The Highs, Lows, and Whoas of the 2023 Oscars

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( highs and lows [The Highs, Lows, and Whoas of the 2023 Oscars]( Jenny the Donkey! David Byrne hot-dog fingers! An Oscar for Michelle Yeoh! What more could you want? (An Oscar for Angela Bassett.) Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Getty Images Yes, the show ran close to four hours. Yes, there were a few baggy moments and little places where you could imagine things to trim or tighten. But if those were the costs, the benefits far outweighed them: The [2023 Academy Awards]( were a solid, sincere, and generous awards show delightfully free of big awkward comedy moments that didn’t land well with the crowd and zero interludes in which the Flash had to enter the Speed Force. Instead, Jimmy Kimmel did a serviceable job as host, popping in occasionally for a few short jokes but never overstepping or creating a strange mood. All of the awards previously cut from the ceremony were reinstated, allowing for beautiful moments like [a group “Happy Birthday” sing-along](. The abrupt, stilted introduction of a mid-ceremony [trailer for The Little Mermaid]( felt like a naked promotion that needed more of a lampshade, and probably we saw one too many appearances from Cocaine Bear. Yet the ceremony felt as well paced as any massive awards ceremony could possibly be; the strongest argument in favor of just letting the show run long was that very few [acceptance speeches]( were cut off by an aggressive music cue trying to keep things moving. As it turns out, when people have a chance to say their entire speeches without fear of a looming orchestral EXIT sign, the whole show starts to feel more gracious. Cap it all off with a big win for Michelle Yeoh and, truly, what more could you want from one of these events? (A win for Angela Bassett.) [Read More]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( for unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • The Last of Us: [End of the Road]( • Your Honor: [Too Legit to Quit]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [Now, That Wasn’t So Hard, Was It? These back-to-basics Oscars rebuked not just last year’s disaster but the whole concept of “fixing” the Oscars.]( By Bilge Ebiri [The Best Movies That Lost Best Picture at the Oscars A second look at 95 years of the Academy Awards, including this year’s ceremony.]( By Keith Phipps [How to Watch and Stream Every 2023 Oscar-Winning (and Nominated) Movie Reflect on the power of cinema.]( By Savannah Salazar [The Movies Fantasy League Has Its Champion After a historic run at the Oscars, Everything Everywhere All at Once has led fantasy team AFTÁRSUN to victory.]( [Al Jaffee, Now 102, Is Ready to Be Added to Mount Rushmore MAD’s longest-serving contributor on comedy, art, and the origins of the “Fold-in.”]( [Michelle Yeoh’s Mommy Celebrates Her Historic Oscar Win FaceTiming from Malaysia after her daughter won Best Actress.]( By Alejandra Gularte [National Anthem, the Queer Rodeo Drama Making SXSW Swoon One of the loveliest titles this year’s SXSW lineup has to offer, it’s a Lana Del Rey song in movie form.]( By Matthew Jacobs [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 22-Down, Four Letters: Dark-side users of the Force in Star Wars. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Everette Collection Pretty Major at Union Hall Photo: Vulture Tomorrow, March 14, at Union Hall at 7 p.m., Vulture’s comedy show, Pretty Major, will be hosted by Zach Zimmerman and Jay Jurden, featuring comedy from Charlie Bardey, Phoebe Robinson, Natalie Rotter-Laitman, and Auguste White. [Buy tickets here.]( [Read more from Vulture]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](link.nymag.com/manage/588/optout-vulture?email={EMAIL}&hash=39357a76f6d08b16239fd2ffa65e9c6f¶m=vulture-daily) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved