The 10 best moments from the Oscars

With this year’s Oscars over and done with, here is a look at the the 10 best moments from the red carpet to the ceremony.

1. Steve Martin and Chris Rock’s comedy introduction

Steve Martin and Chris Rock opened the show with a number of scathing jokes about the issues involving diversity at this year’s ceremony, taking aim at both the lack of female filmmakers in the directing category and the lack of non-white acting nominees.

The comedy duo quipped about the absence of “vaginas” among the directors, that “the Academy got (Cynthia Erivo) to hide all the black nominees”, referencing her role as abolitionist Harriet Tubman in Harriet, and “how much the Oscars have changed in the past 92 years”.

“Back in 1929, there were no black acting nominees,” Martin said, to which Rock replied: “Now, in 2020, we got one!”

2. Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves reunite

The Hollywood duo caused a stir when they arrived on stage to present the original screenplay Oscar: partly because it was a Something’s Gotta Give reunion, partly because of their flirtatious banter, and partly because Keaton nearly dropped the envelope when she went to announce Parasite as the winner.

Keaton’s outfit also stole attention among fans on Twitter. She wore a polo neck top under a checked jacket, under another checked jacket with a wide waist belt over the top, as well as a hat.

“Diane Keaton is dressed for winter in Chicago and I am here for it,” one viewer tweeted.

3. Olivia Colman goes blonde for triumphant Oscars return

Olivia Colman stunned fans when she arrived on the red carpet with a bright, peroxide blonde hairstyle.

It was a huge difference for The Crown star, who had sported her usual dark brunette crop of hair at the Baftas just one week earlier.

Later, while presenting the award for best actor, she joked that “winning an Oscar ages you” while pointing to her hair, before adding: “Thank you for having me back.”

Referring to her win last year for best actress, she said: “It’s such a pleasure to be here, last year was the best night of my husband’s life.”

4. Bong Joon-ho steals the Oscars with multiple wins for Parasite

The South Korean filmmaker made history when he not only won the directing prize for Parasite – beating the hotly-tipped Sir Sam Mendes for 1917 – but also when his film won best picture, becoming the first non-English-language movie to win the accolade.

He endeared himself to the audience by repeatedly quipping that he would be drinking to celebrate, starting with his first win for original screenplay. He was also genuinely shocked each time he won.

Picking up the directing gong, he told his fellow nominees: “If the Academy allowed, I would like to get a Texas chainsaw, split the trophy into five and share it with all of you.”

Parasite won four awards in total: best picture, directing, original screenplay and international feature film.

5. Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig confuse Billie Eilish with comedy

The comedy stars were their usual witty selves as they appeared on stage to present the awards for production design and costume design.

The Bridesmaids stars kept it light with a skit in which they proved their acting skills (“We just know there are a lot of directors here tonight,” Wiig joked) as well as their singing skills when they performed a medley of pop classics including Sisqo’s Thong Song, Madonna’s Vogue and The Lady In Red by Chris De Burgh.

However, their fun skit was slightly overshadowed by the baffled expression from singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, who appeared confused from her seat in the audience.

6. Oscar-winner’s touching tribute for Kobe Bryant

Matthew Cherry, who won the best animated short film Oscar for Hair Love, paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant as he picked up his prize.

The former American football player dedicated his award to Bryant, adding: “May we all have a second act as great as his.”

Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in January, won the best animated short film Oscar two years ago for Dear Basketball.

7. James Corden and Rebel Wilson channel their inner cats

James Corden and Rebel Wilson had the audience in stitches when they appeared on stage to present the award for visual effects while dressed as their characters from the film Cats.

Poking fun at the musical’s widely-panned special effects, they said: “As cast members of the motion picture Cats, nobody more than us understands the importance of good visual effects.”

Before announcing the winner, the pair then proceeded to attack the microphone just like frenzied felines, much to the crowd’s delight.

8. Eminem finally appears at the Oscars years after winning award

Eminem made a surprise appearance on stage to perform his Oscar-winning song Lose Yourself from the film 8 Mile.

The rapper’s performance came nearly two decades after he was absent when winning the prize.

He tweeted: “Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity… Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here.”

9. Natalie Portman stands up for female directors

The Black Swan star made her feelings known about the lack of female directors recognised this year’s Oscars by wearing an outfit that championed female filmmakers.

The actress wore a Dior black and gold caped outfit with the names of snubbed directors including Greta Gerwig and Lulu Wang embroidered into the lapel.

“I wanted to recognise the women who were not recognised for their incredible work this year in my own subtle way,” she said on the red carpet.

10. Cynthia Erivo brings the house down

Cynthia Erivo’s performance of Stand Up from the film Harriet was one of the musical highlights of the night.

The British star wowed the audience with her rendition of the powerful ballad, for which she was nominated for original song, while wearing a striking gold, glittering gown with a large gold collar around her neck.

She received a standing ovation following her performance, with the likes of Glee star Lea Michele tweeting: “That’s right a standing ovation for my girl @CynthiaEriVo what an EPIC performance!!!”