The 2019 Oscars may not have been the most eventful, but we’ll take a smooth-running event over a La La Land-style saga any day.
Sunday night saw Hollywood’s biggest stars descend on the Dolby Theatre for the 91st Academy Awards – which went ahead without a host for the first time since 1989.
Despite much talk of whether the whole thing would end in chaos, the night went smoothly, and the lack of a host playing for laughs meant the focus was on the awards themselves.
Given that it all kicked off at 1am UK time, we don’t blame anyone who decided to get a good night’s sleep instead of watching. But if you’re desperate for a rundown of everything that happened then panic not – we stayed up for you.
Here are all the best moments that went on while you were sleeping...
Regina King getting emotional while thanking her mum
As one of the night’s first winners, the If Beale Street Could Talk winner set the bar high when it came to her short-but-sweet speech for Best Supporting Actress.
The star began by thanking author James Baldwin, “one of the greatest artists of our time”, before turning her attention to director Barry Jenkins: “James Baldwin birthed this baby, Barry you nurtured her and surrounded her with so much love and support.
“It’s appropriate for me to be standing here because I’m an example of what it looks like when support and love is poured into someone.”
And last, but absolutely not least, Regina thanked her mum.
“I love you so much,” she said. “Thank you for teaching me that God always has been leaning in my direction... God is good, all the time.”
While making her way on stage, Regina got a helping hand from Chris Evans too, which is lovely:
Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph showing what could have been if they’d presented the whole show
What a trio. In the absence of a host, Amy, Tina and Maya were charged with presenting the first award of the night, serving up what could be considered the show’s opening monologue, and they were on fine form as always.
Kicking things off, Tina welcomed attendees to “the one millionth Academy Awards”, adding: “We are not your hosts, but we are gonna stand here a little too long so that the people who get USA Today tomorrow will think we hosted.”
Poking fun at the controversy over the decision to present some awards in the ad breaks (a decision which was later reversed), Amy joked: “We won’t be doing awards during the commercials, but we will be presenting commercials during the awards.
“So if all the winners could please say, ‘Hellman’s Mayonnaise – we’re on the side of food,’ instead of your speeches, that would be great.”
And closing their bit with an interpretation of Shallow, Fey shouted: “Look under your seats, you’re all getting one of those cheese sandwiches from the Fyre Festival!”
Black Panther making history early on
With their wins for Best Costume Design and Production Design respectively, Ruth Carter and Hannah Bleacher became the first African-American women to triumph in those categories.
Hannah’s speech in particular was one that will be remembered, as she fought back tears while thanking Black Panther’s director.
“I stand here stronger than I was yesterday,” she said. “I stand here with agency and self-worth because of Ryan Coogler, who not only made me a better designer, a better storyteller, a better person.
“I stand here because of this man who offered me a different perspective of life, who offered me a safe space, who’s patient and gave me air, humanity and brotherhood. Thank you, Ryan, I love you.”
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s electrifying performance
Best Original Song was one of the only predictable categories of the evening, and prior to their win, Gaga and Bradley joined forces on stage for a rousing rendition of Shallow.
Watch it below:
Spike Lee winning his first (!) Oscar was pure joy
It had been been a long time coming, but at around the halfway point of Sunday’s ceremony, Spike (at last!) became an Oscar winner.
His win was announced by Samuel L. Jackson, who was clearly delighted to be delivering the news and from there, things only got better.
There was also this glorious moment once the cameras stopped rolling:
Everything Olivia Colman
There were actual gasps from the HuffPost UK team when Olivia was announced as winner, and the former Broadchurch actress was clearly just as stunned as us when her name was called, sinking into her chair and becoming understandably emotional.
Once on stage, Olivia continued to be the star we know and love; humble, funny and absolutely living for how amazing the win was.
Numerous guest presenters and winners spoke in Spanish
The Oscars still has a long way to go when it comes to diversity but things are getting better.
One small but noticeable difference this year was the increase in the stars using their time on stage to speak Spanish.
Javier Bardem was one who did so, slamming President Trump’s border wall plans with pre-prepared lines that were subtitled on screen.
“There are no borders or walls that can restrain ingenuity and talent,” he said. “In any region of any country of any continent, there are always great stories that can move us.
“And tonight, we celebrate the excellence and importance of the cultures and languages of different countries.”
Rami Malek’s speech
Like Regina, Rami also started by thanking his mum, stating: “Oh my God, my mother is in here somewhere, I love you lady. My family, thank you for all of this.”
Things then got emotional as he mentioned his dad, who died in 2006.
“My dad didn’t get to see me do any of this,” he said. “I think he’s looking down on me right now, so this is a monumental moment I’m so appreciative to all of you.
“To everyone who has had a hand in getting me here, to the Academy, to the people who took a chance on me every step of the way.”
“I may not have been the obvious choice but I guess it worked out,” he joked, referencing the many Freddie Mercurys the film went through before Rami was cast.
He ended by thanking his girlfriend and co-star Lucy Boynton saying: “Lucy you are the heart of this film. You are beyond immensely talented, you have captured my heart, thank you so much”.
Green Book’s surprise big win
The Best Film category was incredibly hard to predict and (for the first time in years) it seemed like it could be anyone’s for the taking.
Nevertheless, we were surprised to see Green Book win, beating competition from heavy-hitters including Black Panther, Roma and fan-favourite Bohemian Rhapsody.
The award was Green Book’s third of the night, following Mahershala Ali’s Best Supporting Actor triumph and the writers’ win in the Best Original Screenplay category.
Green Book tells the true story of celebrated jazz pianist Don Shirley, who toured through the Deep South of the US in the 1960s, a time when racial segregation and hatred made doing so especially dangerous.
However, the film has not been well-received by everyone and Shirley’s family have expressed their disappointment in numerous aspects of the movie. Here’s why they’ve called for it to face further scrutiny.