Hollywood celebrates at Oscars as ‘CODA’ seeks top prize

Tinseltown's biggest night began with a performance by pop megastar Beyonce, and touched on politics with a moment of silence over the Ukraine crisis.Until recently it appeared that dark, psychological Western "The Power of the Dog" would earn Netflix its much-coveted first best picture statuette."CODA" -- an uplifting drama from Apple+ TV about an eccentric deaf family -- has surged in popularity."This is our moment," he said, noting that the film has been popular worldwide and "reached all the way to the White House." The cast recently met with President Joe Biden.In other early prizes, Ariana DeBose won best supporting actress for playing Anita in "West Side Story," and Disney's "Encanto" was named best animated feature.Yvett Merino, producer of Colombia-set "Encanto," said she was "so proud to be a part of a film that put beautiful, diverse characters in front and center."- 'A gay night' -In another musical highlight, viral sensation "We Don't Talk About Bruno" was performed live, with Megan Thee Stallion adding an Oscars-themed verse to the "Encanto" hit song."This year, the Academy hired three women to host because it's cheaper than hiring one man," said Schumer.Eight less starry categories were pre-taped in the hour before the broadcast, and edited in later -- a controversial move that angered many including "Dune" director Denis Villeneuve."It's 2 am in Amsterdam, and my daughter Zoe woke me up to go to the hotel bar. Wow!!" tweeted composer Hans Zimmer.In a year when big-budget blockbusters finally hit reopened movie theaters and rival streamers amped up their libraries with star-packed new films, the acting categories are being contested by some of the biggest names in the business."After years of Hollywood ignoring women's stories, this year we finally got a movie about the incredible Williams sisters'... dad," joked Schumer. The movie won for best makeup and hairstyling, while "Cruella" won for costume design.- 'Unimaginable darkness' -Some, including Oscar-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung, nominated songwriter Diane Warren and actress Jamie Lee Curtis wore blue ribbons reading #WithRefugees, showing support for those who have fled Ukraine and other conflict zones."Yet when you witness the strength and dignity of those facing such devastation, it's impossible not to be moved by their resilience" and "strength to keep fighting through unimaginable darkness," she said.The 2021 gala was watched by a paltry 10 million viewers -- a 56 percent decline from 2020, which was already a record low.amz/sst... Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au