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The 88th Academy Awards hosted by Chris Rock.

The 88th Annual Academy Awards at Loews Hollywood Hotel was nothing short of phenomenal.

Every Oscars is filled with controversies, and this year is not any different. Because of the lack of black nominee for the award, this year’s Oscars has been boycotted by some of the black celebrities, a movement started by Jada Smith. As the ceremony began, Chris Rock, a comedian and this year’s Oscars host, who is black, addresses this issue through his comical remarks. He makes fun of the situation but ends his address with a sentiment. He talks about how the racism that may or may not have taken place at this year’s Oscars is really quite insignificant compared to the racism the black slaves had to fight against decades ago; at the same time, he casually points out that all black people want is equal opportunity, not just for blacks, but for different races, different genders and different sexual orientation.

Chris’ Rock’s opening speech was just that – an introduction to an entertaining and yet thought provoking evening. After a few awards were handed out, Sam Smith, an Oscars nominee and winner performed the theme song for the latest 007 movie. He later dedicated his winning to the LGBT community and concluded that he hoped one day “we can all stand together as equals one day.” Another Oscars nominee, Lady Gaga, gave a perfect performance and spoke out for victims of rape and sexual assaults. She brought real-life victims of rape and sexual assaults on stage when she gave her performance, after Joe Biden, the vice president of the United States, spoke about an initiative that has begun to fight against rape and sexual assaults. The whole ceremony was simply very stimulating.

However, the ceremony was also filled with some odd and awkward moment. The most awkward moment of the ceremony had to be when Chris announced that the Academy listened to the complaints made by some of the black celebrities and had therefore appointed Stacy Dash as the new director of the academy’s minority’s outreach program. Stacy Dash then went on stage and told that audience that she could not wait to help her people. This was the single most awkward and embarrassing moments of the night; fortunately, the night did not end with the awkward note. Chris Rock’s reveal of how much money was raised on the Oscars night after he sold Girl’s Guide cookies to the audience was quite comical and heartwarming.

Of all the incredible and memorable moments, the best moment has to be when Leonardo Dicaprio finally won his first Oscars.Everyone was ecstatic for Dicaprio as they welcomed his win with a standing ovation. It was the first oscar win and sixth nomination for the brilliant actor. In his acceptance speech, not only did he praise his producers and those who made it all possible, but he also addressed the serious issues of climate change and encouraged people to take better care of the environment:

“I just want to say this — making “The Revenant” was about man’s relationship to the natural world, a world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in recorded history … Climate change is real, and it’s happening right now… It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating. We need to support leaders around the world who do not speak for the big polluters or the big corporations, but who speak for all of humanity, for the indigenous people of the world…and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed”

He concludes his accpetance speech by reminding us the importance of our planet:
“Let us not take this planet for granted, I do not take tonight for granted”.

His winning was not only likely the most memorable moment of the night, but also a record breaking Oscars night – his winning became the most twitted moment in Oscars history. Everyone was happy for Dicaprio as they welcomed his win with a standing ovation.

The Oscars is always the red carpet ceremony that receives the most attention because it always celebrates the year’s greatest movie productions. There were many touching moments, laughing moments, awkward moments; but, most importantly, there were moments after moments of celebration of incredible talents. There is simply no other award ceremony like the Oscars!