re so beautiful… host Jimmy Kimmel is on that infamous park bench with Barbie – AKA Margot Robbie.

8:06 pm EST … We’re five minutes late!