The Academy Awards are a night to celebrate impeccable filmmaking, but sometimes iconic moments are created inadvertently and make the awards an experience imperative to be witnessed. To do so we have compiled some of the best Oscar moments of the last decade. They are interesting and fascinating, and some even involve using the Oscar platform for a cause. Check out some of these wholesome moments from the Oscars of the last decade.
Best Oscar Moments of the Last Decade
Ellen DeGeneres Takes an Iconic Selfie – 2014
This innocent selfie taken by Bradley Cooper on Ellen’s phone was a modern renaissance piece, featuring actors like Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyong’o, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Channing Tatum, alongside others as well, hiding behind the camera lens. The comedian and host commented on Cooper’s short arm length getting only a few of the many people in the frame. This is one of the most iconic images from the decade, especially at a time when taking selfies was cool.
Chris Rock Addresses #OscarsSoWhite – 2016
Following the raging controversy of the Oscars nominations being unfairly skewed towards Caucasian people, Chris Rock decided to take a stand and drag the Academy by calling out their preference for a certain group of people when it came to nominations. Even though it was scathing, it read extremely sophisticated and insightful. He highlighted some demeaning moments from the 88-year-old history of the Academy and its lack of inclusion for artists of colour.
Leonardo DiCaprio Wins His First Oscar – 2016
After being nominated six times and never winning once, this was a milestone for the actor. He has been in contention for many years, 27 to be specific. This win was not only widely celebrated because of its finality but also the running joke in popular discourse involving his loss despite being nominated. He used this platform to talk about climate change and saving the Earth from certain doom. Speaking of filming The Revenant, he explained how important it is to save the ice caps and reverse the effects of climate change.
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Jimmy Kimmel Drops Candies by Parachutes – 2017
While hosting the Academy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel explained how the movies are incomplete without candy, calling them downright Un-American. He then asked the audience to close their eyes and wish very hard, they opened their eyes in surprise to see candy falling from the top in parachutes. Kimmel also dropped cookies and doughnuts after the candies. This is not the first time; hosts have distributed pizza during the awards, while Kimmel himself dropped PB&J sandwiches during the 2016 Emmys.
Times Up Representation at the Oscars – 2018
Actors, Directors and even the host decided to highlight the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at the popular discourse for allowing certain artists to continue making films after their sexual assault allegations came to the forefront. Actress Frances McDormand, during her Best Actress Speech mentioned how filmmakers can include more people of colour and women in their writer’s room, production or crew in order to level the playing field.
Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph Open a Hostless Oscars – 2019
The trio came on stage to announce the nominees for the Best Supporting Actresses but took their time explaining how this year’s Oscars will work. Pulling from their collective dynamic and comedic timing, they made some exaggerated comments about the nominees of the year and their films. Additionally, they also showed exactly why they should have been chosen as hosts for the 2019 Academy Awards.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper Perform Shallow – 2019
After an interesting rendition of the song by the aforementioned trio, this performance was incredibly welcome on stage. Their chemistry was electric and showed exactly why their pairing works on screen. Their dynamic came especially alive and was so believable that it struck up rumours that the actors were together in real life. However, both performers explained that the whole point of the performance was to give audiences a glance behind the curtain.
Parasite Becomes the First Foreign Language Film to Win Best Picture – 2020
Apart from sweeping the awards in the rest of the categories, this win was historical for the cast and director Bong Joon-ho. Parasite became the first foreign language film to win the Oscars for the Best Picture category. Films nominated in this category are generally in the English language. Over 10,000 members of the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences voted for this film to win this iconic award. The weight this carries is unparalleled. It was not only a win for people of Korean descent but for everyone who saw themselves on that screen.
The Oscars 2023 will be held on March 12th, 5 PM PDT, 8PM EDT/ March 13th, 5:30 AM IST and will be available to stream on Hulu, Disney+ Hotstar, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV. What are you looking forward to seeing in this 95th Academy Awards ceremony? Let us know in the comments below.