The 97th Academy Awards: history in the making

History was made at the 97th Academy Awards, when “Wicked’s” Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win an Oscar for costume design.

Tazewell is not new to big parties. He garnered a previous nomination for “West Side Story,” and already has an Emmy Award (“The Wiz Live”) and Tony Award (“Hamilton”) under his belt. At the Oscars this time, he triumphed over fellow costume designers: Arianne Phillips (“A Complete Unknown”), Linda Muir (“Nosferatu”), Lisy Christl (“Conclave”), and Janty Yates and David Crossman (“Gladiator II”).

Tazewell has swept the season, scooping up the BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and Costume Designers Guild awards along the way. He was also named one of Variety’s 10 artisans to watch in costume design. I caught up with Paul backstage after his win and asked him how he created such a magical world for the movie “Wicked.” He said, “With the help of a lot of amazing and talented costume artisans of all types and amazing staff and assistants and crew. Because, you know, there’s no way for me to do it alone. Also, my greatest joy is collaborating with other very talented artists. So, I respect what that artistry is, and I shared this with them because I value what their input is.”

First-time host Conan O’Brian had a special moment near the end of the almost four-hour show when he joked about the film “Anora,” saying, “I eguess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.”  The joke drew audible gasps from the audience in attendance at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, as well as a wave of applause. It is, of course, a reference to not only “Anora,” which follows its eponymous sex worker (Best Actress winner Mikey Madison) as she finds herself caught up in a demoralizing fight with her ice-cold Russian in-laws, but also to Donald Trump’s handling of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Zoe Saldaña became the first woman with Dominican Republic roots to win an Oscar. PHOTO: KEVIN PAYRAVI

Zoe Saldaña also made history as the first woman with Dominican Republic roots to win an Oscar. Zoe said her family immigrated to the U.S. in 1961. Saldaña’s history in Hollywood goes back more than 20 years and includes time spent in the Star Trek universe, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in Crossroads with Britney Spears. That experience may be how she weathered the negative publicity and won an Oscar, as did the original song, “El Mal.”

But the movie itself largely vanished from the best picture conversation when its star, Gascón from the best actress race, where she was the first openly transgender performer ever nominated in any acting category, derailed her career. Gascón past derogatory social media posts about Black people, Muslims and LGBTQ made everyone, including Netflix, drop her from their universe! She showed up at the Oscars anyway!

But it ended up being Sean Baker’s night as his Indy film “Anora” scored big, and Baker’s four Oscar wins on the same night tied him with Walt Disney for that distinguished honor. The Oscar Red Carpet was as glamorous as always with a lot of black and champagne tones. Yes, we are still in mourning over the devasting losses due to the raging wildfires in January. And it was not lost on the moment that the Academy honored the firefighters and first responders with their own segment in the show. I was thrilled to thank them in person for literally saving our neighborhood!

Even though it wasn’t the greatest year for Black themed movies, we were still well-represented at the 97th Academy Awards. The late Quincy Jones protegee Michael Bearden was the music director this year, a first for him, and he got to honor his mentor with a big musical number featuring Queen Latifa. Of course, presenters like Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah, Sam Jackson, and Halle Berry were on hand to give the show some color. And not to worry, Academy President Janet Yang told me before the show that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will continue to “lean in” to all DEI programs.