Movies

The Best and Weirdest Moments from the 2020 Oscars

by Michael Walsh
Feb 10 2020 • 9:00 AM

The 2020 Oscars will go down as Bong Joon Ho’s big night, but we’ll also remember it for another reason: it was really strange. The show was equal parts exciting and confusing. But most importantly, it was consistently entertaining. Here are the best and weirdest moments from a memorable 92nd Academy Awards.

Janelle Monáe Kicks Things Off (Best and Weird)

The amazing Janelle Monáe (featuring Billy Porter and some incredible shoes) opened the show with a big musical number that paid tribute to Mr. Rogers and the best films of the year. It was a perfect sign of things to come. We loved the entire performance, but it was also weird and unexpected. Watching WWI soldiers dancing with a troop of Dolemites sounds like something Mel Brooks dreamed of.

Frozen 2 Goes International (Best)

Idina Menzel performing the Oscar-nominated “Into the Unknown” alone would have been a highlight. But she was joined by other Elsas from around the globe for a unique and memorable rendition that was beautiful. It also showed just how big the franchise is all over the world.

Bonus “Best” to Josh Gad for his John Travolta jab during the song’s introduction about how Idina Menzel’s name sounds exactly like it’s written.


It’s Idina Menzel.

Bong Joon Ho Wins His First Oscar For Original Screenplay (Best)

Amazing! An incredible movie and an incredible filmmaker overcome the odds to take home an Oscar. Hard to top a moment like this even once.

Timothée Chalamet Makes a Fashion “Choice” (Weird)

We have only one question about Timothée Chalamet’s…….we want to say…….track suit……tuxedo?

What the hell?

Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig Audition (Best)

The former SNL and Bridesmaids stars gave a hilarious “audition” that should get them the Oscars hosting gig one of these years.

Eminem Performs… 17 Years Later (Weird)

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Why exactly did Eminem randomly perform “Lose Yourself” at the 2020 Oscars? No one will ever know. But 17 years after winning the Academy Award for Best Song, the rapper finally took the stage to perform the now-legendary 8 Mile track in a surprise performance. (Eminem didn’t attend the 2003 ceremony and was therefore not available to perform the track or receive the award, which was accepted by one of the song’s producers, Luis Resto). He later took to Twitter, tweeting the clip of Resto’s acceptance speech and thanking the Academy for giving him another opportunity.

He sounded great, but that wasn’t the best thing about his strange appearance. That honor goes to the crowd, whose range of reactions fully captured our own confusion and excitement.

The Academy Hits “Shuffle” on Its Hollywood Playlist (Weird)

Eminem’s performance was preceded by Lin-Manuel Miranda introducing a montage featuring famous movie songs. It seemed like a random tribute, but it wasn’t even close to the strangest musical choice of the night. For some reason certain stars kept being played off the stage by music totally unrelated to their careers. Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus left to the Beetlejuice theme. And Renée Zellweger walked off to the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Why? Best not to dwell on it.

Bong Joon Ho and Parasite Win A Second Time (Bestest)

The first South Korean film ever nominated won for Best Foreign Language Film, giving Bong Joon Ho and the movie a second Oscar. Truly unbelievable. This alone made it an historic night.

Cats? Yes, Cats. (Weird)

Cats stars Rebel Wilson and James Corden’s honored their musical in a fitting manner, by doing something that definitely sounded like a better idea on paper.

Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus Have Never Met a Cinematographer (Best)

We don’t think the Downhill co-stars actually know what a cinematographer does. (They make sure everyone wears the same watch from scene to scene, right?)

Best Director, Bong Joon Ho (Most Bestest)

Wow. Wooooow.

A huge bonus “Best” to all of Boon Jong Ho’s speeches, which were all amazing. He was funny, humble, and magnanimous. Him directing a standing ovation for Martin Scorsese during his Best Director speech was truly incredible. We just hope his hangover today isn’t too bad.

Olivia Colman Delights, Again (Best)

Olivia Colman followed up her hilarious acceptance speech from last year by being the funniest presenter of the night. We loved this as much as her husband probably did.

A Big Night for Phoenix and Cow Insemination (Weird)

It wasn’t weird Joaquin Phoenix used his first Oscar acceptance speech to advocate for veganism and animal rights. It was super weird he actually used the phrase “inseminate a cow” during the Academy Awards. You just don’t hear a lot about cow insemination in Hollywood. Or anywhere.

Bonus “Best” though for him paying tribute at the end of his speech to his late brother River.

Parasite? Parasite! (Most Bestest Best)

…..Holy ****.

Parasite really did it. Bong Joon Ho’s film pulled off the upset and won Best Picture. It’s the first foreign language film to ever take home Hollywood’s biggest prize.

Bonus “Best” to Hollywood’s elite for shaming the show’s producers into turning the lights back on so the Parasite team could finish their acceptance speech.

This win also put the director in some very rarified air with the little known… Walt Disney!

Walt Disney and Bong Joon Ho, connected forever. Now that’s weird. It’s also the best.

Featured Image: ABC/Academy Awards