Highlights from the 2025 Oscars: tributes to LA’s firefighters, a 007 medley, and more

There were a lot of smiling faces at the Oscars but one had to stand out—Sean Baker saw his film Anora go home with the top film prize and he took four for himself. Its star Mikey Madison was crowned best actress.

Twenty-two years after winning best actor for The Pianist, Adrien Brody won the same Oscar again for his performance as another Holocaust survivor in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist. He somehow kept the playoff music at bay.

On Sunday, firefighters who battled recent wildfires got applauded, Mick Jagger handed out the best original song Oscar, and John Lithgow was tasked with looking “slightly disappointed” when speeches ran long. One highlight was Timothée Chalamet—literally. His yellow suit got more than one comment.

Here were some other telecast highlights:

‘Proud child of immigrant parents’

Zoe Saldaña was the favorite but that didn’t diminish her emotional win.

After accepting the Oscar for best supporting actress for her work in Emilia Pérez, Saldaña spoke emotionally about her family and her grandmother, tearing up during her speech.

“My grandmother came to this country in 1961—I am a proud child of immigrant parents,” she said. “With dreams and dignity and hard-working hands, and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award, and I know I will not be the last. I hope. The fact that I’m getting an award for a role where I got to sing and speak in Spanish—my grandmother, if she were here, she would be so delighted, this is for my grandmother.”

The accolade comes after Saldaña swept awards season, taking home the Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, BAFTA, and SAG awards for playing lawyer Rita Mora Castro.

A ‘Wicked’ opening

Host Conan O’Brien took a back seat at the Oscars’ opening number, ceding the floor to a Wizard of Oz–themed, eight-minute musical medley led by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

Grande, in a red sparkly dress, performed a rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. Then Erivo, in a white gown with floral embellishments, took the stage to sing a staggering rendition of “Home” from The Wiz. They joined up for Wicked‘s “Defying Gravity,” with Grande kissing Erivo’s ring.

Wildfire-battered Los Angeles, on this night, stood in for Oz, with the graphic “We Love LA” showing after the pair were finished. The show began with a medley of film moments that used Los Angeles as a backdrop, including La La Land, Straight Outta Compton, Iron Man 2, and Mulholland Drive.

Then it was O’Brien’s turn, comically pulling himself—and a missing shoe—from within the body of Demi Moore, in a take on her film The Substance.

A very—maybe too—public family discussion

While accepting an Emmy Award in January 2024, Kieran Culkin used his time onstage to plead with his wife for more kids. They have two, Kinsey Sioux and Wilder Wolf. “You said maybe if I win,” he said, cheekily.

On Sunday, he upped the demand.

Culkin from the Oscar stage repeated the story and then said that he and Jazz Charton made a deal in the parking lot at the Emmys: If he won an Oscar, she’d not only give him a third, they could plan for a fourth. They even shook on it.

“I just have to say this to you, Jazz, love of my life, ye of little faith,” he said as the crowd roared. “No pressure, I love you. I’m really sorry I did this again. Now let’s get cracking on those kids, what do you say?”

The moment got an echo later in the night when I’m Not A Robot director Victoria Warmerdam said she wasn’t following Culkin’s lead.

“To my producer and partner in life, Trent: I’m not having your babies because of this statue,” she said after winning best live action short.

007, celebrated by women

There was no James Bond movie nominated in 2024 but there was a big James Bond section at the Oscars that ate up a lot of telecast time.

To honor transfer of the franchise to Amazon, three singers—Lisa, Doja Cat, and Raye—each sang a different 007 title song. Lisa sang “Live and Let Die,” Doja Cat tackled “Diamonds Are Forever,” and Raye did “Skyfall.”

Amazon MGM announced Thursday that the studio has taken the creative reins of the 007 franchise after decades of family control. Longtime Bond custodians Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they would be stepping back. On Sunday, Halle Berry thanked them for being the “heart and soul” of Bond.

The tribute began with The Substance nominee Margaret Qualley in a red gown taking to the stage to dance acrobatically with a team of male dancers to the James Bond theme.

Gene Hackman honored

Morgan Freeman made an understated tribute to a friend: Gene Hackman.

Freeman, who starred with Hackman in two movies, kicked off the in memoriam section with a somber note about Hackman, who was found dead last week alongside his wife.

“This week, our community lost a giant. And I lost a dear friend, Gene Hackman,” Freeman began in his speech. “I had the pleasure of working alongside Gene on two films, Unforgiven and Under Suspicion. Like everyone who ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man whose gifts elevated everyone’s work.”

“Gene always said, ‘I don’t think about legacy. I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work,'” Freeman continued. “I think I speak for us all when I say, ‘Gene, you will be remembered for that, and so much more.’ Rest in peace, my friend.”

The in memoriam section would honor such luminaries as Teri Garr, Donald Sutherland, Louis Gossett Jr, Shelley Duvall, David Lynch, Bob Newhart, Gena Rowlands, Maggie Smith, and James Earl Jones. A separate section in the telecast honored Quincy Jones.

How to stop the wrap-up music

It has been an endless torment to winners everywhere whenever they hear the music swelling. It means one thing: Stop talking.

Brody had a novel response to the playoff music Sunday. He looked sternly into the camera and said: “I’m wrapping up, please turn the music off. I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will will be brief.”

It’s true. He won the Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist, memorably kissing Halle Berry at the podium. But that time he was pleading, not demanding, more time from producers.

When the music started rolling during his emotional speech back then, Brody said: “One second, please. One second. Cut it out. I got one shot at this.” He added, “I didn’t say more than five names, I don’t think.” He went on for more than a minute more.

For more coverage of this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards

—Mark Kennedy, AP Entertainment Writer

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