LOS ANGELES – The 95th Academy Awards ceremony aired on March 12th on ABC and was watched by an estimated 18.7 million viewers, according to preliminary Fast National Live+Same Day ratings released on March 13th by ABC. This marks a 12% increase from last year’s show, but still falls short compared to most years.

The big winner of the night was Everything Everywhere All at Once, which took home seven awards, including Best Picture. With 11 nominations going into the ceremony, the film directed by the duo known as the Daniels also received awards for Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

Lady Gaga and Rihanna graced the stage to perform their nominated song but lost to “Naatu Naatu” from the Indian film RRR.

The German film All Quiet on the Western Front won Best International Picture. The movie’s triumph reflected the success of the original 1930 American film, which received Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. The 2022 version was also nominated for Best Picture.

Speeches were highly emotional from the likes of Best Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan, Best Supporting Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, costume design winner Ruth E. Carter, and Yulia Navalnaya — accepting for the Navalny documentary.

John Travolta choked up while introducing the In Memoriam segment, which was soundtracked by Lenny Kravitz’s live performance.

Without mentioning any specific names, Travolta referred to those ‘to whom we will always remain hopelessly devoted,’ a clear allusion to his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John, who passed away last August and was the first name displayed in the segment that pays tribute to the individuals in the film industry who have passed away.

The memoriam also included the Greek actress Irene Papas, who died at the age of 93 on September 14, 2022, and Vangelis, the Oscar-winning composer of Chariots of Fire (1981), who passed away on May 17, 2022, at the age of 79.

The legendary Papas starred in over 70 films in a career that lasted more than 50 years, stealing the screen in everything from Electra to Zorba the Greek. Her first film was a small part in Nikos Tsiforos’ 1948 Fallen Angels, and her lead roles in George Tzavellas’ Antigone (1961) and Michael Cacoyannis’ Electra (1962) earned her critical acclaim. She also received praise for her performances in The Guns of Navarone in 1961 and in Cacoyannis’ direction of Nikos Kazantzakis’ Zorba the Greek, which brought her into the international limelight for a sizzling performance. One of her last film appearances was in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin in 2001.

Vangelis also composed the score for Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) and wrote music for several other films, including Costa-Gavras’ Missing (1982), The Bounty (1984), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), and Oliver Stone’s Alexander (2004). His career in music spanned over 50 years, and he composed over 50 albums, making him one of the most important figures in the history of electronic music.

With recurring complaints about the segment’s exclusion of certain individuals, a website was displayed at the end, urging viewers to check the complete list of lost legends. Also remembered during the telecast were Irene Cara, Ray Liotta, Nichelle Nichols, Angela Lansbury, Louise Fletcher, Burt Bacharach, Mary Alice, Gina Lollobrigida, James Caan, and Raquel Welch. However, the recently deceased actors Tom Sizemore and Robert Blake were not featured.