The Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars, is an annual ceremony held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in the film industry. As some of the country’s most famous celebrities hit the red carpet (which was actually champagne-colored this year), millions of viewers nationwide tune into the show from home. Award categories include Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Costume Design, and many others. This year’s show was incredibly memorable as several actors won history-making awards. For example, Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser, both actors who have been largely inactive since the 90s, made their comebacks to Hollywood, and both received Oscars for their performances. Brendan Fraser surprised audiences and critics with his profoundly moving performance of Charlie in The Whale, for which he won Best Actor. Ke Huy Quan won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Waymond in the hit film, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Additionally, their wins were inspiring because they showed that despite having not been active in the film industry for an extended period, both actors were able to captivate audiences successfully with their spectacular performances.

Quan’s win and that of his co-star, Michelle Yeoh, were especially significant because they were among the few Asian actors to be recognized and awarded by the Oscars for their work in the film industry. It warmed many Asian-American students at PDS to see this representation in cinema when it is typically less apparent. Freshman Amber Pancholi shares, “It was so cool to see so much Asian representation. I am especially excited to see people of many cultures become a part of Hollywood’s most successful films and be recognized for their work and accomplishments.” 

As wonderful as it was to see such wonderful representation, not everyone was satisfied with the results. There appears to be a debate among PDS students about who truly deserved to win the award of Best Supporting Actress. Freshman Angela Du expresses her disappointment with the selection, commenting, “Honestly, Jamie Lee Curtis [winner of the award for Best Supporting Actress] is an amazing actress. It’s just that in the movie she was nominated for, I feel her performance was not the most deserving of the award. On the other hand, Angela Basset’s performance [in Black Panther 2] was amazing.” However, not everyone agrees; for example, another student expressed their happiness for Curtis’s win: “Jamie Lee Curtis has acted in so many things, and she deserves recognition for her work, so I’m happy she won!” Although Jaime Lee Curtis had been acknowledged and awarded by several other associations for her roles in other films, the student had found that the Oscars award was significant, as it is one of the most famous and popular awards ceremonies. 

So, were the Oscars a flop or a success? Although there were several great hits and just as many misses when it came to award selections, the show was incredible and a star-studded event that nobody should miss!