It was a big night for
Interscope's
Billie Eilish, who—along with her brother,
Finneas O'Connell (aka
FINNEAS)—won another
Oscar in the Best Original Song category, this time for "What Was I Made For?," from the box office behemoth
Barbie. (The pair previously took the same trophy in 2022 with their theme for the James Bond outing
No Time to Die.)
Oppenheimer creatives also enjoyed a bonanza, taking home seven trophies, including Best Picture, Director and Actor. (Go
here to pore over the complete list of winners.)
Host
Jimmy Kimmel kicked off the 96th
Academy Awards on Sunday (3/10) with a jab at
Madame Web after lamenting the "tough year" Hollywood had as a result of the strike. Following a "promise" from Kimmel to make the ceremony as long as possible, the proceedings began with
Da'vine Joy Randolph's Best Supporting Actress Oscar win for
The Holdovers and her tearful acceptance speech.
While we know you'd love a granular analysis of the documentary and short-subject categories, we've turned our attention instead to the night's key musical moments, including those connected to top contenders like
Barbie,
Oppenheimer and
Poor Things.
First, there was Eilish and FINNEAS' solemn performance of "What Was I Made For?" Backed by FINNEAS on the upright piano and a full orchestra, Eilish sailed through the pensive track and was met thunderous applause and a standing O. (Fans at home responded by sending the song to #1 at
iTunes.)
It was followed by a spirited performance of "Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)" by the
Osage Tribal Singers from Best Picture nominee
Killers of the Flower Moon, which again brought the crowd to its feet. The track made history as the first Native American composition nominated for Best Original Song.
Jon Batiste also took the stage for an emotive rendition of "It Never Went Away" from his
Netflix documentary,
American Symphony, while
Becky G performed "The Fire Inside" from the film
Flamin' Hot.
Ryan Gosling's "kenergetic" performance of "I'm Just Ken," another highlight from
Barbie, evoked a hearty response. Gosling, who (along with his now-infamous abs) starred as Ken in the film, was joined by
Guns N' Roses'
Slash and
Wolfgang Van Halen as he delivered a lively rendition of the
Mark Ronson and
Andrew Wyatt-masterminded tune.
Republic's
Ariana Grande and her
Wicked co-star
Cynthia Erivo presented the Best Original Score trophy to
Ludwig Göransson for
Oppenheimer. The duo then handed the Best Original Song Oscar to Eilish and FINNEAS.
Italian tenor
Andrea Bocelli and son
Matteo Bocelli provided vocals for the In Memoriam segment as the ceremony started to wind down—but not before the award for Best Actor was handed to
Cillian Murphy for
Oppenheimer; Best Actress to
Emma Stone for
Poor Things; Best Director to
Christopher Nolan for
Oppenheimer; and Best Picture to
Oppenheimer. Now if you'll excuse us, we're about out of "kenergy."
