On Sunday, March 10, ABC aired the 2024 Oscars, which Jimmy Kimmel hosted (in the new earlier time slot of 7 p.m.).
With an astounding 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor for Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr., the Christopher Nolan film was this year’s front-runner.Murphy competed against Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”), Colman Domingo (“Rustin”), and Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction”) for the title of Best Actor.
Murphy triumphed as was predicted, and “Oppenheimer” also brought home significant prizes for Nolan and Downey Jr. in addition to the Best Picture award.Cooper, meanwhile, continued to be a major Oscar loser, missing out on winning a prize for “Maestro” for the twelfth time.
Sandra Hüller (“Anatomy of a Fall”), Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”), Emma Stone (“Poor Things”), Annette Bening (“Nyad”), Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), and Margot Robbie (“Barbie”) competed for the title of Best Actress.The 2024 Oscars’ greatest and worst moments are listed here.
Kimmel is a seasoned entertainment veteran, aged 56. Hence, despite being the uninteresting “safe” pick for the host, he made a memorable opening monologue. He had a profound moment when he stopped to applaud the working class people in Hollywood, the crew members and teamsters, who refused to cross the picket lines during the historic actors strike this year. “You’re so hot, let’s go camping together and not tell our wives,” he quipped to Ryan Gosling, making fun of the actor’s infamous drug-filled background and referencing the “highest point” of his career. Though not hilarious, the jokes were entertaining.
He also made other awkward jokes, such as the one about Murphy’s name, which is pronounced “Kill-ian” when he performs drama. His comedic style is “Silly-Anne.” Really? Yawn. Overall though, Kimmel executed a great balance of honesty and humour, kept the action flowing, and kept it topical.
