Nitrous oxide canisters found next to My Chemical Romance drummer Bob Bryar’s body: report

Three large canisters of nitrous oxide were found next to the body of former My Chemical Romance drummer Bob Bryar in November, and he had been gnawed on by his dogs, a Tennessee coroner said.

The canisters were outfitted with tubing that made them ready for use, but the medical examiner did not say whether they had been used or played a role in his death. Bryar’s body was not only badly decomposed but also showed signs of “animal scavenging activity,” according to a coroner’s report obtained by TMZ. Antidepressants were also on hand, TMZ reported.

Two dogs were removed from Bryar’s house after the 44-year-old rocker-turned-realtor’s body was discovered in his Tennessee home the day before Thanksgiving.

Even given all that, Bryar’s cause of death remained uncertain, the medical examiner said. Though he mentioned the possibility of an intentional or accidental overdose, the decomposition made a determination impossible, TMZ said, citing the report.

Bryar had last been seen alive on Nov. 4, and his body was discovered on Nov. 26. Authorities did not suspect foul play at the time, since his valuables, music equipment and other possessions, including some weapons, were untouched, according to Deadline and Variety.

The musician and sound engineer drummed with My Chemical Romance from 2004 to 2010, his artistry evident on 2006’s “The Black Parade and “Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys,” released in 2010.

The band dissolved in 2013, but not before dropping a compilation album, “Conventional Weapons,” of 10 previously unreleased songs that Bryar also played in as the band’s longest-tenured drummer. After leaving My Chemical Romance, Bryar worked on tour behind the scenes with several other bands before retiring for good in 2021.

Dolly Parton’s husband of nearly 60 years dies

Dolly Parton’s husband – who she married in a secret ceremony aged just 20 – has died.

The country music star’s website said Carl Dean died on Monday in Nashville.

Parton said in a statement: “Carl and I spent many wonderful years together. Words can’t do justice to the love we shared for over 60 years. Thank you for your prayers and sympathy.”

Dean was the inspiration behind Jolene, one of her biggest hits.

She said she wrote the song after a flirty bank clerk seemed to take an interest in him.

“She got this terrible crush on my husband,” Parton told NPR in 2008.

“And he just loved going to the bank because she paid him so much attention.

“It was kinda like a running joke between us… So it’s really an innocent song all around, but sounds like a dreadful one.”

The pair met outside the Wishy Washy launderette, where Parton was doing her washing, the day she moved to Nashville at age 18.

“I was surprised and delighted that while he talked to me, he looked at my face (a rare thing for me),” Parton said in 2016.

“He seemed to be genuinely interested in finding out who I was and what I was about.”

Read more from Sky News:

The Oscars moments everyone’s talking about

Morgan Freeman makes emotional tribute to Hackman

Parton said her record company had asked her to wait to get married but the couple tied the knot two years later, in May 1966.

Only her mother, the preacher and his wife were in attendance at the ceremony – held out of state so local papers wouldn’t report it.

Dean owned a paving business and famously shunned the limelight, so was very rarely seen in public with the star.

“A lot of people say there’s no Carl Dean, that he’s just somebody I made up to keep other people off me,” Parton joked in a 1984 interview with AP.

The couple never had any children, but he is survived by his brother and sister.

Where to Watch All the 2025 Oscar Winners

Meara covers streaming service news for CNET. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in journalism. When she’s not writing, she likes to dote over her cat, sip black coffee and try out new horror movies.

The 2025 Oscars ceremony is complete, and you can watch many of the winners without abandoning your cozy spot on the couch.

Anora snagged the most Academy Awards, taking home five, including best picture. Sean Baker directs and Mikey Madison stars in the romantic comedy-drama, which you can rent for $6 at Amazon or Fandango at Home. It’ll start streaming on Hulu on March 17.

The Brutalist, Wicked, Dune: Part Two and Emilia Pérez all snagged multiple 2025 Academy Award wins. Below, you can find where to watch those films and more award recipients from the Oscars. If you missed the ceremony, it’s streaming on-demand on Hulu.

Note: These descriptions have been pulled straight from official websites for the films and from press websites and occasionally edited for style.

Where to watch the Oscar winner Anora at home

Though many expected Demi Moore to win best actress for her performance in sci-fi horror The Substance, Anora’s lead, Mikey Madison, secured the nod. Baker won best director, while the romantic comedy thriller also swept best original screenplay and best editing. Winning all four awards he was up for, Baker is now tied with Walt Disney’s record for the most Oscar wins by a single person in a single night.

Anora’s win announced the curtain call on a largely unpredictable award season. A week on from winning best actor at the SAGs for his role as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, Timothée Chalamet was pipped at the post by Adrien Brody forThe Brutalist at the Oscars. Meanwhile, Anora beat front runners including the papal thriller Conclave (best picture at the BAFTAs) and the historical epic The Brutalist, which won big at the Golden Globes, to secure best picture.

Other wins were more predictable, with Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldana winning best supporting actor and best supporting actress for their respective roles in A Real Pain and Emilia Pérez.

After accepting the award for best picture, Baker ended his speech with: “Long live independent film!” The screwball film was made on a budget of $6 million (fellow nominees Wicked and Dune: Part Two had budgets that exceeded more than $150 million) and was critically acclaimed across the board. Anora follows an exotic dancer who marries a Russian oligarch’s son, and both Madison and Baker thanked sex workers who consulted on the film, saying they could never have made it without them.

“I will continue to support and be an ally. All of the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community has been one of the highlights of this entire incredible experience,” Madison said in her speech.

Here’s where to watch the Oscar winner Anora at home, plus everything you need to know about the movie.

Anora landed in UK cinemas in November last year, which means it’s available for streaming at home now. You can rent the Oscar winner for £4.99 (rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started) or buy the movie for £11.99 on Prime Video.

A subversion of Hollywood romantic comedies (think of it as an anti-Pretty Woman), Sean Baker’s film follows a young sex worker from Brooklyn called Anora, or Ani for short. English speaking but also fluent in Russian, she dances at a strip club while moonlighting as a sex worker. Smart and tough, Ani meets the spoilt but sweet son of a Russian oligarch in the club, accepting an offer to be his girlfriend for the week.

What follows is a whirlwind but ultimately doomed romance, as the two impulsively marry in a Las Vegas wedding. Once news reaches Russia of their nuptials, her Cinderella fairytale is threatened. Part thriller, romance and comedy caper, it’s three movies in one and Madison steals the show as the flawed, gritty heroine.

Hollywood’s A-Listers Stage Dramatic Eyebrow Rebellion at 2025 Oscars

Hollywood’s annual parade of glamour and excess — the Academy Awards — just offered us a fascinating glimpse into an industry caught between rebellion and tradition, where even eyebrows have become a battleground for artistic expression.

The 2025 Oscars red carpet transformed into an unexpected referendum on beauty standards, with A-listers seemingly staging a coup against conventional aesthetics. The most striking trend? The strategic absence of eyebrows — yes, you read that correctly. From Cynthia Erivo’s boldly bare forehead to Miley Cyrus’s freshly bleached brows, celebrities wielded their faces as canvases for artistic rebellion.

This eyebrow revolution — or should we say evolution? — speaks to a broader identity crisis plaguing Hollywood. Much like the entertainment industry’s struggle between safe commercial bets and audacious artistic swings, these beauty choices reflect a growing appetite for disruption.

Speaking of disruption, let’s talk about Jeff Goldblum — that magnificent chaos agent who can’t help but steal the show even while sitting in the audience. Spotted checking his own red carpet photos during the ceremony, Goldblum embodied the delightful self-awareness that’s becoming increasingly rare in an industry that often takes itself too seriously. Decked out in Prada with a purple orchid boutonniere — because of course he was — Goldblum offered a masterclass in balancing sophistication with playfulness.

“I don’t want to be a tattletale or a spoiler,” Goldblum teased about his upcoming role in “Wicked,” a production that perfectly exemplifies Hollywood’s attempt to bridge commercial appeal with artistic merit. The film, which garnered an impressive 11 nominations and two wins, suggests that perhaps the industry hasn’t completely lost its way.

Yet for every “Wicked” success story, there’s a “Madame Web” lurking in the shadows — a reminder of what happens when creativity takes a backseat to commercial calculation. This duality mirrors the beauty choices we witnessed on the red carpet: for every conventional glamour look, there was an Ariana Grande sporting deliberately bleached brows while draped in a Schiaparelli masterpiece adorned with “more than 190,000 crystal sequins, rhinestones and cut beads.”

The industry’s selective courage — evident in both its storytelling choices and aesthetic expressions — raises interesting questions about authenticity in an age of algorithms and instant feedback. As Jennifer Aniston recently mused to PEOPLE, we should “try to think about… what is possible, as opposed to the doom that the world tends to appear like these days.”

Perhaps that’s the key takeaway from this year’s ceremony — the growing recognition that possibility often lies in the unexpected, whether it’s in a bleached eyebrow or an architectural epic like “The Brutalist.” In an era where playing it safe increasingly seems like the riskiest bet of all, Hollywood’s bold beauty choices might just be the canary in the coal mine, signaling a broader creative renaissance.

After all, in an industry that’s supposedly experiencing an identity crisis, there’s something refreshingly honest about celebrities literally erasing part of their faces. It’s as if they’re saying: sometimes you need to deconstruct before you can rebuild — and isn’t that what great art is all about?

Vancouver producer Samantha Quan wins best picture Oscar for ‘Anora’

Vancouver-born producer Samantha Quan celebrated the “incredible, impossible” journey of “Anora” while accepting the best picture Oscar on a night when the film reigned supreme.

The sex worker dramedy by U.S. director Sean Baker beat out nine other films including the papal thriller “Conclave” and box-office smash “Wicked.”

“We made this film with very little money but all of our hearts,” Quan said in her speech at Sunday night’s ceremony in Los Angeles.

“To all of the dreamers and the young filmmakers out there: tell the stories you want to tell. Tell the stories that move you. I promise you, you will never regret it.”

Quan and Baker won best picture alongside Alex Coco.

“Anora,” which had a $6-million budget, led all films with five wins, including for best original screenplay, directing, editing and star Mikey Madison’s lead actress upset over Demi Moore.

The film stars Madison as Brooklyn stripper Anora who finds her life upended when she crosses paths with Mark Eydelshteyn’s Vanya, the reckless son of a Russian billionaire, and marries him in a whirlwind romance.

Quan recently told The Canadian Press that she and Baker have collected “so many beautiful and heartbreaking” stories from sex workers over the years, and that one of their goals was to “destigmatize” that community.

“I don’t know how this can be real life. This is really an incredible, impossible journey for the past 10 months,” Quan said before thanking her family.

While several Canadians nominated in creative and technical categories went away empty-handed, two Vancouver visual effects producers won for bringing to screen the surreal worlds of “Dune: Part Two.”

Stephen James and Rhys Salcombe accepted the best visual effects award for their work on the film, alongside England’s Paul Lambert and Germany’s Gerd Nefzer.

James and Salcombe work for Vancouver-based DNEG and were visual effects supervisors on the film.

“Dune: Part Two” sees Quebec director Denis Villeneuve continue his adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed science fiction novel.

The sequel, which features mind-bending visuals of giant sandworms and otherworldly desert landscapes, follows Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides as he seeks revenge against those who destroyed his family.

It was nominated for five awards including best picture. It also won for best sound.

Host Conan O’Brien joked during his opening monologue that Villeneuve banned the use of smartphones on set “because his actors kept Googling, ‘What is this movie about?’”

O’Brien then summoned a massive “Dune” sandworm to play “chopsticks” on a grand piano, while a pirouetting Deadpool twirled across the stage.

In the best documentary category, Canadians Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie were in the running for their film “Sugarcane,” which investigates abuses at a B.C. residential school. But they lost to “No Other Land,” an Israeli-Palestinian collaboration that follows Palestinian activists fighting to protect their West Bank communities from demolition by the Israeli military.

While Academy voters spread the love this year, handing out acting awards to “The Brutalist” lead Adrien Brody, Emilia Pérez”‘s supporting actress Zoe Saldana and “A Real Pain” supporting actor Kieran Culkin, “Anora” was the big winner of the night.

Baker, who wrote, produced, directed and edited the film, swept all four categories — a tie with Walt Disney for the most individual wins in a single year in Academy Awards history.

The unlikely Oscars front-runner is being heralded by observers as a big win for indie filmmakers, a year after the $100-million studio epic “Oppenheimer” dominated the show with seven awards.

Quan recently told The Canadian Press that the emergence of “Anora” in the Oscars race felt “wonderful and discombobulating,” especially given its modest budget.

Baker and Quan, who are married, have been collaborating on films since 2017’s “The Florida Project.”

“It can get a little overwhelming because what’s happening now is even bigger than the dreams I ever imagined,” she said in an interview last week.

Quan added that she and Baker hoped “Anora” would bring more visibility to the sex work community. They consulted with several people from the industry to make sure the film represented them accurately.

“Sex work is work,” she said.

“There’s so much stigma and judgment over it, and the question is why? The most important thing should be how to keep people (in that community) safe.”

Rock’s Bittersweet Symphony: McCartney’s Hall of Fame Push Amid Tragic Loss

In a poignant intersection of rock and roll’s past and present, Paul McCartney’s heartfelt campaign to induct Joe Cocker into the Rock Hall of Fame arrives amid somber revelations about former My Chemical Romance drummer Bob Bryar’s passing — two stories that underscore the complex legacy of music’s brightest stars.

McCartney, ever the passionate advocate for musical recognition, penned a touching letter to the Rock Hall of Fame, championing the late Joe Cocker’s induction. “He was a great man and a fine singer,” wrote McCartney, his words carrying the weight of decades of shared musical history. The former Beatle’s advocacy isn’t merely professional courtesy — it’s a testament to Cocker’s transformative interpretation of “With A Little Help From My Friends,” which reimagined the Beatles classic into something entirely his own.

The timing of McCartney’s letter — dated February 25 — feels particularly meaningful as the music world grapples with the recent details surrounding Bob Bryar’s tragic passing. The 44-year-old drummer, whose body was discovered last November, left behind a legacy that speaks to both the heights of musical success and the challenges that often follow.

Bryar’s story — now partially illuminated by a medical examiner’s report — reveals the complicated aftermath of a life in music. His body was found alongside nitrous oxide canisters, though the exact role these played in his death remains unclear due to the advanced state of decomposition. The Bedford County Medical Examiner’s report stands as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities even our most talented artists face.

The contrast between these narratives — McCartney’s celebration of Cocker’s artistry and the sobering details of Bryar’s passing — highlights the different paths musical careers can take. Cocker, who passed away in 2014 at 70, has been eligible for Hall of Fame induction since 1994. His potential induction would place him among first-time nominees including Outkast, Phish, and notably, Mariah Carey.

“While he may not have ever lobbied to be in the Hall of Fame,” McCartney noted of Cocker, “I know he would be extremely happy and grateful to find himself where he deserves to be amongst such illustrious company.” These words resonate differently in light of Bryar’s story — a reminder that recognition and legacy in music take many forms.

Bryar’s tenure with My Chemical Romance — from 2004 to 2010 — helped shape the band’s iconic sound, particularly on their landmark album “The Black Parade.” His departure, described by the band as “painful,” marked a significant shift in his life trajectory, leading him away from music and toward real estate and animal rescue advocacy.

The parallel timing of these stories — McCartney’s push for recognition of past greatness and the revelations about Bryar’s passing — creates a compelling narrative about how we remember and honor musicians. While the Rock Hall of Fame ceremony plans its Los Angeles celebration this fall, the music community continues to process the loss of one of its own, demonstrating that every artist’s journey, whether ending in accolades or tragedy, contributes to the rich tapestry of rock and roll history.

Zoe Saldaña Says the Heart of ‘Emilia Pérez’ Is ‘not Mexico’ After Oscars Win

Following her Best Supporting Actress win at the Oscars on Sunday night, Zoe Saldaña responded to a Mexican reporter saying Emilia Pérez has been “really hurtful for us Mexicans.”

Speaking to journalists in the Oscars press room, Saldaña defended the controversial film, acknowledging, “That was never our intention. We spoke, we came from a place of love, and I will stand by that. I don’t share your opinion.”

She continued, “For me, the heart of this movie is not Mexico. We weren’t making a film about a country. We were making a film [about] women, and these women could have been Russian, could have been Dominican, could have been Black from Detroit, could have been from Israel, could have been from Gaza, and these women are still very universal women that are struggling every day. Like trying to survive systemic oppression. And trying to find the most authentic voices, so I will stand by that.”

Saldaña added that she is “also always open to sit down with all of my Mexican brothers and sisters and with love and respect, having a great conversation on how Emilia could have been done better.” “I have no problem with that,” she noted. “I welcome it.”

Emilia Pérez won two awards during the Oscars ceremony: Saldaña for Best Supporting Actress and Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard for Best Original Song for “El Mal.” None of the winners mentioned Mexico or trans people in their acceptance speeches. Audiard, the film’s director, was offered an opportunity to speak out about the trans community being under attack backstage, but declined.

In the press room, Rolling Stone asked Audiard, “We’re in an an era of anti-trans political attacks and there was no mention tonight of the trans community. Would you like to say anything at this point?”

“Since I didn’t win Best Film or Best Director, I didn’t have the opportunity to speak,” Audiard responded, via a translator. “But had I had that opportunity, I would have spoken up.”

Audiard, a French filmmaker, wrote and directed Emilia Pérez, which earned 13 nominations for the Academy Awards. Audiard shot the film primarily on a soundstage in France rather that go to Mexico to create the Mexican-set story. The movie has been hit with controversy in the months since its release by Netflix, including criticism of its portrayal of Mexico, star Selena Gomez’s Mexican accent, and Best Actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón’s hateful social media posts.

Oscars host Conan O’Brien took aim at Gascón during his monologue. “Little fact for you: Anora uses the f-word 479 times,” he joked. “That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist. ‘She tweeted what!?’”

Despite the furor over her resurfaced social media posts, Gascón — who is the first out transgender woman to be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars — did attend the ceremony on Sunday. She did not walk the red carpet or respond to any questions from press.

The best and worst moments from the 2025 Oscars

But aside from the winners and losers, which moments stood out at the 97th Academy Awards? What were some of the highlights and lowlights?

From Conan O’Brien’s hilarious hosting to livestream technical issues, we’ve rounded up the best and worst Oscars 2025 moments below.

A surprise song, a Substance-skit, and back-and-forths with both Adam Sandler and Nick Offerman were just some of the elements that made Conan O’Brien’s hosting so much fun to watch. You can catch up on his full opening monologue, which included jabs at AI and Netflix and plenty of O’Brien’s trademark self-deprecation.

Wicked stars and Oscar nominees Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo kicked off the Oscars in monumental fashion, with an homage to The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked, ending with a duet of “Defying Gravity,” ending with Erivo’s major moment.

“If your acceptance speech goes too long, instead of playing you off with music, we have something much more powerful,” O’Brien said during his monologue. “We’ll cut to John Lithgow in the audience looking not angry, but slightly disappointed.”

Conclave star Lithgow’s resulting expression was frankly award-worthy in and of itself.

The Oscars is a long ceremony, so what better way to inject a bit of life into the audience than with an impromptu dance party? This is exactly what Sing Sing star and Best Actor nominee Colman Domingo did during an ad break, taking to the stage and getting the room up and dancing while swigging Champagne.

When No Other Land took home Best Documentary, the film’s directors Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham (a Palestinian and Israeli journalist, respectively) made one of the best and most political acceptance speeches of the night.

“About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter that she will not have to live the same life I am living now, always fearing settlers, violence, home demolitions and forcible displacements that my community Masafer Yatta is living and tasting every day under Israeli occupation,” said Adra.

“We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together we are stronger,” said Abraham. “When I look at Basel, I see my brother, but we are unequal.”

They may have been at each other’s throats in Succession, but onscreen brothers Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong had a lot of love for each other at the Oscars. The stars of A Real Pain and The Apprentice shared a sweet moment on the red carpet, and then Culkin shouted out his former co-star and fellow Oscar nominee after he picked up the award for Best Supporting Actor.

There were some big names in this year’s In Memoriam segment, including Dame Maggie Smith, David Lynch, James Earl Jones, and Gene Hackman. But as many people pointed out online, there were also some strange omissions, such as Candyman actor Tony Todd and Gossip Girl star Michelle Trachtenberg.

Technical issues are the bane of any live event, and Sunday night’s awards proved a nightmare for anyone watching the Hulu livestream — which cut off before Best Actress and Best Picture had been announced. People were John Lithgow levels of disappointed, although the mishap did serve to underline Sean Baker’s Best Director speech about the importance of the big screen.

It’s fairly easy for an awards show speech to be remembered for the wrong reasons, and attempting to lead a non-committal audience in a sing-a-long is one surefire way to do it. Unfortunately that was the slightly uncomfortable outcome when Emilia Pérez’s “El Mal” songwriters Clement Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard took to the stage to pick up the award for Best Song. Ouch.

Talking of acceptance speeches, The Brutalist star Adrien Brody took a solid six minutes — filled with pauses aplenty and one attempted music play-off — when collecting his Best Actor award, and social media was having none of it.

Where’s John Lithgow when you need him?

The best moments from the 2025 Oscars

Sean Baker became the first individual to win four awards for a single movie, as the director, co-writer, editor, and co-producer of “Anora.”

Zoe Saldaña became the first Dominican-American to win an Oscar, ensuring that early awards season frontrunner “Emilia Perez” wasn’t completely shut out in the major categories.

And Brookline native Conan O’Brien became the first 6’4 Irish-American with five siblings to host the Oscars — and did an excellent job, to boot.

Despite pushing the start time of the 2025 Oscars up an hour to 7 p.m., the show ended up running even longer than the 218-minute Best Picture nominee “The Brutalist.”

For those of you who went to bed at a reasonable hour, here are the best moments from the 2025 Oscars.

The 2025 Oscars opened with a musical number that doubled as a century-spanning tribute to “The Wizard of Oz” and an uplifting message for the city of Los Angeles following this year’s devastating wildfires.

“Wicked” co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo took us through a medley of Oz-ian tunes, starting with Grande singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as images showed of movies set in Los Angeles.

Then came Erivo singing “Home,” the song from 1974’s Oz-set musical “The Wiz.” Then came “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked,” with Erivo standing in front of the twinkling Los Angeles skyline.

Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue at the 2025 Oscars felt like a classic episode of his late-night show, full of self-deprecation, bizarre gags, and a touch of showmanship.

After emerging from the back of Demi Moore’s unconscious body in “The Substance,” O’Brien ran through a series of one-liners that skewered the nominated movies and stars, especially those who were the subjects of this year’s Oscars controversies.

Among the Broookline native’s best zingers:

— “‘A Complete Unknown.’ ‘A Real Pain.’ ‘Nosferatu.’ These are just some of the names I was called on the red carpet.”

— “What a year for the movie industry. Netflix leads all studios with an impressive 18 — count ’em, 18! — price increases.”

— “We’re halfway through the show, which means it’s time for Kendrick Lamar to come out and call Drake a pedophile.”

Read more: The best jokes from O’Brien’s monologue.

In the first award of the night at the 2025 Oscars, Kieran Culkin puts the censors to work. Taking the stage to accept the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, Culkin turned to fellow nominee (and “Succession” co-star) Jeremy Strong, and immediately committed two errors.

The first was dropping an F-bomb, which led to a five-second chunk of silence on the Oscars telecast. The second was singling out only Strong, nominated for his performance as Roy Cohn in “The Apprentice,” among his fellow nominees.

For the record, here’s what Culkin said during his censored speech, according to journalists in the room at the Dolby Theatre.

“He’s right, by the way. Jeremy, you’re amazing in ‘The Apprentice.’ I love your work. It’s f****** great. I’m not supposed to single anyone out. It’s favoritism. Anyway, but you were great.”

There weren’t any performances of the Best Original Song nominees at the 97th Academy Awards. But there were still a number of performances, including a medley dedicated to the music of James Bond.

Following a dance number centered around “The Substance” actress Margaret Qualley, Lisa (of the K-Pop group BLACKPINK), Doja Cat, and Raye took turns singing “Live and Let Die,” “Diamonds Are Forever,” and “Skyfall,” respectively.

Interestingly, none of the singers who have actually performed Bond songs, including pop stars like Adele and Billie Eilish, participated in the tribute.

Zoe Saldaña avoided the elephant in the room when she took the stage to accept the Best Supporting Actress award for “Emilia Perez.”

After spending weeks on the press circuit tactfully answering questions about co-star Karla Sofia Gascon and her problematic social media posts, Saldaña focused on what the win meant for her family.

“My grandmother came to this country in 1961. I am a proud child of immigrant parents, with dreams and dignity and hardworking hands,” Saldaña said. “And I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last.”

In one of the funnier awards presentations of the night, Ben Stiller stressed the importance of recognizing excellence in production design by demonstrating what happens when it’s subpar.

“Production designers bring the visual of the screenplay to life,” Stiller said, partly obscured due to a failing riser. “It is a field where the slightest miscalculation could lose the trust of the audience and humiliate the performers onscreen.”

Despite being unable to secure a U.S. distributor, “No Other Land” was seen by enough Oscar voters to win Best Documentary Feature. Produced by a team of Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers, the documentary shows the brutality of life in the West Bank, told from the perspective of its Palestinian inhabitants.

“We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people,” said Basel Adra, one of the four directors of “No Other Land.” “About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter [is] that she will not have to live the same life I’m living now.”

Fellow filmmaker and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham criticized U.S. foreign policy for “helping block” a path to peace, but expressed hope that unity was possible.

“We made this film, Palestinians and Israelis, because together, our voices are stronger,” Abraham said. “We see each other, the destruction of Gaza and its people, which must end, the Israeli hostages, brutally taken in the crime of Oct. 7, which must be freed.”

Morgan Freeman introduced the 2025 Oscars in memoriam segment with a tribute to Gene Hackman, who was found dead last week at the age of 95.

“Like everybody who has ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer whose gifts elevated everyone’s work,” Freeman said. “He received two Oscars, but, more importantly, he won the hearts of film lovers all over the world.”

“Gene always said: ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work,” Freeman continued. “So I think I speak for us all when I say: Gene, you’ll be remembered for that — and for so much more.”

Continuing the theme of “Wizard of Oz” tributes started in the opening number, Queen Latifah performed “Ease on Down the Road” from “The Wiz” in honor of Quincy Jones, who served as music supervisor for the 1974 musical.

The performance was preceded by a speech from Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, who worked with Jones on the film “The Color Purple.”

“When we talk about Black excellence, we’re talking about Quincy,” Goldberg said. “In 1967, Quincy Jones was the first Black composer nominated in the Original Song category for ‘The Eyes of Love’ in the film ‘Banning.’ 1967 was the first time, just keep that in mind.”

More than two decades after accepting his first Best Actor Oscar for “The Pianist,” Adrien Brody took his sweet time accepting his second statuette.

It had been years since Brody was considered worthy of a leading man role before director Brady Corbet cast him as architect Lazlo Toth in “The Brutalist,” a fact Brody was keenly aware of.

“No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away,” Brody said. “And I think that makes this night so special is the awareness of that.”

Brody gave the longest speech of the night, and was the only award winner for the entire evening who put his foot down when the orchestra signaled it was time to wrap up his speech.

“I’m wrapping up, please, please, please. I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up. Please. Turn the music off,” Brody said. “I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will — I will be brief. I will not be egregious. I promise.”

“Anora” director Sean Baker made history at the 2025 Oscars, becoming the first individual to win four awards in a single night thanks to his quadruple role as the film’s director, co-writer, editor, and co-producer.

Baker was done thanking people by his third speech of the night, so he pulled out a piece of paper and read a prepared speech regarding the importance of movie theaters.

“We are all here tonight because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with movies? At the movie theater,” Baker said. “In a time in which our world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever. It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home.”

After reading some distressing stats about the number of movie theaters that have permanently closed in recent history, Baker made a plea to everyone watching to keep cinemas alive.

“Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen, I know I will,” Baker said. “Distributors, please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films. Parents, introduce your children to feature films in movie theaters and you will be molding the next generation of movie lovers and filmmakers. And for all of us, when we can, please watch movies in a theater, and let’s keep the great tradition of the moviegoing experience alive and well.”