**Live Updates** 2020 Academy Awards Ceremony

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: Joaquin Phoenix accepts the Actor In A Leading Role a
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Rebecca Mansour and Jerome Hudson

The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony is underway at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.

The 2020 ceremony kicked off without a host. Janelle Monae opened the show entering a Mister Rogers set and singing “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” Singing to the front row, Monae dropped her bowler hat on the head of Tom Hanks, who was nominated for his performance as Fred Rogers. A medley continued with Billy Porter joining in, as Monae segued into her song “Come Alive.”

Award winners:

Best supporting actor: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

Animated feature: “Toy Story 4”

Animated short film: “Hair Love”

Original screenplay: “Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho and Jin Won Han

Adapted screenplay: “Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi

Live action short film: “The Neighbors’ Window”

Production design: “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

Costume design: “Little Women”

Documentary feature: “American Factory”

Documentary short subject: “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”

Best supporting actress: Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”

Sound Editing: “Ford v Ferrari,” Don Sylvester

Sound mixing: “1917,” Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson

Cinematography: Roger Deakins, “1917”

Film editing: “Ford Vs. Ferrari”

Visual effects: “1917”

Makeup and hairstyling: “Bombshell”

Visual effects: “1917”

International film: “Parasite,” South Korea

Original Score: Hildur Guðnadóttir, “Joker”

Original song: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” “Rocketman” (Music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin)

Best director: Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

Best actress: Renée Zellweger, “Judy”

Best actor: Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”

Best picture: “Parasite”

See below for updates. All times local.

8:30 p.m. –

“Parasite” has won the best picture Academy Award, making history as the first foreign language film to win the ceremony’s top honor.

Bong Joon Ho’s thriller has been one of the season’s darlings, despite failing to garner any Academy Award nominations for its cast.

Bong’s acumen in creating his tale of a grifter family that insinuates itself into the lives of a wealthy family has been widely recognized.

The film won four Oscars on Sunday, including best director for Bong and best international film.

8:20 p.m. –

Renée Zellwegger has won the best actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Judy Garland in the tumultuous final year of her life.

It is Zellweger’s second Oscar; she won the supporting actress award in 2004 for “Cold Mountain.”

The actress has enjoyed front-runner status throughout awards season, picking up top Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild honors last month.

Zellweger undertook the huge challenge of playing the beloved star by focusing on every aspect of Garland, including her voice, hair, makeup and stage presence.

Ironically, Garland herself was famously snubbed for an Oscar during her lifetime. She was nominated for a Best Actress award in 1954 for her role in “A Star Is Born,” but lost that year to Grace Kelly’s performance in “The Country Girl.” She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1961 for her role in Stanley Kramer’s “Judgement at Nuremberg,” but lost to Rita Moreno for “West Side Story.” Garland did, however, receive a special Academy Juvenile Award in 1940 for her performances in “The Wizard of Oz” and “Babes in Arms.”

8:10 p.m. –

While accepting the Oscar for Best Activist Actor for his role in the billion-dollar psychological comic book thriller Joker, Joaquin Phoenix made the Oscars stage his soapbox, firing off a three-minute tirade about every victim group under the sun.

“I think at times we feel we champion different causes, but for me, I see commonality. I think whether we’re talking about gender inequality, racism, queer rights, animal rights, we’re talking about injustice,” the actor said.

“I think we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world. … We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and then we take her baby. … Then we take her milk and put it in our coffee,” Phoenix said.

8:00 p.m. –

Bong Joon Ho has won the best director Oscar for his class satire, “Parasite.”

The South Korean director’s acumen in creating a film about the intertwining of two families — one poor and another rich — has been roundly praised.

It is the first best directing Oscar for Bong, whose previous films include “Okja” and “Snowpiercer.”

“Parasite” is among the contenders for best picture, the evening’s top prize. It is the third Oscar that it has won Sunday, including best original screenplay and best international film.

7:45 p.m. –

Elton John and his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin are Oscar winners — together — for a song they created for the biopic “Rocketman.”

The pair wrote “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” for the musical biopic that charted John’s rise to superstar status, warts and all.

The pair won a Golden Globe earlier this year, and noted that they had never won a Grammy Award together.

John paired with Tim Rice to win an Academy Award for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the original “Lion King.”

John thanked Taupin for being with him throughout his career, even when he was “screwed up.”

7:40 p.m. –

Hildur Guðnadóttir has won the best original score Academy Award for “Joker,” becoming the first woman to win in the category since 1998.

Anne Dudley was the last female composer to win the honor. She took home the Oscar in 1998 for “The Full Monty.”

Her win was also the first for “Joker” of the evening.

Guðnadóttir was overwhelmed with emotion, appearing to tear up as she held the award.

She urged women to speak up, ending her speech by saying, “We need to hear your voices.”

7:30 p.m. –

“Cats” has clawed its way onto the Oscars stage.

James Corden and Rebel Wilson — two stars from the maligned film adaptation of the Broadway hit — dressed in head-to-toe cat costumes to present the Academy Award for special effects.

“Nobody knows, better than us, the importance of good visual effects,” they joked.

The duo had a groomer backstage brushing out their coats before the appearance, and Corden let out a bemused sigh and said, “This is it, this is … show biz.”

After introducing the candidates but before revealing the winner, Corden and Wilson took turns batting around the stage mic as if it were a cat toy. The Oscar technician who operates the pop-up mic re-calibrated and tested it during the next commercial break and said it seemed to be fine, though he was keeping a close eye on it. “They really beat the crap out of it,” he said.

7:15 p.m. –

From John Binder:

Actress Cynthia Erivo performed a show-stopping performance of the song “Stand Up” from the film Harriet which chronicles the story of Harriet Tubman.

Erivo — who plays the role of Tubman int he movie — performed the song, ending it with a large illustration of Harriet Tubman with gospel choir singers throughout the theatre’s isles.

The performance was a show stopper. And the standing ovation extended long after the cameras had moved and the house lights had gone up.
Watch below: 

6:45 p.m. –

Former president Barack Obama too to Twitter to congratulate the filmmaker behind America Factory, the Netflix documentary his and Michelle Obama’s High Ground film studio helped produce.

“Congrats to Julia and Steven, the filmmakers behind American Factory, for telling such a complex, moving story about the very human consequences of wrenching economic change,” Barack Obama said. “Glad to see two talented and downright good people take home the Oscar for Higher Ground’s first release.

6:40 p.m. –

An Oscars video montage showcasing the power of documentary films featured none other than vlimate change activist Greta Thunberg.

Watch below via MRC:

6:30 p.m. –

Lin-Manuel Miranda introduced a musical montage packed with classics from Back to the Future Titanic, The Breakfast Club among others. The clip ended with Eminem biopic 8 Mile, and to everyone’s surprise the left-wing rapper came out on stage and performed his hit song from the film “Lose Yourself.” He got a standing ovation at the end of his act.

Coincidentally, “Lose Yourself” is the first rap song to win an Academy Award for best original song. And the rapper took to Twitter and poked fun at the Academy for finally affording him the honor of performing at the show.

6:15 p.m. –

Laura Dern is the winner of the best supporting actress Academy Award for her role as a high-powered divorce attorney in “Marriage Story.”

It is Dern’s first Oscar win and caps an awards season where the actress has also collected honors from the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes.

“Marriage Story” shows the disintegrating relationship between a showbiz couple played by Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. Dern’s well-heeled lawyer helps Johansson outmaneuver her estranged husband in the courtroom, causing more strain on the pair and their young son.

Dern thanked her co-stars and “Marriage Story” director Noah Baumbach. She also thanked her parents, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern, calling them her heroes.

6:12 p.m. –

Shia LaBeouf presented the Academy Award for best live action short with Zack Gottsagen, his co-star in “The Peanut Butter Falcon” and an actor with Down syndrome.

Some viewers on social media grilled LaBeouf after he appeared to roll his eyes as Gottsagen hesitated reading the card, perhaps sensing a star grousing about sharing the stage with a special needs co-presenter.

To the contrary, LaBeouf and Gottsagen are close friends from their time filming in the Georgia countryside. They recounted to The Associated Press in August how then spent evenings watching wrestling between 12-hour shoots. LaBeouf has even credited Gottsagen for helping him get sober.

“He knows about my pain intimately. We’d be sitting there watching wrestling every night. He’d be eating ice cream. I’d be drinking gin. I’d tell him, ‘You gotta stop eating all that ice cream.’ He’d say, ‘You gotta stop drinking that gin,’” says LaBeouf. “This man’s a year older than me. He’s been acting longer than me and he’s healthier than I am. He has more friends than I have, has longer lasting loving relationships.”

6:10 p.m. –

“American Factory” has won of the documentary film Academy Award.

It is the first feature backed by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, but the former president and first lady are not technically Oscar winners.

During her acceptance speech, one of the film’s directors, Julia Reichert, quoted Karl Marx’s famous maxim from his Communist Manifesto, “Workers of the world unite.”

“Working people have it harder and harder these days—and we believe that things will get better when workers of the world unite,” Reichert said.

The documentary tells the story of a Chinese company’s purchase and repurposing of an American factory in Ohio.

Watch Below:

When the film received an Oscar nomination in January, the former president tweeted: “It’s the kind of story we don’t see often enough and it’s exactly what Michelle and I hope to achieve with Higher Ground. Congrats to the incredible filmmakers and entire team!”

6:05 p.m. –

From David Ng:

Disney corporate synergy shifted into high gear at the Oscars on Sunday with a musical plug for the movie Frozen II and the Broadway stage musical based on Frozen, which is playing in cities around the world.

The Oscars, which air on the Disney-owned ABC, enlisted nine of the world’s Elsa’s to perform the Oscar-nominated song “Into the Unknown.” They included performers from Poland, Thailand, Germany, Spain, Japan, Norway, Russia, and Denmark.

Watch Below:

5:30 p.m. –

Brad Pitt won his first acting Oscar for his performance in “Once Upon on a Time … In Hollywood.”

His acceptance speech got political right away. “They told me I have 45 seconds to speak, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” said Pitt, alluding to the impeachment hearings.

Watch below:

5:25 p.m. –

Chris Rock and Steve Martin have helped open the Oscars by delivering an opening monologue.

Both funnymen have hosted the Oscars before, prompting Martin to note the appearance on Sunday was a “demotion.”

During their opening at, Rock said “So many great directors nominated this year.” To which Martin responded, “I don’t know, Chris, I thought there was something missing from the list this year.”

Rock replied: “Vaginas?” — a jab at the Academy for not including any female directors in the year’s Best Director category.

Chris Rock also hit the Academy for only nominating one black actor in the Best Actress and Best Actor categories — actress Cynthia Erivo for her stellar role as Harriet Tubman in the film Harriet.

“Cynthia Erivo did such a good job hiding black people in Harriet the Academy had her hide all the black nominees,” Rock said.

Watch below:

5:15 –

Taika Waititi is the winner of the best adapted screenplay Academy Award for “Jojo Rabbit.”

It is the first Oscar for the writer-director-actor, who thanked his mother and also dedicated the award to all the “indigenous kids in the world” who want to make art.

Waititi directed and starred in “Jojo Rabbit,” playing Adolf Hitler, who is the imaginary friend of the title character. The film is also competing for best picture.

5:08 –

From David Ng:

The 92nd annual Academy Awards kicked off with a bizarre and thematically scattershot dance number that conflated Mr. Rogers, Black History Month, black queer artists, and the art-house horror movie Midsommar.

Pop star Janelle Monáe took the spotlight dressed as Fred Rogers, the subject of the Tom Hanks movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Earlier in the evening, Monae spoke on the red carpet, paying tribute to “black queer artists.”

Watch below:

4:35 p.m. –

“Parasite” is the winner of the best original screenplay Academy Award, delivering Bong Joon Ho his first Oscar.

The South Korean writer-director held the Oscar up and said to the audience “Thank you, great honor.” He dedicated the win to his country.

He shares the honor with Han Jin Won, who paid thanks to the Korean film industry.

4:30 p.m. –

Natalie Portman has walked the red carpet in a cape lined with the names of female filmmakers who weren’t nominated for best director.

“How did you decide to do this?” the LA Times‘ Amy Kaufman asked Portman.

“I wanted to recognize the women who were not recognized for their incredible work this year in my sort of way,” Portman said about the names of the women directors, which were printed in gold on a black satin ribbon.

The black cape featured gold lettering that included Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”) and Mati Diop (“Atlantics”).

This year’s nominees for best director are all male, and Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” is the only woman to win the award. Gerwig was the most recent female nominee, in 2018 for “Lady Bird.”

5:25 p.m. –

Woody, Buzz and Bo Peep have done it again — “Toy Story 4” is the winner of the Academy Award for best animated feature film.

The fourth installment in the Pixar franchise about the adventures of toys that come to life reunited several beloved characters and introduced a new one: Forky. The craft project made from a spork comes to life and realizes his worth, despite the strong sense that he would rather be in the trash.

The third film was widely seen as a fitting ending to the franchise, but audiences flocked to the film, which earned more than $430 million in North America alone.

“Hair Love” won the Oscar for best animated short film.

 

 

Stay with Breitbart for more updates. The Associate Press contributed to this story.

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