On Sunday, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” appeared to be everything, everywhere, all at once. The film, of course, dominated the 95th Oscars with seven wins — including best picture. Virtually all the stars (except Stephanie Hsu — hey Daniels, can you spare one of your SIX Oscars and share one with her??) received wins, on what was truly a historic night.
And an emotional one. As the opening clips of this week’s Variety Awards Circuit Podcast illustrates, family was on the minds of this year’s winners. Listen to our Mega Roundtable edition, in which Clayton Davis, Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay and myself (that’s me, Michael Schneider) recount the show and dissect the winners — from Jimmy Kimmel’s excellent monologue to how every single category panned out:
Big wins from the likes of Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser and Michelle Yeoh meant many tears were shed — sure, on stage, but also in the audience. (I was alone in my SXSW Austin hotel room, bawling while watching Ke win. Honestly, it was a ridiculously ugly cry, as I ran to get the tissue box from my JW Marriott bathroom.)
Funny I should mention SXSW, as its unlikely march to the big Oscar wins started at SXSW in 2022, when the film first made its way into the public. And from there, the story became a fairy tale.
Meanwhile, how great was that Oscars ceremony? Host Jimmy Kimmel works his ass off, along with his staff, to put together a fine tuned monologue that was forever changing right until moment of air. (Check out my behind-the-scenes chat with exec producer Molly McNearney and Walt Disney TV alternative boss Rob Mills here.) Kimmel now has pretty much an open invitation to return again next year, and I hope he takes it. Put him along side Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg as the Mt. Rushmore of Oscar hosts.
So it’s all over now — except for the part where Clayton and I spend our Variety Oscar office pool money. Yeah, you heard right. Clayton and I tied for the pool. I won it last year. Clayton won it the year before. It’s not rigged, but we’re sure managing to piss off our colleagues.
The Awards Circuit podcast will be taking a few weeks off as we recover from the Oscars and get ready for a wild Emmy season. But for now, still looking for more on this year’s Oscars? Here’s a roundup of our stories from the night:
A24 Scores Oscars Sweep, Even as Its Secretive Founders Shun the Spotlight
Oscars Draw 18.8 Million Viewers, Up 13% From Last Year
Actors on Actors, Awards Circuit Podcast and Variety Cover Stars Win Oscars
Asian Representation Has Historic Night With ‘Everything Everywhere’ Oscar Wins
Oscars 2023 Snubs and Surprises, From ‘Elvis’ Shut Out to Angela Bassett’s Loss
Michelle Yeoh Makes Oscars History as First Asian Lead Actress Winner
Halle Berry Replaces Will Smith as Oscars Presenter for Best Actress Category
‘Naatu Naatu’ From ‘RRR’ Becomes First Tollywood Oscar Winner
Watch Rihanna Stun the Oscars With Rousing First ‘Lift Me Up’ Performance
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ Composer Volker Bertelmann Wins Original Score Oscar
Watch Lady Gaga Strip Down ‘Hold My Hand’ in an Intimate Oscars Performance Dedicated to Tony Scott
Apple Wins First Animated Short Oscar for Heartwarming ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’
Watch ‘Naatu Naatu’ Performance Bring Explosive Tollywood Energy to the Academy Awards
Jamie Lee Curtis Wins Best Supporting Actress Oscar and Thanks Fans Who Supported Her Genre Movies
CNN Wins First Oscar for ‘Navalny’
Sofia Carson Urges Women of the World to ‘Give Yourselves Some Applause’ During Oscars Performance
Why the 2023 Oscars Red Carpet Is Champagne Instead of Red, and Will It Stay Clean?
Best Picture Voting Explained: How the Oscars Count the Votes
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, who also co-hosts with Clayton Davis, is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post weekly.