It’s our favourite season of all: Oscars season! And the 96th Academy Awards are set to be a wild ride.
The past year has been a huge one for the film industry. We’ve seen the likes of blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer battle it out on the world stage, while some of the Best Actor and Best Actress nominees are tipped to make history in 2024.
Today’s red carpet event and ceremony will be the biggest star-studded event we’ll see all year. Read on to see the biggest moments, winners and surprises as they happened.
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Mixed reactions to Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel seemed to be off to a good start with his opening monologue, but one comment aimed at Robert Downey Jr. hit a sour note.
“Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are here tonight. Look, kids, it’s Barbie and Ken sitting near each other,” he quipped.
“Ryan and Margot, I want to know even if neither one of you wins an Oscar tonight you both already won something much more important: the genetic lottery.”
The stars shared a laugh at that, but the mood shifted when Kimmel took aim at Oppenheimer star Downey Jr.
”This is the highest point of Robert Downey Jr.’s long and illustrious career. Well, one of the highest points,” Kimmel said.
Downey Jr. tapped his nose in the crowd, to which Kimmel responded: “Was I too on the nose or was that a drug motion you made?”
Downey Jr. then appeared to gesture for Kimmel to ‘wrap it up’, suggesting he wasn’t impressed with the reference to his past struggles with substance abuse.
Ariana Grande breaks out in screams mid-interview
Singer and Wicked star Ariana Grande was in the middle of a red carpet interview with Vanessa Hudgens when she suddenly began screaming.
The blonde waved her arms and gestured off-screen, where Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh had been passing by.
“Oh my god, Michelle,” Grande called. “You look stunning, hi!”
Yeoh, who won the Best Actress gong in 2023, joined the interview and confessed to Hudgens that she didn’t remember much about last year’s ceremony.
“I don’t remember anything. The only thing I remember was when they called my name and feeling an overwhelming sense of relief,” she laughed.
Meanwhile, Grande gushed about Yeoh’s part in the upcoming Wicked film and working with her on set.
“I missed you and I love you can I love you! I missed you and I love you can you look stunning! Oh my god, that was the best surprise,” she told Yeoh.
Florence Pugh wraps $1.5 million around her neck
Dune 2 actress Florence Pugh arrived with an estimated $1.5 million wrapped around her neck in the form of this stunning Bulgari Serpenti necklace.
Believed to be one of the longest versions of the iconic snake necklace, it features 18-karat white gold scales that are fully pavéed with round diamonds.
An almost identical version of the necklace, which features over 300 carats worth of diamonds, was auctioned by Sotheby’s Luxury Division in 2019.
The necklace was estimated to be worth between US$800,000 and US$1 million (approx. $1.2 to $1.5 million AUD).
To see all of Pugh’s best style moments through the years, click here.
Emma Stone’s mammoth stone
She’s up for Best Actress, but all anyone could talk about when Emma Stone arrived on the red carpet was the, well, stone at her neck.
The Poor Things star turned heads with a mammoth 30.47-carat yellow sapphire, which was set in a diamond necklace draped over her collar bones.
The octagonal step-cut Sri Lankan sapphire was a total show-stopper, with Stone’s stylist telling Vogue of her Oscars outfit: “I want everyone to look at Emma and see her – it’s so elegant.”
Longtime stylist Petra Flannery added that Stone’s mint-coloured peplum gown is an ode to her Poor Things character, Bella Baxter.
Sequins and sparkles dominate the red carpet
There was a very clear (unofficial) dress code for the 2024 Oscars: sequins and sparkles!
Countless stars arrived on the red carpet in glittering ensembles complimented by sparkling jewels and bedazzled bags.
Standout stars included America Ferrera, who embraced Barbie style in a custom pink metallic Atelier Versace gown.
She paired the gown with jewellery by Pomellato, including the Castello necklace, which is set with five rubellites and 28 carats of diamonds.
See all the stars who wore sequins and sparkles on the Oscars 2024 red carpet here.
Godzilla Minus One team’s cheeky outfit detail
The team behind Godzilla Minus One hit the red carpet with a collection of Godzilla figurines, but that wasn’t the only nod to their Oscar-nominated film in their outfits.
Director Takashi Yamazaki, visual effects director Kiyoko Shibuya, CG director Masaki Takahashi and compositor and ocean effects creator Tatsuji Nojima also wore shoes with Godzilla claws for heels.
Godzilla Minus One is nominated for Best Visual Effects, making it the first Godzilla film in history to be nominated for an Academy Award.
Vanessa Hudgens debuts baby bump
High School Musical alum Vanessa Hudgens delighted fans when she arrived on the red carpet in a figure-hugging Vera Wang gown that showed off what looks like a baby bump.
She was snapped cradling her belly and blowing kisses to waiting photographers.
It will be her first child with baseball player Cole Tucker. The couple tied the knot in 2023 in Tulum, Mexico.
Hudgens is co-hosting the official pre-show with Julianne Hough.
Stars are shimmering down the red carpet
Hollywood’s biggest stars have started to arrive on the red carpet in dazzling and unforgettable looks.
Sparkling gowns and structured silhouettes dominated, and huge jewelled necklaces made a dramatic return in 2024.
See every star who wowed on the Oscars 2024 red carpet here.
Ryan Gosling is giving us more than Kenough
Our very own real-life Ken, Ryan Gosling, is set to perform his absolute belter of an original song, I’m Just Ken, on the Oscars stage in front of millions.
The actor, who is also up for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in Barbie, will be getting on stage with a huge crew of backup dancers to sing the catchy tune. After weeks of rumours, it was officially confirmed last week.
In fact, Gosling was spotted rehearsing the song at Dolby Theatre in Hollywood just days out from the big night – read all about it here.
Huge change sweeping the Oscars red carpet
Ahead of the highly anticipated event, details of this year’s ceremony have emerged – including the fact the carpet is set to go back to red after a brief time being, ahem… champagne?
It comes after the stir caused in 2023 by the champagne carpet, with many outfits clashing with the carpet and the lighter rug showing plenty of stains and marks.
Photos from Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre show staff setting up the media wall and red carpet, with the carpet being the traditional red colour – or ‘Academy red’.
Read all about it here.
What’s in the bag?
As we all know, the Oscar winners are gifted a lavish swag bag of goodies at every year’s event. And 2024 is no different.
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We took a peek inside the luxurious gift bag, which boast opulent goodies and experiences totalling more than $200,000 in value.
One of the free experiences is a seven-day wellness retreat in San Diego, which we are sure is a must-do after the exhausting press all the Oscar winners are forced to undertake.
Take a look inside the bag here.