Here’s Everything You May Have Missed At Last Night’s Oscars
Last night’s Oscars featured unforgettable fashion moments, big wins, unexplainable subs and high honors. Let’s get into all of the hot topics from the award show.
Zendaya’s Bright Yellow, Custom Valentino Dress
Former Essence cover star Zendaya certainly knows how to serve a look! For last night’s Oscars, the 25-year-old pulled up in a yellow cutout dress, accented by uber-expensive (like, $6M expensive) Bulgari diamonds and Jimmy Choo shoes. Her look was put together by her longtime stylist Law Roach—who’s also worked with tennis champ Naomi Osaka and the City Girls. The dress closely resembles a Bob Mackie-designed gown that Cher wore in the 1970s, with Roach sharing on Instagram that he was indeed inspired by the dress.
Read more on the custom design here.
Daniel Kaluuya Won The Best Supporting Actor Award and Gave A Superb Speech
Judas and the Black Messiah‘s Daniel Kaluuya has been sweeping the 2021 award season for his portrayal of slain Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton. In addition to last night’s win, Kaluuya has also won trophies for the role at the following shows: British Academy Film Awards (Best Actor in a Supporting Role), the Golden Globes (Best Supporting Actor [Motion Picture]) the Screen Actors Guild Awards (Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role) and the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (Best Supporting Actor). We love to see it!
Read our Golden Globes coverage here.
Kaluuya also grabbed attention for his speech at last night’s show. Like his monologue for Saturday Night Live earlier this month, the British actor was sweet, and also funny about turning up to celebrate his big win.
“There’s so much work to do, guys. And that’s on everyone in this room. This ain’t no single man job…And I’m gonna get back to work Tuesday morning because tonight I’m going up. We’re going up, know what I mean? We’re enjoying ourselves tonight!,” he said.
Watch his full speech below.
H.E.R. Is Halfway to EGOT Status!
Only the best of the best in entertainment are Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony (more commonly referred to as EGOT) winners. GU favorite H.E.R. is on her way there, as she won an Academy Award (Best Original Song) last night for “Fight for You” from the Judas and the Messiah soundtrack. The song was written in collaboration with Tiara Thomas and Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II.
Also, did you know that her sheer, hooded ensemble was a homage to Prince, who also wore a blue, shimmering outfit to the Oscars? The late singer won two Academy Awards in 1985 for the semi-autobiographical film Purple Rain.
Two Distant Strangers, A Film on the Cyclical Nature of Police Brutality Starring Joey Badass, Won for Best Live Action Short Film
Rapper Joey Badass made his film debut (in a non-cameo role) in 2020’s Two Distant Strangers, a short about a cartoonist who falls victim to state violence while on his way home. The 29-minute-long film calls back to the murders of Eric Garner, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and won the Best Live Action Short Film Award.
Watch the trailer below.
Chadwick Boseman Snubbed In Best Actor Category
All signs seemed to point that Chadwick Boseman would win a posthumous award for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom—the Best Picture Award is typically saved for last, while this year’s Oscars had the Best Actor slotted there instead. But the award went to Anthony Hopkins, who was not present at the show or at a satellite location and did not get to make a speech, which prompted anger from fans. Many feel as if he was disrespected since this was his final opportunity to win an Oscar.
Quil Lemons, 23, Was Vanity Fair‘s Official Photographer for the Event
Quil Lemons, the photographer who made history as the youngest person to shoot a Vanity Fair cover, was in charge of making our stars shine extra bright at the Oscars. He captured some of the biggest names in entertainment, including: Daniel Kaluuya, H.E.R., Lakeith Stanfield, Viola Davis, Zendaya, Andra Day and many more.