Canadian wins and cocaine bears: Memorable moments from Oscars 2023 (VIDEOS)

Mar 13 2023, 4:19 pm

You could say that Sunday night’s Oscars delivered Everything Everywhere All at Once.

From Canadian wins to a surprise appearance from cocaine bear, the end of awards season was certainly eventful (all without a slap heard around the world).

If you weren’t able to catch Hollywood’s big night out live, not to worry, we’ve got a comprehensive recap for you.

Here are some of the most memorable moments from Oscars 2023.

Jimmy Kimmel addresses the elephant in the room

Will there ever be an end to jokes about last year’s infamous slap? The answer seems to be no. Eddie Murphy was the last to do it at an award show, and of course, host Kimmel had to address the incident in the room where it happened a year later.

Similarly to Murphy’s well-received take on the incident, Kimmel’s jokes were also well-received, and it probably helped that he didn’t mention either Chris Rock or Will Smith’s names.

“If anyone in this theatre commits an act of violence at any point in the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for Best Actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech,” he joked.

The Everything Everywhere All At Once sweep

The mad multiversal movie was a favourite going into the Oscars, leading with 11 nominations. It ended up winning a whopping seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director.

Probably one of the most emotional wins from the movie was Ke Huy Quan’s. After struggling to get steady acting gigs since his roles in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, the 51-year-old actor made his way to the Oscars stage (multiple times throughout the night, might I add).

“My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage,” he said in a teary-eyed speech.

And it was also a full-circle moment for Quan after his former co-star Harrison Ford presented the Best Picture award to the Everything Everywhere All At Once cast and crew.

Michelle Yeoh makes history

Yeoh made history last night as the first Asian woman and only second woman of colour to win best actress.

“Ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up,” she said in her speech.

The cameras also caught a sweet moment between Yeoh and Halle Berry — the first woman of colour to win an Oscar for best actress.

Canadian wins

Canadians won big last night.

Toronto filmmaker Sarah Polley won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking.

She took a jab at the Academy’s historically male-dominated nominees and winners in her speech.

“First of all, I just want to thank The Academy for not being mortally offended by the words ‘women’ and ‘talking’ put so close together like that. Cheers,” she joked.

American-Canadian actor Brendan Fraser took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Charlie in The Whale. 

“Darren Aronofsky for throwing me a creative lifeline,” he said in an emotional speech.

Montreal-born makeup artist Adrien Morot also took home an Oscar for The Whale for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

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© Dan MacMedan-USA TODAY

Last, but certainly not least, Toronto documentary filmmaker Daniel Roher took home an Academy Award for his film Navalny, which won Best Documentary Feature Film.

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© Dan MacMedan-USA TODAY

Stripped-down performances and Queen RiRi on the Oscars stage

Two pop divas graced the Oscars stage Sunday night.

Lady Gaga wowed the crowd with a stripped-down rendition of Top Gun: Maverick anthem “Hold My Hand.”

And Rihanna shined bright singing “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Her partner, A$AP Rocky, was caught cheering her on from the sidelines.

An appearance from cocaine bear

In what was probably the most bizarre part of the night, Cocaine Bear director Elizabeth Banks brought out the coked-up leading star on stage to present the award for Best Visual Effects.

“I recently directed the film Cocaine Bear. Without visual effects, this is what the bear would look like,” she joked.

The bear was later seen terrifying Nobel Peace Prize recipient Malala Yousafzai.

Isabelle DoctoIsabelle Docto

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