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Live Music Injects Much-Needed ‘Kenergy’ To Oscars; Billie Eilish Makes History
Hollywood’s biggest night was a wonderful celebration of what was a great year in film, recognizing memorable 2023 movies such as “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things” — which led the Academy Awards ceremony with seven and four victories, respectively — but the buzz around Sunday’s Oscars wasn’t so much around the winners or the best dressed. The talk of the town following the show was the stellar live musical performances, particularly one from an actor whose Kenergy brought everyone at the Dolby Theater (and those watching at home) to their feet.
Music was front and center at the 96th Academy Awards, and no one shone brighter than a sparkling pink-suited and pink-gloved Ryan Gosling, who performed the Oscar-nominated “I’m Just Ken” alongside Mark Ronson and a group of dancers that included his “Barbie” co-stars. Oh, and Slash was there shredding the melody of the wonderful ode to ’80s power ballads. Gosling’s charisma was on full display and got everyone on their feet and dancing, including his “La La Land” co-star and Best Actress winner Emma Stone, who blamed the actor for her dress malfunction.
“I genuinely do think I busted it during ‘I’m Just Ken,'” she told reporters. “I was so amazed by Ryan and what he was doing. And that number just blew my mind, and I was right there and I just was going for it and, you know, things happen.”
It was quite the spectacle and a tremendous example of the power music can have in an awards ceremony, especially the Oscars. Gosling’s rock star performance injected life and silliness that only a live song could bring to the show. One can only imagine how many pink shirts would fill a venue to watch the talented actor and other artists perform songs from the “Barbie” soundtrack.
Though Gosling stole the show (like he stole many scenes in “Barbie”), it wasn’t enough to give songwriters Ronson and Andrew Wyatt an Academy Award for Best Original Song. That honor went to Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell for the other “Barbie” song nominated, “What Was I Made For?” Eilish managed to top the Grammy performance of the song with a stirring rendition of the melancholic ballad, which began with Eilish on the mic and O’Connell on the piano and crescendoed with a full orchestra.
It was a touching performance that made some of the “Barbie” stars emotional, and Eilish showed genuine surprise from the crowd’s rapturous applause. When Eilish and O’Connell were proclaimed as winners of the Best Original Song award, the cast of “Barbie” as well as director Greta Gerwig rushed to hug the duo, who previously won an Oscar in 2022 for “No Time To Die.”
“Thank you so much to the Academy. I just didn’t think this would happen. I was not expecting this,” Eilish said. “I feel so incredibly lucky and honored. Thank you to Greta. … I love you. Thank you for this. I’m just grateful for this song and for this movie and the way that it made me feel. This goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is.
“I wanna thank my best my dance teachers growing up. I wanna thank my choir teachers, Ms. Brigham, thanks for believing in me, Ms. T, you didn’t like me but you were good at your job.”
The win for Eilish, 22, was a historic one as she became the youngest person to have two Academy Awards. “What Was I Made For?” is also the first song to win the Grammy for Song of the Year and Oscar for Best Original Song in the same year since Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” from “Titanic” in 1999.
With Eilish on such an awards high and a new album on the horizon, the young star may carry this momentum into arenas (or possibly stadiums) later this year.
Another standout performance came from Jon Batiste, who performed the Oscar-nominated ballad “It Never Went Away.” The song, from the documentary “American Symphony,” is a heartfelt tribute to his wife Suleika Jaouad, who has been undergoing cancer treatment after being diagnosed with leukemia.
Becky G brought some heat to the party with “The Fire Inside” from the film “Flamin’ Hot,” and she was accompanied by 10 young girls who sang the chorus with the Latin star.
Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” walked away empty-handed Sunday night, but Scott Geroge and the Osage Singers were honored with a standing ovation following a performance of the Best Original Song nominee “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People).”
And mega-popular tenor Andrea Bocelli also took to the stage alongside his son Matteo Bocelli to honor those in the film business who passed away in the past year by performing “Time to Say Goodbye.”
In a theater full of star actors and directors, it was those with a microphone carrying a tune who made the biggest night for movies worthwhile.