Arts & Entertainment
‘Green Book,’ Rami Malek and more of the 2019 Oscar winners
Lady Gaga, Olivia Colman round out top honors
The 91st annual Academy Awards became a historic night on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles as the golden statues were handed out to first-time winners for both Hollywood newcomers and overdue veterans.
Queen, fronted by singer Adam Lambert, kicked off the show with a melody of Queen songs including “We are the Champions.” The hostless show was sped forward simply by presenters and kicked off with the comedian trio of Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph
“We are not your hosts, but we’re going to stand here a little too long so that the people who get USA Today tomorrow will think we hosted,” Fey joked to the audience.
Soon after, the first major award of the night was given to Regina King for her role in the James Baldwin film adaptation, “If Beale Street Could Talk.” This was King’s first Academy Award win.
King thanked her mother and Barry Jenkins, who also directed Oscar winner “Moonlight.”
“To be standing here representing one of the greatest artists of all time – James Baldwin. James Baldwin bursts this baby and Barry nurtured her, surrounding her with so much love and support. So it’s appropriate to be standing here because I am an example of what it looks like when support and love
Lady Gaga won Best Original Song for “Shallow,” which she passionately performed with her “A Star is Born” co-star Bradley Cooper earlier in the show. The song beat out the popular song “All the Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA from “Black Panther” and “The Place Where Lost Things Go” by Emily Blunt from “Mary Poppins Returns,” which was performed by Bette Midler at the ceremony.
A star is born… ? #Oscars pic.twitter.com/lh0HZ53XrD
— Channel 9 (@Channel9) February 25, 2019
“It’s not about winning,” Lady Gaga says in tearful acceptance speech. “What it’s about is not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it.” https://t.co/qqMWC8hs2g #Oscars pic.twitter.com/aQuaMgE6ZU
— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2019
Backstage, Lady Gaga was asked what she would say to her fans headed to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney, Australia.
“I’ll tell you something, I hope that everyone there in Sydney feels so much joy and celebrates all sexual identities. And I also have a dream in our future as we evolve as humanity that these award shows not be male and female but include everyone,” Gaga replied.
Rami Malek won Best Actor for his portrayal of bisexual Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Malek is the first Arab-American to win Best Actor.
“I think about what it would have been like to tell little bubba Rami that one day this might happen to him, and I think his curly-haired little mind would have been blown,” Malek told the crowd in his acceptance speech. “That kid was struggling with his identity, trying to figure himself out, and to anyone struggling and trying to discover their voice — listen, we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life unapologetically himself. And the fact I’m celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we’re longing for stories like this.”
In a heartfelt speech, Oscar winner Rami Malek praises his mom, says he knows his dad is looking down on him, thanks Queen, and says the world “is longing for stories” about people being “unapologetically” themselves.
— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2019
Watch the whole thing: https://t.co/zSrvQG8ZE6 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/uXxpfORcPx
“Bohemian Rhapsody” also won awards for Best Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Film Editing.
Olivia Colman won Best Actress for her role as Queen Anne in “The Favourite.” In her light-hearted speech, Colman said: “This is hilarious. I’ve got an Oscar” and ended her acceptance by blowing a kiss to Lady Gaga.
Olivia Colman gives heartfelt acceptance speech after winning award for Best Actress at the #Oscars.
— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2019
“Any little girl who’s practicing her speech on the tele—you never know!” https://t.co/cajeASPKfS pic.twitter.com/oDOFzm7LOg
“Roma” also won big for the night with a win for Best Foreign Picture, Cinematography and a Best Director win for Alfonso Cuarón.
Overall, the night was filled with diversity as a record-number of women won awards. These women included Ruth E. Carter (Best Costume for “Black Panther”) and Hannah Beachler (Best Production Design for “Black Panther”) who became the second and third black women to win non-acting Oscars in the span of a few minutes. Beachler was also the first black woman to ever be nominated for Production Design.
Film veteran Spike Lee won his first Oscar in the history of his career for Best Adapted Screenplay for “
Perhaps the most controversial win of the night went to “Green Book,” which won for Best Picture. The film has maintained plenty of controversy since its release. The film is based on the true story of black pianist Dr. Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) who hires Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) to be his driver and bodyguard. The film has been accused of using the “white savior” trope. Shirley’s family have also denounced the film as an inaccurate portrayal of the pair’s friendship.
Mortensen also came under fire during promotion for the film when he used the N-word to describe how race relations have changed over the years.
“For instance, no one says ‘N-word’ anymore,” Mortensen said at the time. He later apologized.
Despite the controversy, the film also nabbed a Best Supporting Actor win for Ali, his second following “Moonlight,” and a win for Best Original Screenplay.
Check out the list of winners below.
Best Picture
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
“Vice”
Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams-“Vice”
Marina de Tavira-“Roma”
Regina King-“If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone- “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz- “The Favourite”
Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali- “Green Book”
Adam Driver- “BlackKKlansman”
Sam Elliott- “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant- “Can You Ever Forgive Me”
Sam Rockwell- “Vice”
Foreign Language Film
“Capernaum”
“Cold War”
“Never Look Away”
“Roma”
“Shoplifters”
Documentary (Short)
“Black Sheep”
“End Game”
“Lifeboat”
“A Night at the Garden”
“Period. End of Sentence.”
Documentary Feature
“Free Solo”
“Hale County This Morning, This Evening”
“Minding the Gap”
“Of Fathers and Sons”
“RBG”
Original Song
“All The Stars” – “Black Panther”
“I’ll Fight” – “RBG”
“Shallow” – “A Star Is Born”
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” – “Mary Poppins Returns”
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” – “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
Animated Feature Film
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
Adapted Screenplay
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“A Star Is Born”
Original Screenplay
“First Reformed”
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“The Favourite”
“Vice”
Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale- “Vice”
Bradley Cooper- “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe- “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek-“Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen- “Green Book”
Actress in a Leading Role
Yalitza Aparicio- “Roma”
Glenn Close- “The Wife”
Lady Gaga- “A Star Is Born”
Olivia Colman- “The Favourite”
Melissa McCarthy- “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Director
Spike Lee- “BlacKkKlansman”
Pawel Pawlikowski- “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos- “The Favourite”
Alfonso Cuarón- “Roma”
Adam McKay- “Vice”
Production Design
“Black Panther”
“The Favourite”
“First Man”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Roma”
Cinematography
“Cold War”
“The Favourite”
“Never Look Away”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
Costume Design
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Black Panther”
“The Favourite”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
Sound Editing
“A Quiet Place”
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“Roma”
Sound Mixing
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“First Man”
“Roma”
“A Star Is Born”
Animated Short Film
“Animal Behaviour”
“Bao”
“Late Afternoon”
“One Small Step”
“Weekends”
Live Action Short Film
“Detainment”
“Fauve”
“Marguerite”
“Mother”
“Skin”
Original Score
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
Visual Effects
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Christopher Robin”
“First Man”
“Ready Player One”
“Solo: A Star Wars Story”
Film Editing
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Green Book”
“The Favourite”
“Vice”
Makeup and Hairstyling
“Border”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Vice”
The 2025 Baltimore Pride Parade was held on Saturday, June 14.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
You’ve done your share of marching.
You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.
You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.
Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.
You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.
Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.
If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.
Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.
Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.
Music & Concerts
Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall
Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony
Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall.
The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts.
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