Oscar Moments: Talk of War and Peace, a Coronation for Nolan, and Ken-demonium for Gosling

There was talk of war – past conflicts, and current ones – and pleas for peace. There was a painful reminder of the recent death of Alexei Navalny. There were protests outside the Dolby Theatre, calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. And there was a bit of election-year politics, too, from host Jimmy Kimmel.

But the Oscars telecast is always a chaotic mix of moods and tones, and so even on a night ruled by somber themes, where the academy crowned a film about the the atomic bomb, there was also a jolt of joyful silliness when Ryan Gosling took the stage (with a slew of fellow Kens) to sing "I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie," causing what could only rightly be called "Ken-demonium." Ken may not have his own house in Barbie Land, but he sure owned this one.

The night, though, belonged not to "Barbie" but to its partner in the cultural and marketing phenomenon known as "Barbenheimer." Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" won seven Oscars and cemented Nolan's place in Hollywood history. The film's haul also included a satisfying win for longtime Nolan collaborator Cillian Murphy, who won best actor, and an emotional win for Robert Downey Jr., his first Oscar in an up-and-down career.

Those wins were expected, but there were still a few surprises. In the closest race, Emma Stone won her second Oscar for her hugely inventive performance in "Poor Things," a victory that denied Lily Gladstone a chance to make history as the first Native American to win an Oscar.

And lest anyone forget this is an election year, Kimmel, back for the fourth time, came onstage late in the show to read out a critical social media post from Donald Trump.

"Thank you for watching," said Kimmel, a zealous critic of the former president. "Isn't it past your jail time?"

A Late Start...

Viewers tuning in at the beginning may have been perplexed to find commercials instead. When he came on, Kimmel noted the show was already running five minutes late. His monologue was perhaps a little snark-heavy – it's OK, maybe, to joke about the length of "Killers of the Flower Moon" (so long you could drive to Oklahoma and solve the case yourself ) but maybe less OK to joke about a Holocaust-themed film being considered "rom-com" material in Germany. Still, he warmed hearts by introducing the beloved dog Messi from "Anatomy of a Fall," and earned a standing ovation when he brought out film crews and truckers, hailing them for refusing to cross the picket line during the recent labor strikes by actors and writers.

But Then A Killer Speech

By 30 minutes in, only one award had been presented, but luckily it was to Da'Vine Joy Randolph. She'd been favored all along to win best supporting actress for"The Holdovers," but she reduced many to tears with a poignant speech about her road to triumph. "For so long I've always wanted to be different," said Randolph. "And now I realize I just need to be myself." She thanked a mentor, saying "when I was the only Black girl in that class, you saw me and you told me I was enough." And she thanked her publicist, saying she knew that was unusual "but you don't have a publicist like I have a publicist!" Randolph added toward the end: "I pray to God that I get to do this more than once." Hear, hear.

Downey Jr. Thanks 'My Terrible Childhood"

Downey Jr.'s supporting actor victory for "Oppenheimer" may also have been expected, but that didn't make his speech any less moving. It was his third nomination in a long Hollywood career marked by highs and lows. "I'd like to thank my terrible childhood," Downey said, pausing – "and the academy, in that order." He acknowledged that he had "needed this job more than it needed me," and thanked not only Nolan but his stylist, his publicist and, finally, his entertainment lawyer of many years, who spent half that time "trying to get me insured" – a reference to a series of arrests for drug-related charges and a year in prison that followed Downey's first Oscar nod 30 years ago.

A Dramatic Call For Peace In Ukraine

Associated Press journalist Mstyslav Chernov, accepting the best documentary Oscar for the searing "20 Days in Mariupol," noted proudly that it was the first Oscar in the history of his country, Ukraine. He said he was honored – but then added: "Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I'd never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this to Russia never attacking Ukraine." The film, a first-person account of the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, was a joint production of the AP and PBS' "Frontline," with awards going to Chernov, producer and editor Michelle Mizner and producer Raney Aronson-Rath. Chernov called on Russia to cease aggression in Ukraine. "We can make sure that the history record is set straight and the truth will prevail, and that the people of Mariupol, and those who have given their lives, will never be forgotten," he said. "Because cinema forms memories and memories form history."