One of the most popular and anticipated events of the year shocked audiences across the United States, sparking a mix of controversy, celebration, and congratulations for winners and nominees.
The 98th Academy Awards (Oscars), hosted by Conan O’Brien, were presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on March 15.
Although the Oscars were originally meant to simply recognize the talents of those featured and nominated, they have since evolved into something that brings actors together. Through this, the audience not only supports the winners and nominees, but also their peers.
“I love watching the Oscars every year, and I love seeing all the actors come together and support each other in what they do. It’s really cool to see,” freshman Charlotte Morales said.
These events are considered one of Hollywood’s biggest nights, recognizing achievements in acting, directing, and technical film production, where the winner among five nominees (exempt from the Best Picture category, which has ten nominees) receives a 13.5-inch, 8.5-pound gold-plated bronze Oscar statuette.
2025 was full of amazing and successful movies, making it hard for viewers to predict the winners in each category and how the night would unfold. The competitiveness this year was tangible, with the race close and split races across many different categories.
This year, they also introduced a new award, Achievement in Casting, to recognize casting directors for their roles and responsibilities in casting films. This has given the directors a chance to be highlighted in something that is often overlooked.
The live performances featured at the Oscars included Raphael Saadiq and Miles Caton’s “I Lied to You” from “Sinners” and HUNTR/X’s “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters.” Other special performances included a comedic song by Josh Groban and a guest performance by Barbra Streisand, who sang a part of her song “The Way We Were.”
State High students shared their opinions on the Oscars, highlighting what they liked or disliked about the event.
“I was really glad that Jesse Buckley won for ‘Hamnet’. I thought that was really well deserved,” freshman Leah Leidy said.
Freshman Tessa Doberstein believed all this year’s winners deserved their awards. “I thought everyone this year really deserved the award. They worked so hard, and all of their performances were phenomenal,” she said.
Despite all the celebration flowing out for the nominees and winners who attended the ceremony, it was not without controversy for some. The KPop Demon Hunters speech was frequently discussed online by fans.
When songwriters of the hit song “Golden” came up to accept the award for Best Original Song and give their speech, they were interrupted and forced to be cut short after less than a minute of speaking.
EJAE (a songwriter for “Golden”) started the speech, and when asking Lee (another one of the songwriters) if he had anything to say, he wasn’t able to finish speaking before being cut off by loud music and cutting to a commercial.
Regardless, it seems that though the Oscars don’t come without some backlash, they still bring people together throughout all of the United States. It is an event that has fans speculating who will win, who they want to be nominated, and the excitement of seeing the live performances.
Ultimately, this prestigious ceremony serves as a way to recognize the efforts of actors, directors, and crew who contributed to this year’s record-breaking films.
