The 2025 Oscars: ‘Anora’ Has the Greatest Day

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Big Picture – "The 2025 Oscars: ‘Anora’ Has the Greatest Day"

Release Date: March 3, 2025
Host/Authors: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins
Podcast: The Big Picture by The Ringer

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Introduction

In this episode of The Big Picture, Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins delve into the highlights and surprises of the 97th Academy Awards. Celebrating the remarkable triumph of the film “Anora”, the hosts explore its sweeping victory, analyze standout performances, and critique the overall telecast.

Dominance of "Anora" at the 2025 Oscars

“Anora” emerged as the standout film of the night, winning five out of six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Casting (eligible next year). Sean and Amanda express their astonishment and delight at the film's success, highlighting its independent nature and significant cultural impact.

Sean Fennessy [02:36]: "He won four Academy Awards tonight. A truly historically astonishing performance at the Oscars."

Amanda adds her excitement about the film's impact and her plans to curate its various formats meticulously.

Amanda Dobbins [01:58]: "Feeling like a woman who is about to have access to one of the finest DVD collections..."

Key Wins and Surprises

Sean Baker, the director of “Anora”, garnered accolades for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing. The film's success is attributed to its profound storytelling and Baker's advocacy for the communal movie-going experience.

Sean Fennessy [03:26]: "Anora was nominated for six Oscars. It won five of those Oscars. Poor Yoro Borisov goes home empty-handed."

Amanda and Sean discuss the unexpected wins, such as Mikey Madison taking Best Actress over established names like Demi Moore, and Adrien Brody securing Best Actor for his role in “The Brutalist”.

Best Director and Kieran Culkin's Memorable Speech

Kieran Culkin's acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor became one of the night's most memorable moments. Drawing from his previous Emmy speech, Culkin intertwined humor with heartfelt gratitude, amusing both Sean and Amanda.

Amanda Dobbins [18:43]: "He was like, maybe we should get four. And she says, okay, if you win an Oscar, I'll give you four."

Sean commends Culkin's ability to balance preparation with spontaneity, making his speech both charming and relatable.

Adrien Brody's Achievements and Speech

Adrien Brody's win for Best Actor marked his second Academy Award, adding him to an exclusive group of actors who have won multiple Oscars. His speech was a blend of reflection and ambition, emphasizing his commitment to meaningful roles and the evolution of his career.

Amanda Dobbins [29:00]: "It felt like he was pumping himself up during his own second best actor acceptance speech."

Sean appreciates Brody's sincerity and discusses the cyclical nature of an actor's career, acknowledging Brody's resilience and enduring talent.

Best Actress Race: Mikey Madison vs. Demi Moore

The decision to award Best Actress to Mikey Madison over Demi Moore sparked discussions about voting demographics and biases within the Academy. Sean and Amanda analyze how younger voters may have influenced the outcome, favoring Madison's performance in “Anora”.

Sean Fennessy [26:11]: "I think she pulled a lot of votes from older voters away from Demi Moore."

Amanda reflects on the competitiveness of the category and the shifting preferences within the voting body.

Telecast Impressions: Performances and Presenters

The hosts provide a critical review of the Oscars telecast, particularly focusing on the James Bond medley performance. They commend Conan O'Brien's hosting but express disappointment with musical performances, especially Doja Cat's rendition of a Bond theme, which they found out of tune and disjointed.

Amanda Dobbins [55:44]: "She was out of tune and it was a train wreck."

Additionally, they highlight the positive aspects, such as Zoe Saldana's emotional speech and the effective presentations in the craft categories, praising the emphasis on costume design and cinematography.

Lowlights of the Night

Despite numerous successes, the Oscars night was not without its missteps. The lengthy and poorly executed James Bond tribute, featuring multiple underwhelming performances, stood out as a significant low point. The lack of cohesion and relevance in certain segments left Sean and Amanda unimpressed.

Amanda Dobbins [54:36]: "It was absolutely awful."

They also discuss inconsistencies in the presentation of awards, such as the absence of clips for acting categories and the confusing pacing of the telecast.

Conclusion and Bet Outcome

Wrapping up the episode, Sean and Amanda reveal the results of their Big Oscar Bet. Amanda emerges victorious, scoring 43 points to Sean's 40, primarily due to Sean Baker's multiple wins over Brady Courbet in Best Director.

Amanda Dobbins [76:35]: "Yes. But we didn't, like. There's no consequence to that."

They express excitement over their victory and tease upcoming episodes, encouraging listeners to submit questions for future discussions.

Sean Fennessy [77:00]: "We will talk about that on maybe Wednesday's episode of the show."

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Notable Quotes

• Sean Fennessy [03:26]: "Anora was nominated for six Oscars. It won five of those Oscars. Poor Yoro Borisov goes home empty-handed."
• Amanda Dobbins [18:43]: "He was like, maybe we should get four. And she says, okay, if you win an Oscar, I'll give you four."
• Amanda Dobbins [55:44]: "She was out of tune and it was a train wreck."
• Amanda Dobbins [76:35]: "Yes. But we didn't, like. There's no consequence to that."

Final Thoughts

Sean and Amanda conclude the episode by reflecting on the overall quality of the Oscars season, acknowledging both the triumphs and the areas needing improvement. They emphasize the evolving nature of the Academy Awards and the importance of independent films like “Anora” in shaping future trends.

Sean Fennessy [72:36]: "I think the general consensus, both among movie fans and people within the Academy is that this is a fine, maybe even good year and not a great year."

They invite listeners to engage with upcoming episodes, promising deeper analysis and continued discussions on award season developments.

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This summary captures the essence of the podcast episode, highlighting the major discussions, key insights, and memorable moments from the 2025 Oscars as analyzed by Sean Fennessy and Amanda Dobbins.

Transcript

[Amy Poehler]

Hi everyone, it's Amy Poehler and I'm launching a new podcast called Good Hang.

[Amanda Dobbins]

In preparation for that, I asked some.

[Amy Poehler]

Of my friends to send in some.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Videos and give me some advice.

[Amy Poehler]

Just be yourself and the guests will come.

[Sean Fennessy]

Don't be the celebrity that this is their like sixth thing they're doing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I love true crime and cooking podcasts. Is there any way you could combine the two?

[Amy Poehler]

Well, everyone has an opinion and a.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Podcast, so join me for Good Hang.

[Amy Poehler]

It's rough out there. We're just trying to lighten it up a little. This episode is presented by Audi. The all new fully electric Audi Q6E Tron is a huge leap forward featuring effortless power, serious acceleration and the most advanced tech of any Audi ever. Experience technology that puts you center stage with a panoramic digital stage plus an optional screen for front seat passengers so they can kick back with a movie. The Q6E Tron is not just a new EV. It's a new way to experience driving. Learn [e-mail] always pay careful attention to the road and do not drive while distracted.

[Sean Fennessy]

This episode is brought to you by Marvel Television's Born Again. Charlie Cox returns as vigilante lawyer Matt Murdock and Vincent D'Onofrio as former mob boss Wilson Fisk. The darker side of Matt Murdock is revealed when he gains a new perspective on his role as the Daredevil and faces an internal struggle between justice and revenge. The devil's work is never done. Don't miss the two episode premiere of Daredevil Born Again on March 4th, only on Disney.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm Sean Fennessy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm Amanda Dobbins and this is the.

[Amy Poehler]

Big Picture, a conversation show about the 97th Academy Awards. They have just concluded we are here and we have just witnessed the utter domination of Anora. Amanda, how are you feeling right now?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I am feeling like a woman who is about to have access to one of the finest DVD collections and Blu Ray and Steel Box and 4K and VHS and formats that haven't even been invented yet. But I will find them and I will color coordinate them in your garage, for it is now my domain.

[Amy Poehler]

I don't think that that's what was agreed to Neverthele. Yes, you're referring of course to our big Oscar bet, which I think you won because of one of the victories tonight. And one of those victories belonged to Sean Baker, who is one of many.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Victories of Sean Baker's victories.

[Amy Poehler]

He won four Academy Awards tonight. A truly historically astonishing performance at the Oscars Anora was nominated for six Oscars. It won five of those Oscars. Poor Yoro Borisov goes home empty handed. Otherwise, the Anora team kicked ass. Sean Baker won for Best Picture along with Samantha Kwan and Alex Coco, his co producers. He won for Best Director, he won for Best Screenplay, and he won for Best Editing. And I noted on the social media app X that if the casting Oscar were eligible this year, which it will be next year, he probably would have won for that too, because he cast the film Enora. This is an amazing thing. On top of that, Mikey Madison, in a late breaking come from behind victory, triumphed in the Best actress race over Demi Moore, who was running the table all the way up until BAFTA a.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Couple days ago, seated front and center.

[Amy Poehler]

She had the leading star and she lost. And this is. It is the greatest day for Anora. This is an absolutely amazing moment for that movie, which is a very small movie, as Sean Baker said, made for only $6 million. He's been making movies for over 20 years. When it came out, we said this is a culmination of everything that he's interested in as a filmmaker, of the style that he pursues. And I am just blown away that this actually happened. I mean, we sort of predicted it would happen, and still I'm kind of blown away by it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It is surprising. We did not predict the Mikey Madison because Demi Moore had been so strong and we didn't predict editing. We predicted Conclave because it had won at the baftas and a couple other precursors. And we just didn't believe that Honora could go this hard and have a full sweep. And it really did. And so that is amazing because it was not quite how the season was shaking out, or let's put it another way, the last few months or the middle months, when we started this whole thing, when we did our big Oscar bet, which was in September, thank you very much for doing it so early to accommodate various events in my life.

[Amy Poehler]

It worked against me, it turns out well.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But, you know, as far as the race goes, we came back to where we started with Anora because you and I both predicted it to win Best Picture.

[Amy Poehler]

I had a big flashing arrow at this film for many, many months, in part because it won the Palm Door at Cannes. And that has been a hugely predictive moment at the movies.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Suit. Things got a little interesting in November, December, January, as they always do, and. And it was sort of fun. But so I think we're surprised because first, because we were right, sort of. Or because, well, a little bit it's.

[Amy Poehler]

Not that to me, it's much more about what this movie is and what it represents and how. What it. It's just oppositional to what Hollywood is right now, which is that the last 20 years have been a story about the sort of widening gap between the IP Havers and everyone else. And last year was an interesting synthesis of those two things with Oppenheimer and Christopher Nolan where he really kind of brought I think both ethics to the Academy Awards. This year there wasn't really anything that was competing in that way. Wicked and Dune Part 2 had no chance. Anora, though, aside from maybe I'm Still Here is the smallest movie here. You could argue it's even smaller than Nickel Boys in some ways just because of like the studio that was behind it, it being independently financed and all these other things. And the fact that it's about a sex worker. Its lead is relatively unknown. Unless you're a huge fan of the Scream series or going down the call sheet on Once Upon a Time in.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Hollywood, which we do on this podcast. We certainly do.

[Amy Poehler]

We've discussed Mikey Madison in the past on the show before an aura happened. But nevertheless, like, this is highly, highly unusual. And it is yet another chapter in this decade long story of the Academy Awards no longer looking anything like it did for the previous, let's just say for the scope of our lives, roughly 30 years, which I don't know. What do you make of this movie in particular being the next chapter in this story?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think obviously five Oscars, I mean, it almost does the historic sweep. It's just that it did not have a best actor eligible. It had several supporting actors competing against each other. That to me is, I. I guess it's a little strange. But also I like this film so much and I have met so many people who really like this film. And yes, it's, you know, small and it's about sex workers, but it also like won the Palm. It won like every, not every single precursor, but it won pga, dga. W. Did it. Did he win a WGA as well? Yeah, I mean it literally won everything.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So I'm not that. Not as surprised. I do also think the more we start to talk in historical terms, like Oppenheimer is actually the outlier of the last 10 years and the further along that we get in it and the more that cinema gets divided into IP world and independent cinema, passion project, small things. The Academy is starting to favor the small stuff and it's not really starting. That's sort of happened 10 years ago.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Obviously, the massive increase in membership in the Academy has meant that different kinds of movies are being recognized. We've talked about how it's become significantly more international in addition to the independent films. One thing to keep in mind about in order to this is basically a rom com. It's got a sour note.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You don't need to say it like that.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm not saying anything negative. I think I'm saying it that way because. Is it Annie Hall? Is that the last time a rom com won Best Picture? Off the top of my head, I can't think of another one. I mean, this is very unusual. We always talk about how comedies are never recognized by the Academy. So a movie like this, which does have some social import and it has ideas and it's gritty and all of.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Those things, it is very funny. But I think if we were drafting it, for example, in one of our movie drafts, I think we would let it play in comedy and also in drama. I agree. So I think even there, it's slightly different than a Nanny hall or an It Happened One Night, which, you know, is a precedent in another way of. Can we, like. Can we foots this? Can this be like, sweeps all five? I mean, this is a pretty historic Oscar achievement in terms of the level of the award.

[Amy Poehler]

You mean in the tradition of the Silence of the Lambs, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest? Yeah, I mean, I think, particularly because Baker won the best editing award himself, that it feels like this Titanic achievement. And obviously the titular character, the actress who portrayed her, is recognized. You know, I'm slightly flummoxed by this because I think I don't totally know what it means. And it might just be because as you said, when we were in the room 20 minutes ago, you were like, this has just been a weird year. And so for a movie like this to run the table just feels like a representation of that. That's not really a criticism of the film. It's just in my, you know, stacked brain, I'm like, how in the world did we get here?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's been a weird year, and I think it's going to continue to be weird years. And I think some of your frustration is just we don't totally know. We do know how to pick them because we read the things. But right now, March 2, 2025, we have no idea what the next year at the Oscars is going to look like. We don't know.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, I do Wicked for Good Running.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, I know you were saying that out loud.

[Amy Poehler]

Big five.

[Amanda Dobbins]

We Will revisit that.

[Amy Poehler]

Best actor, Jeff Goldblum.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, just. Just save it. He's not an actor in that, is he? He's not best actor in that.

[Amy Poehler]

I don't know. I have never seen the second half of the show. Who knows?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean, I guess he's the wizard. Sure. And he plays some sort of role.

[Amy Poehler]

People who love that show right now are at home screaming about madness.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Those people with love and respect can go somewhere else to get their wicked enthusiasm. Okay? And there are plenty of spaces on this earth and I am happy for them. But you can sing as many songs as you want as loud as you can at the Oscars, and you can't make me like it, okay? So that is what I have to say.

[Amy Poehler]

You are right that we don't know where 2026 is going. We might maybe later this week on the show, we might pick some potential winners for this upcoming season. I would have not had anora on the 5 for 6 on my board at this time last year.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And during one of the commercials, I think when we were. We were puzzled by the lack of trailers being showed.

[Amy Poehler]

What the hell was that?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, because I don't think there are that many movies in the pipeline. I think the movies that the studios do want to like, like sell big. They don't want to sell to Oscar audiences.

[Amy Poehler]

I mean, it's a weird amateur. That was the only commercial I could recall.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You went to the bathroom during Ballerina. It was Ballerina, right? Ana de Armas was there and it was like John Wick.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, Ballerina.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I know, I know. But you weren't in the room. And I didn't totally look up for my phone at that juncture because I was trying to log into the big picture. Instagram, which I as a 40 year old was stymied.

[Amy Poehler]

That's a tough feat. That's what maybe why your Instagram follower numbers are not that high.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It was a little. It was like two factor authentication, you know, it wasn't me.

[Amy Poehler]

I see, I see.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But you were saying, I, you know, no movies have come out this year that we feel like super confident will be nominated for Oscars. And at this time last year, we had challengers, or not quite, but it was about to be released. Challengers. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I was saying by the end of March, we had Dune Part two, we had challengers and we had Civil War. And I was like, we have a real movie culture. We have interesting movies that are doing some business at the box office, that have ideas in them and so on and so forth. It doesn't feel that way this year.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This is all my way of saying it's a weird year in a. In a weird phase of movies, in just like a weird new life that we live in. And I. And the way that we see these things and sort like Oscar races in our head has already changed, but I think we sort of need to accept that it's totally different now.

[Amy Poehler]

It is. And yet this is the third year in a row where it felt like an engine picked up steam.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And it just started going down the track and it could not be deterred. And that happened for Anora maybe a little bit later than it happened for everything, everywhere, all at once, and Oppenheimer in the two previous years. But in all three cases, you had these big, multi win kind of behemoth qualities to the winners, which is actually very old Hollywood. It isn't the previous generation where it felt like everybody was like, and one for you and one for you and one for you. This was five for Anora, three for the Brutalist, two for Conclave, two for Wicked. Like, you know, it was a lot of dominance at the top. You know, it was very top heavy tonight as it has been for the last few years. I'm not sure if that's representative of much. Let me ask you this. What did you think about the telecast? Did you think it was a good show? Ran about 3 hours and 45 minutes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There was an hour in the middle when I thought I was gonna die.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It involved a lot more singing than I want from any ceremony in my life besides a Beyonce concert.

[Amy Poehler]

Really. I just put all the lowlights in a separate discussion area. This podcast. We will get there, I promise.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You asked me.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. Yes, I did.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And, and, and as a result of the. The Lost hour and the singing, it felt very. It felt very long. I. I did think that there were some interesting pacing choices. There were four awards given out in the first hour. That said, I really enjoyed Conan O'Brien. That is, you and I were just giggling like two little kids throughout every bit that he did. It worked. If he. If the target audience was us, he nailed it.

[Amy Poehler]

I thought he was fantastic.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And I am an elder millennial who taped Conan O'Brien's show in the late 90s on VHS. So I am very biased on this issue. He is my tempo in many ways. He's both of our tempos.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. But I would like to clarify. I didn't tape anything.

[Amy Poehler]

No, you didn't. No. You've never taped a thing in your life until you Enter the ada.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That is not true. I taped the Good Will Hunting Oprah Oscar special in 1997.

[Amy Poehler]

You have shared that. Where is that tape now, I wonder? Anyhow, Conan is uniquely suited to this because he's simultaneously full of it and self deprecating. And that is the apotheosis of Hollywood. Hollywood people at their best know how to say, I'm a star. Look around, everyone look at me. And they also know how to say, hey, but also, like, I'm humble, you know, I know I didn't get too big. Well, not everyone did tonight, and we will get there. But I thought he was really, really well suited. Why don't we use this as an opportunity to talk about the best moments of the night, which is brought to you by Audi, who with the Q6E Tron have taken a huge leap forward. It's optimized inside and out for an engaging, dynamic and effortless drive. Okay. Conan O'Brien, who came out and did a monologue immediately after a wicked wizard of Oz medley and a brief we.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Love LA like movie montage to start the movie, to start this show, which, you know, made me tear up despite myself.

[Amy Poehler]

It was very sweet. I did wonder if the show was very understandably, but maybe a bit obtusely LA centric and a little bit alienating to the many, many, many other people who obviously we've had a terrible year here in Los Angeles and it's right to honor what's happened to me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And Conan O'Brien did, at the end of his very funny monologue, do it like an earnest straight to camera bit about why we're doing the show and the silliness, but like what movies can mean even in terrible times like these in LA and beyond.

[Amy Poehler]

So the show honored the city beautifully.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Conan crawled out of Demi Moore's substance carcass and began with a very funny monologue that I think probably split the difference between, I would say maybe the Jimmy Kimmel, like, aren't these movies crazy? And Tina and Amy, like, aren't you guys all idiots? Strategy.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And it started off gentler and then kind of worked its way to. There was, you know, it got to Carlos, Sofia Gascon and. And singled her out. But also never repeated anything hateful, which was good.

[Amy Poehler]

That was nice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And just, you know, made a joke at Jimmy Kimmel's expense, which was funny. And then we got into. There were some Timmy jokes around there, which was just like a good natured, like, that's another guy who understands the.

[Amy Poehler]

Game sitting in the front row.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Happy to be there.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And then we got to all the Amazon content, which was very funny.

[Amy Poehler]

I was laughing very hard.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. And kind of the meanest of the bit, but like the main target of the monologue was the faceless corporate entity that is ruining cinema and also our lives.

[Amy Poehler]

I guess. So, yeah, it was a pretty unsparing but also not overlong and overdrawn monologue sometimes in shows like this. Obviously Conan has given. Been giving monologues for 30 plus years. He knows how to do this really well. It did actually feel like kind of watching one of.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, that's because he was like warming the crowd up. And between the jokes he was doing his classic physical comedy, reading the room, being like, oh, you won't like it. You know, dancing, jimmying. Yeah. Which is just again, you and I were just like already in fifths. We were in the room. I couldn't tell whether they knew to laugh.

[Amy Poehler]

Felt mostly warm, I would say.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. But a little nervous, definitely.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, it's been a complicated year. You know, there was, there was. One of my favorite jokes was about how there was no AI used in the making of the telecast, but there was child labor, which is, you know, a risque joke, but a very funny joke. Aside from Conan. And Conan, you know, he also, he brought out the Dune to Sandworm to perform for his crazy musical number, Adam Sandler. And Adam Sandler. That was also a highlight. A great moment. Again, really appealing to the 42 year old men. You know, it was an exciting.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Excuse me, excuse me.

[Amy Poehler]

You like the Sandman?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Of course. I grew up in the 90s.

[Amy Poehler]

What's your favorite Happy Madison production?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Let's see. It's probably Happy Gilmore.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

You know happy Gilmore 2 is coming out this year.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I do know that. I know that.

[Amy Poehler]

On the Netflix.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What's his name? Travis Kelsey. Sorry, I forgot. The football season ends and it just falls out of your head.

[Amy Poehler]

Is he in the film?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I. Well, he was wearing a hat for a while. So he's not retiring.

[Amy Poehler]

Just a heads up.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He's not.

[Amy Poehler]

He's not. No. He announced he will. He will return.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. Just like James Bond.

[Amy Poehler]

And we return to that, uh, other great moments. The Kieran Culkin speech after he won for best supporting actor. Now, this was one of the most obvious and predictable awards of the night. In fact, it opened the show. Kieran Culkin has been doing a funny thing with his speeches where it seems like he is simultaneously not prepared and also remarkably prepared. I get the impression he has one of those great brains where he can Just remember any bit he comes up with. Yes, in this particular case, kind of weird and sweet and a little wrong, but a little right. Particularly in exchange with his wife.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Incredibly memorable. And just as for those of us watching at home, one of, you know, one of the great Oscar speeches, I hope it's okay between them because it was based on an acceptance speech he gave at the Emmys a year or two ago, winning for succession. And he thanked his wife and thanked his kids, and he was just like, thank you so much. You said if I won that we could have another kid. So, like, get ready.

[Amy Poehler]

And he said, not only that, but I haven't brought this back up to you after our handshake in a year.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, no, no, no. You're stepping on it. You're stepping on it. Okay. I was setting it up.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's what happened at the Emmys.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And that was in the speech at the Emmys.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And then promoting A Real Pain, I think it was. New York magazine did a long piece with him, and his wife was there, Jazz, as I believe her name. And they talked, like, pretty openly about how that moment at the Emmys kind of made her uncomfortable. And he was like, I shouldn't have done it. And she explained it to me and this, that, and the other, and we're talking, you know, so I have all that in my brain. When he wanders up, he gives a very good speech, perfect comedic timing. And then at the end he says, I have not brought this up in a year, but, like, I swear. And he tells the story of the. The Emmys and that speech and then walking home with like. Or leaving the Emmys with his wife. And I think he kept saying an Em was there too. And I believe that's Emma Emily Stone, producer of A Real Pain and two time Oscar winner herself. And basically his wife was like, I guess I did say that. I didn't know that you were going to say that. And anyway, at some point she says, if. He's like, maybe we should get four. And she says, okay, if you win an Oscar, I'll give you four. And he's like. And so he retells the whole story as the kicker to winning an Oscar for the speech. And the camera's cutting to her and bless her, like she is, she's playing along. If she's not okay with it, then she's handling that behind closed doors. And I. And I hope she has heard she married Kieran Culkin.

[Amy Poehler]

I have to imagine this kind of thing happens fairly often.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's all very true. So I like, I hope it's okay with them so that we can all enjoy it. Cause it was a little weird, but it was pretty charming.

[Amy Poehler]

It was very funny and very memorable. It was definitely a moment. And then I think, obviously we mentioned that Sean Baker, I think gave three very good speeches. He gave a best director speech that is etched in my heart. It is exactly how I feel about the world when it comes to movies, which is that Baker has been advocating loudly and sincerely for the movie theater experience, at least ever since I met him eight years ago and certainly since he's had a platform to talk about this stuff. And he has gone out of his way at a couple of award shows. And I thought most eloquently tonight to say the experience of movies is built on sharing it with people in a communal space and that movie theaters are under threat, which is of course a subject we talk about ad nauseam on this show. I think to many listeners, frustration, frankly. But the truth is it's a real problem and everyone's worried about it. And watching movies at home is kind of eroding something that was very special about this culture that we celebrate on the show. And it was honestly very, very nice to hear him so directly and clearly say this matters. We have to fight for it. I can't make it any more clear to you. Let's please protect going to movie theaters.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But I thought and possibly because he'd just won his third Oscar of the night but like joyfully and with a sense of this is something, this is something that I love and that everyone in this room loves and this is what we can do to protect it and to encourage it and to foster to the next generation. Take your kids to the movies. I'd love to if you'd screen them, you know, before nap time and and.

[Amy Poehler]

My mom took me to movies when.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I was and it's her birthday. It was great and it so I was, you know, perfectly enunciated right on message. But also tonally just spot on.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. And accurate to what the experience with him has been for all of awards season, which is he's been charming, thoughtful, not over the top. Yeah, very Sincere. And the Q6E Tron features a new panoramic digital stage that gives the passenger their own optional second screen. Perfect for watching those last couple best picture nominees you still haven't gotten around to. Plus you get powerful performance, smooth and refined driving dynamics and a comfortable ride. Learn [e-mail], always pay careful attention to the road and do not drive while distracted. Okay, let's go back to big awards. Best Actress and best Actor. We mentioned that Mikey Madison won, which means that Demi Moore lost.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And that was tough.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That was tough. I, you know, and they kept cutting to her.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I would say that she was in.

[Amy Poehler]

The Jack Nicholson seat.

[Amanda Dobbins]

She was. And in general, the reaction shots were not as plentiful as I would have liked them to be. And they weren't chosen with Amanda's, you know, interests in mind.

[Amy Poehler]

You wanted to see pure agony on her face the entire time.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, I was throughout the telecast. There weren't as many.

[Amy Poehler]

There weren't as many.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. They were not really, like, you know, doing crowd work. And maybe it's because, as Chris Ryan phoned in from the set of the Odyssey are like, half of Hollywood is on set on Christopher Nolan's next film, the Odyssey.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And so maybe there just, like, wasn't enough star power for them to. To do the audience stuff. But poor Demi Moore. Once she lost, that camera was on her.

[Amy Poehler]

It was in the pre show, I shared with you that I had some real last minute concerns about this race. And I said, I think what I said was, I feel like Anora's either going to win one award or it's going to go crazy. And that one of the ways it would go crazy would be not just the four for Sean, but that Mikey Madison, after really only winning at bafta, would win here. Oscar, historically loves an ingenue. It hasn't loved an ingenue much in the last five, 10 years. Not since the Brie Larson, Jennifer Lawrence era.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right. Except for, you know, I guess Emma Stone has already won an Oscar, but Emma Stone handed one last year and handed it to Mikey Madison. And I was like, those are two. Two women younger than me.

[Amy Poehler]

That's true. That's true. That's true. Emma Stone, you know, for our purposes is.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I understand she's running Hollywood. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

But nevertheless, I was very surprised by this win, broadly speaking. And it seemed like Mikey Madison was kind of surprised. She gave a very nice but quiet and subtle speech that was just like, wow, I can't believe this happened. Nothing compared to, you know, the blaring witticisms of Kieran Culkin or Zoe Saldana's like, deep emotionality or Adrien Brody's elongated thoughts about love and hate in the world. I mean, this was a very modest, quiet moment. And, you know that Demi Moore just had a burner in her pocket and it just. We never got to hear it and.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Was sitting right There.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. And the thing that I mentioned to you when we were in the pre show is, you know, if you look back at Mickey Rourke for the wrestler or Sylvester Stallone for Creed, or our friend Van Lathan helpfully pointed out Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls is another really good example of this happening. It sometimes seems like an it's time moment for a box office powerhouse and then it doesn't really happen.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They just don't go for it.

[Amy Poehler]

They actually go the opposite direction with a relative unknown or a smaller character actor or something. You know, and this is something we gotta be careful of when we do our jobs here on the big picture. We gotta watch out for this. This keeps happening.

[Amanda Dobbins]

How close do you think it was?

[Amy Poehler]

Probably really close. Yeah, probably really close.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you think. And head to head, do you think Mikey Madison still wins or do you think Fernanda Torres is pulling some votes?

[Amy Poehler]

I think she pulled a lot of votes from older voters away from Demi Moore.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I think that. That we had not yet seen a race with these five actresses competing in this way, which we mentioned in the pre show as well. And Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres, both veteran performers, two very different kinds of actors, two very different kinds of movies. But, you know, the biases are real. Younger people are going to vote for younger people. Older people are more likely to vote for older people. Mikey Madison won.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you think there's any. Just kind of. People only watched Anora. Like, I'm wondering seriously, out of all the movies. Yeah. I mean, how much of that is just kind of.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, I think I'm still here. Was. And the substance is a tough sit.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And the substance, you know, it had been rumored as like a potential best screenplay winner a couple of months ago. That didn't happen. It did win makeup, which is a feat unto itself. And it deserved to win makeup. But you've heard me say a hundred times at this point, forget about Anora being a strange Oscar movie, the substance is the least Oscar movie that's ever been nominated for an Oscar. So I'm sure that was working against her in some respect respects. Pretty interesting, though. I mean, she gave great speeches all the way through. Every interview I heard from her. She was really good. It's tough. It's a tough.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. And you really. I mean. And she had the full winner dress. She looked great.

[Amy Poehler]

Yep.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Seated the front row. You know, I just. It. There's something CAA was, you know, thanked a million times tonight as. As it always is.

[Amy Poehler]

And would you like to thank them right now?

[Amanda Dobbins]

And you know, I. They did have a lot of winners, but I'm just imagining like the angry phone calls and yelling that's going on in a certain wing and the wrath that and the way those people are going to talk to each other about what happened that. It just makes me really uncomfortable.

[Amy Poehler]

I don't know what else you can do other than just tip your cap to the Inora wave. I mean that was just something.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, I don't think anyone employed at CAA is going to do that, but.

[Amy Poehler]

Perhaps we'll hear from them. Best actor. Yeah, I was feeling a little shaky on this one, but not that shaky. I was, you know, I heard the saga, kept hearing the SAG stat in my ear. But it never really seemed like Timothy Chalamet. Timothy Chalamet will return. He will compete again. I'm not really worried about him. He seems to be on the line.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean he is Leo. Right. So he's gonna have to wait a while and then like sleep in a bear suit or whatever.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, they are gonna make.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Then he's gonna get a million dollars from Rolex, which I'd like to come back to that at some point.

[Amy Poehler]

We certainly can.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I had that on my list many times.

[Amy Poehler]

Adrian Brody won again. He adds himself to the very short list of two time acting Academy Award winners. In fact, we just lost Gene Hackman, which is something that we have not had the chance to talk about on this show. He too was a two time best acting winner. And I wouldn't say that they're very similar performers. So that's kind of where the comparisons end. They have different energies. But Adrien Brody is remarkable in the Brutalist. He gave a very long speech that was simultaneously I found touching and self regarding, which felt very old school Oscars to me. What did you think of his speech?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I noticed that it was silent in, in. In our viewing room, but also just the Oscars. And he. And he was speaking in a very drawn out, you know, thoughtful or long manner. And he does have a presence. Adrien Brody. And so everyone was just kind of.

[Amy Poehler]

There and waiting on his words.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Exactly. And in much the same way that you know the Brutalists just at some point he is drawing you in emotionally. That is like a lot of the work. So I found myself moved by it even though it kept going, you know. And then I liked it when he told them to turn the music off.

[Amy Poehler]

That's, you know, I've been here before.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean it's respect, you know. And that's when the like the Hollywood starts peeking out, and he drove around to, you know, the message of love, not hate. But he got there in the end, and I agree.

[Amy Poehler]

So I think he's run. He ran a very sincere campaign. Wasn't telling a lot of jokes in his interviews. You know, I talked to him. He was very similar when we spoke. He was very, very thoughtful and deliberate in every answer, but took every question he received very seriously. And he's just an amazing actor. And it's clear that Hollywood forgot for 20 years, in part because of the parts he took or the parts he was offered or whatever may have happened in his career over that time. But when he gets his hands on the right role, he can do something interesting. I thought it was interesting the way that he located the arc of an actor's career, especially a successful actor, the way it ebbs and flows, which is something that you and I talk about all the time, right? This person's hot. They're on our list. They're not on our list. They're a box office success. This movie was a flop. Adrien Brody has kept himself relevant, obviously, by appearing in succession, being great in Wes Anderson movies. But as I've said, he's really been in pretty small genre stuff for the most part, for the last 15 years. And he literally, in the speech was like, I'm gonna make this a step in a redemption story. I'm now gonna pursue something more, something bigger. I'm gonna try to do more and succeed again. It was almost like he was pumping himself up during his own second best actor acceptance speech, and I think still.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Also wallowing a little bit. And what he clearly felt was the wilderness of the last 20 years. You know, as he was. He was speaking, and I think he said, this is a reminder. Things can go away, but you can also get them back. But something to that effect. And I was just thinking about the person who did not win in his category, Timothee Chalamet, who? I don't think it's going to go away for him. You know, he'll be fine. So even as he didn't win, I was like, well, it's going to be okay, because I don't think he's going to have a. An Adrien Brody wilderness period.

[Amy Poehler]

You never know.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You never know.

[Amy Poehler]

Coming out of the Pianist, his win for the Pianist, when he was the youngest winner of all time.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

You would have said, this guy's the next Al Pacino. He's the next Robert Duvall.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right.

[Amy Poehler]

He's like the next. He may not be the Most beautiful, you know, movie star of all time. But when he is given a part, he can crush it. You know what I mean? He's not a traditional 70s movie star. He's not a 2000s movie star. Nevertheless, the win I think we both saw coming for a very long time. Good speech. Zoe Saldana once again gave a very emotional speech. Talked about her parents as immigrants, talked about how she was the first woman of Dominic, the first person of Dominican descent to win an Academy Award. You know, Emilia Perez has been the black dove of this entire awards season in many ways, but Zoe Saldana has never wavered. She's won everywhere. This is probably one of the biggest steamroll best supporting actress campaigns of all time.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Shows up, looking amazing, totally prepared, Dynamite speech every single time. So, I mean, you know, and she really. She projects to the. To the rafters.

[Amy Poehler]

Sometimes when races get settled like this early on, I get annoyed, I think often of the very odd Renee Zellweger Judy Run, which I was very cranky about throughout that entire season. I felt both of the supporting actor and actress races were like this this year, where everyone just sort of landed on something and there was no room for discussion. But I don't really have anything bad to say about Zoe Saldana. When I saw that movie, she was really the only thing I could think about from that movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And she's very talented, and she does a lot of blockbuster movies, you know, so. And some that we even like. So credit to her for that.

[Amy Poehler]

No question.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, she's great. Also learned tonight that she also has a son named Sylvia, and I didn't know that.

[Amy Poehler]

Did you get a spelling?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's cy.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, wow.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. So shout out another cy Mom.

[Amy Poehler]

Cytwins. Yeah, that's nice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So we've got the suit and we have psy's in common. Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And so many other things.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And a love for the film Center Stage. I hope she loves it. I've probably seen it more times than she has, but.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. And also a love for Payakan, the whale from Avatar, the way of water.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I like sea creatures.

[Amy Poehler]

Is that true? You don't like birds?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, I'm freaked out by them.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, let's keep that in mind for future discussion.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Sean Fennessy]

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[Amanda Dobbins]

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[Amanda Dobbins]

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[Amanda Dobbins]

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[Amanda Dobbins]

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[Amanda Dobbins]

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[Amy Poehler]

What other awards popped out to you that were really notable? We talked about Director, we've talked about the big six at this point. What, what struck your fancy during this telecast? Well, let's just actually, let's say for the record, I predicted 17 out of 23. Yeah, you predicted 15 out of 2016. 16 out of 23, which is not bad. It's not great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The shorts really, really messed us up.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, I went.03 on the shorts. Did you as well? I also went.03, so that's not ideal animated feature. Let's talk about that one. I find that one very interesting as well. You predicted that one correctly.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I did.

[Amy Poehler]

You predicted flow?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I did.

[Amy Poehler]

Flow, of course, was strong. This year was also nominated an international feature and it beat the Wild Robot, which is what I predicted. And I consider this once again a sign of the old days are gone. And The Academy Awards. Flo is Flo the single smallest movie to have ever won a major award at the Academy Awards. And when I say major award, screenplay, acting, picture, and then the three international documentary and animated. Is it the single small. I mean, I think less than 15 people worked on this movie. It's. The budget is miniscule.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No dialogue.

[Amy Poehler]

It has no dialogue. It is made on software that anyone can download that is free, called Blender, and it just won best Animated feature, overcoming Universal, Disney, Aardman and Netflix. It's just an amazing thing. Yeah, it's a beautiful movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

People really love that cat and the capybara. I'm happy for Mallory Rubin. She was delighted by this movie. Yeah. I'm happy for Chris Ryan, who has seen the film flow, you know, his first animated feature.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So there we go.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Good for him. Congratulations, Chris. Best documentary feature. No Other Land. One.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And the recipient. You know, I made a mistake on the. On the predictions episode. I said that the events in the film take place in Gaza. I meant to say West Bank. Yeah. Which is which the filmmakers, I thought, spoke quite eloquently about and why they chose to make this movie and why this movie is important. And it was the one of very few moments in the night where someone who won an award or a host or a presenter openly acknowledged world events. There was like an ooh, aren't I naughty moment from Conan O'Brien about standing up to Russian power.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right. And why Anwara was doing so well.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. But occupation and the destruction of homes in the west bank and in the community that is portrayed in that movie. I thought both filmmakers spoke very eloquently.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

It was not the booing and hissing that some feared because of, you know, some of the.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right, though, you know, I suppose the letters haven't been written yet.

[Amy Poehler]

No. And I'm sure that they will be.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm sure that they will be.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm sure there will be.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It was very quiet in the room and not as much. No standing ovations.

[Amy Poehler]

No standing ovation.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Very, very polite.

[Amy Poehler]

I was looking very closely at Selena Gomez and Samuel L. Jackson, who introduced this award. And Selena Gomez, I would say, gently clapped. And Samuel L. Jackson had his hands in his pockets.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. But I also, with respect to Selena Gomez, I think that it was sort of like the auto clap where she was trying not to.

[Amy Poehler]

It seemed polite. We can't read intention into their actions. But I was looking because it's very rare that you see extremely famous people have to have a reaction to a moment like that like a real world issue that actually matters to people and to the.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The winners actually speaking to the, the people in the room and to this country and to our foreign policy and the ways that it is failing. And so, yeah, I mean, it was a. An amazing and fascinating moment that most people seem to just want to lean at. And that's another one where I noticed that the production, they were not cutting to anyone.

[Amy Poehler]

No. Although I was wondering if they would cut to Guy Pearce because Guy Pierce very notably was wearing a Free Palestine pin, which is something he has been wearing throughout awards season. But they did not. I assume ABC was attempting to be very careful during that moment. Nevertheless, interesting to see that it happened and that that group and the body itself actually went for that movie because it upended whatever our questions or concerns were about that. When we talked about the category international feature, you held on to Emilia Perez.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Listen, I went. I was trying some things. You can't be great if you don't try some things.

[Amy Poehler]

I agree. And you know who else would agree with that is Jacques Odillard. You know, he tried to do something great and he did not succeed with the film Emilia Perez, which. Which was the odds on favorite for many months in this category in particular. And it lost to I'm still Here, the Brazilian entrant, the Walter Salas film starring Fernando Torres. He gave a nice quiet speech. Walter Salas, very good filmmaker. He of course does not get this award. The nation of Brazil receives this award.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Listen, I think that they are at least appreciative. So congratulations. Or their government, I think. Well, I'm not getting into that. I just said the people on the Internet who are excited about Brazil get this award in my mind and I'm happy for them.

[Amy Poehler]

Sure. Yeah. Kind of a weird category. They need to rethink this whole category. This one country gets to submit a film makes no sense. It's well intentioned. Because they don't want like five French films because they have a thriving film industry. Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And that would have been a problem 20 to 30 years ago. But now, because the Academy is so much more international, you have more international features making it into Best Picture on a regular basis, which is great.

[Amy Poehler]

And way more access to world cinema. So I think that I'm sure that this has been discussed ad nauseam inside the Academy. They just need to change this. It doesn't make sense. I'm still here as a. Is a good winner. But it's a bit strange. The music categories quickly. El Mal won for best original Song, which is one because you wore this suit tonight. You look wonderful.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thanks so much.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm very proud of your bravery.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

And did we.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Did we get any.

[Amy Poehler]

Who's more uncomfortable in their suit tonight, me or you?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Any clarity on what the. What Al Mal means? Did you get any feedback?

[Amy Poehler]

Didn't. Didn't hear from anyone. No one was reaching out to me during the show. Best score, of course, we got Daniel Blumber.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Wait, so it means the evil as I was correct. Yeah. You. No, no, no. We're gonna have to talk about the acceptance for original song.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, right, yeah. Well, I guess we're starting the lowlights portion of the conversation.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do you want me to. You want it? You just wanted to talk about winners and then we can have like the airing of grievances.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes, I think that's a good idea. In general, this prize was given by Mick Jagger.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That was cool.

[Amy Poehler]

And honestly, Mick looked great. He's 81 years old. He made a joke about being younger than Bob Dylan, who did not show at the award show. No surprise. Shout out to you, Bob. Thank you for everything you've given me. Mick just smiling through the whole thing, Jonty. Just laughing. He was having a great old time. Chalamet seemed to enjoy that. And he gave a prize to El Mall. Best score. Daniel Blumberg. He won for the Brutalist, which is a magnificent, wonderful score.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Completely deserving. They had the. The Academy orchestra play snippets live. I. I would have liked to hear more. And from the Brutalist, I would have liked to hear the Bum bum bum bum. I guess they did get it when he won. Yes, but it was cool to have them. And overall throughout the night they did a good job. Thumbs up to the orchestra.

[Amy Poehler]

The orchestra did well.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Best sound and best visual effects went to Dune Part 2. There was some speculation a complete unknown might come in on best sound. I expressed some confusion. Also the explanation that I shared on the predictions episode about the difference between sound mixing and sound editing apparently was completely wrong. And I've been scolded by members of the sound community and to them I'd like to say I do not apologize. I'm an idiot and everyone knows this. Dune Part 2. Winning a couple of awards. Something occurred to me which I also shared on social media. There was a film, once upon a time called the Lord of the Rings. The Two Towers.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

This film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture and it won two prizes. It won best sound editing and best visual effects. It was the second film in a trilogy much anticipated this year. Dune Part 2 was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, and it won two Best Sound and best visual effects. Dune Messiah. I ask.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I love you and your numbers and I need you to Google the plot of Dune Messiah.

[Amy Poehler]

I don't want to. I like Anora just won best picture. How everything everywhere all at once won best picture.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And still I say to you, Sean, I need you to understand what's going to be happening.

[Amy Poehler]

Shape of Water one best picture.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And yet again, sir, I say, you know, it's fine. Let's see how long I can go without spoiling it for you.

[Amy Poehler]

You will never spoil it for me. It will be spoiled for me when I sit to watch the film.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I know, but, like, at some point I'm just going to yell out something, you know, I can't do it. It's like at the tip of my. I'm going to now be in here with a trench saying, they haven't even started filming yet. It's going to be like four years of you being like, this will definitely be Lord of the Rings, Return of the.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, here's what I'm. Here's what I'm putting as worms. I'm putting a circle around the fact that this is what Hollywood thinks it's doing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay?

[Amy Poehler]

It thinks it's prepared because Hollywood is also not red Dune Messiah. You know who's red Dune Messiah?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Nerds.

[Amy Poehler]

No one I know. No, that's not true. A lot of people here at the Ringer have read Dune Messiah and they too have said it's very weird. But I don't think that the folks voting for the Oscars really know that. And so they're. They're gearing up to award a film that may not deliver on the promise the way that the Return of the King did, which was a very triumphal, satisfying, not tightener of a final installment.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They destroy Sauron.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. The eye.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The eye, yeah. That was me doing the eye. Thank you.

[Amy Poehler]

This is the eye Poor.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Didn't even have had like a middle seat way in the back. So disgraceful.

[Amy Poehler]

You think they stood up to let him go to the back?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Brady Corbett was definitely seated, like in Rosie or whatever.

[Amy Poehler]

Sean Baker. Why are these people sitting so far back?

[Amanda Dobbins]

At least they had aisle seats, you know?

[Amy Poehler]

They did.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They did. So they had easy access and also.

[Amy Poehler]

Just they didn't have to get up for anything.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, I know, but it's just. It's. It's insulting.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. I don't. Not sure I totally understand the. Sean, did they not want to give away the game by not seating Sean Baker too close. Why was he in the 19th row when he had to go up there four times?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I think he was like in the third or fourth row.

[Amy Poehler]

That's. No, that's not true.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You think he was all the way back? Yeah, he was at least in the center. On the aisle. He was like center aisle. And Courbet was on the. On the right aisle.

[Amy Poehler]

Let's stop recording, drive to the Dolby Theater and we'll map out the whole room and then go to Johnny Rafis. Any other. What other notable awards did we have this evening? Not too many more. Production design, of course, went to Wicked, as did best costumes. We talked about that. I thought Paul Tazewell's speech was wonderful. The costume designer for Wicked, also great fit. He looked fantastic. That does raise a question, though, which is one of my real pet peeves. Do you want to start. Do you want to start bitching? Do you want to start saying, here's what sucked and here's what I didn't like. What do you think?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't know how much more positivity I have. We've gone through all the good stuff. Anora was my favorite movie of the year and it won. So like, good job, Academy.

[Amy Poehler]

That was great. I want to shout out June Squib and Scarlett Johansson.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Very funny.

[Amy Poehler]

Their presentation together was amazing. Apparently June Squibb is the star of Scarjo's forthcoming directorial debut. She did a great bit about how she's actually Paul Skarsgrd in makeup to present the makeup Oscar. That was very, very funny.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Andrew Garfield and Goldie Hawn. Just absolutely Andrew Garfield on the run of a lifetime. The role of a lifetime.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm not seeing anything like this in my life. Simultaneously cougar bait and the most desirable 40 year old man in Hollywood.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The glasses were there, the pendant he was wearing the Urman. I don't know if it was the exact same.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Looked great.

[Amy Poehler]

Just another velvet suit, right?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Escorting Goldie Hawn, supporting Goldie Han. A plus stuff.

[Amy Poehler]

That was nice.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Congratulations to him. You think he makes it into the Gold party tonight?

[Amy Poehler]

Why would he not?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't know. I just.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, Andrew Garfield.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't. He hasn't won an Oscar.

[Amy Poehler]

He was Spider Man.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Not the best one.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, that's debatable. You know, that's the. He's not in the best movies. Okay, but did he really embody Peter?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I like him very much.

[Amy Poehler]

I do as well. I wish him all the best. And if he's actually dating Monica Barbaro Salute to you, sir. Yeah, I thought Amy Poehler was very funny. Presenting Ringer podcaster Amy Poehler. She had some of the best lines of the night. She presented animated feature and animated short. Is that right? No, that can't be writing.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, she presented both screenplay because they were jokes about how terrible writing is.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. We didn't mention Peter Strawn one for conclave, which had been much predicted.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Nice bit with his daughter. And the sweater.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. It was for her, but not hers. Yes. Which is something I can relate to. Most of the objects in my bedroom are for Alice, but they do not belong to her and never will. I don't know. The Quincy Jones tribute. Not bad.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Not bad.

[Amy Poehler]

Not anything.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Listen, I'm always happy to see Whoopi and Oprah. A lot of energy at a moment when we all need it. Queen Latifah then performed a song from the Wiz.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. The second song from the Wiz performed that night.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There was a great moment about halfway through before the rest of the crowd really got into it. But Colman Domingo, who is seated, I believe, right next to Demi Moore or maybe one other, but front and center, he was vibing. He knew to stand up and just dance immediately. And he is bringing the right energy to all of these. Agreed.

[Amy Poehler]

He also looked great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I thought the fire department tribute was nice. And I liked them giving the roast jokes to the officials from the fire department, particularly the Joker 2 joke, which was very funny. Super funny and raw. There was a Rolex commercial that I enjoyed featuring several masters of cinema.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It aired again.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

While you were.

[Amy Poehler]

A second time.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Martin Scorsese was at the center of this commercial. Leonardo DiCaprio was in it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Was Inaritu in it?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Big Jim was in. It's a great shot of Big Jim, like, in a rattan chair on the set of the Titanic with, like, the water. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

With the Omega right on his wrist. I enjoyed that. And, yeah, you know, normal stuff. Just guys on $20 million sets directing $300 million movies wearing $80,000 watches.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Who among us?

[Amanda Dobbins]

So there was another Rolex commercial before, at the very beginning of the show. And I don't know where you were.

[Amy Poehler]

But you make it sound like I was, like, on my paper route. Where did I go?

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, you're outside. You weren't in the theater. And it was your more traditional. I mean, there was like, a lot of Roger Federer, which obviously caught my eye. Some tiger in there. I believe Coco Gauff was in the mix. And so it was like Athletes and then sort of surprisingly to me, ended on Leo. And like the very last image, which that director's commercial actually does end on Leo. So if Leo's in his Rolex era, good for him, I guess.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. I mean, these one battle after another, budgets aren't going to pay for themselves.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I guess so.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, let's go to the Black Lodge. Let's go to the dead space. Let's go to the place where all things go to die. Okay, there were some unfortunate things during this telecast. What would you say was the most unfortunate thing that you witnessed? Well, Amanda's hater corner has commenced.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So I think that there were two incidents during which you felt the need to share with the world your displeasure at being so close to me.

[Amy Poehler]

That's not entirely true, but okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And so the first was actually not the nadir of the night. I thought it was in the moment, but there was worse to come. But we will start with the James Bond tribute, which I love James Bond.

[Amy Poehler]

You do.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I didn't want any of this. And it was not made clear why we were saluting James Bond tonight of all nights. I don't think it was like, hey, Amazon took over, so I guess we gotta throw a wake here.

[Amy Poehler]

My understanding was, is that it was. It happened because Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson were honored by the Governor's Awards and identifying who were the recipients this year, which included Richard Curtis, Juliet Taylor. I'm forgetting one other really important person. Nevertheless, they were also acknowledged and they used that as a segue to perform what felt like an immemorial for James Bond. It was sort of like a weird, sexy funeral dirge.

[Amanda Dobbins]

The other person was Quincy Jones.

[Amy Poehler]

Quincy Jones.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So he did actually get later. Yeah. So it started with Margaret Qualley of the substance, performing a dance number with many other dancers. And she was good, but I thought.

[Amy Poehler]

That was appropriate because Bond is famed for casting the young beautiful woman and she seems like the kind of actress you might find in a Bond movie in the future. That wouldn't stun you if it was like, Margaret Qualley is Dr. Alexandra Snake Pit.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

So don't steal that name. Amazon Dr. Alexander Snake Pit. Pit is copyrighted here by the show.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I feel I have said this before on previous post Oscars broadcasts and I admire dance and even dance in cinema.

[Amy Poehler]

Uh huh.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But very often there's a ballet on my Oscar stage for absolutely no reason, including an In Memoriam one year. And it's at some point you have to ask yourself, why is this ballet happening? On my Oscar stage. And I don't know if there was a good reason for the. For. For. For this particular one.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, it got worse.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Exactly.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, it wasn't just that there was a brief ballet. It turned into a musical review.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Which I am not the bondologist that you are, but to these. These virgin ears.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

It was not good. These were not good choices.

[Amanda Dobbins]

There are many good, you know, Bond themes, of course. Some of our greatest living artists have written and performed songs.

[Amy Poehler]

Like Sam Smith.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, I didn't endorse that one. But first we had Lisa from Blackpink perform Live and Let Die.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. She's currently starring on the White Lotus.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, yeah. I. I started season two. I gotta.

[Amy Poehler]

Congratulations.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, thanks. I'm gonna get there, Speed it up.

[Amy Poehler]

We're on to season three. Lady, that was two years ago.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, so Lisa was doing Live and Let Die.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. An amazing song. Yeah. First of all, where was Axl Rose? That's really my question.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, okay, Paul couldn't do it. He just did SNL50. He's in his cryo chamber. He's got a power up for another 75 day tour. I understand. I respect. Paul's the goat.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Let's get Axel.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

Let's put Axel in a mankini. Let's just get him out there.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Great.

[Amy Poehler]

He's still smoking it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Not done. So that goes on for a long time. I also just want to note that all of these performers were allowed multiple verses.

[Amy Poehler]

That's true. That was weird.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So then out comes Doja Cat to sing Diamonds are Forever in a key different than the key being performed by the accompanying orchestra. We'll leave it at that.

[Amy Poehler]

I won't leave it at that. She was out of tune and it was a train wreck.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, that was very weird. And it went on and on and on. And we're talking like eight minutes of James Bond review at this point, and it's not done. And then they start playing the strains of one of the great Bond anthems and one of the only good original song winners in our time. And someone other than Adele is brought out to perform Skyfall. I was so angry. I was just absolutely yelling at the top of my lungs.

[Amy Poehler]

This is when I sent out a message about being concerned about being so close to you.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And she got a second verse too.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

What are we doing?

[Amy Poehler]

I actually didn't think Ray was that bad.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But she's not Adele.

[Amy Poehler]

No, she's. What do you think Adele was doing tonight?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Is she still in Vegas? She with Chris Paul. I don't know.

[Amy Poehler]

Chris Paul.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

No, Rich Paul.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, Rich Paul. Sorry. Chris Paul is a basketball player.

[Amy Poehler]

That would be. Now that would be a headline. Chris Paul started dating Adele. She left Rich Paul at the aisle.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, that was really tough.

[Amy Poehler]

It was really bad. It smacked of weird. 2000 and tens Oscars, you know, where it'd be like, and now a tribute to cars on film. Do you like driving in cars like we do? Here's a man dressed as a car performing the Polkroy Ballet. You know, like, it's just really weird.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Now I'm just imagining how psyched Knox would be. What's that man doing? It does. But it wasn't even, like, weird enough, you know, When I think about 2010's Oscars, I think about Anne Hathaway and James Franco, like Trainwreck or whatever that Seth MacFarlane, like, show us your boobs number. Or all the, you know, bad decisions that I didn't enjoy.

[Amy Poehler]

But at least I wrote that song.

[Amanda Dobbins]

By the way, you and Camille. We'll get there. It's coming. I'm just warming up. But this was just like boring and bad.

[Amy Poehler]

It was, it was, you know, it felt like two things at once. It felt like a feint towards younger listeners, like. Or younger watchers, like, sure. Don't turn off the telecast. Rey is coming up. Kids, did you not go to Anora in the theater? Perhaps you'll want to listen to Doja cat sing a 50 year old bond theme. So that was weird. And then on the other hand, it also felt like, and this is entirely speculation, but it felt like perhaps the Broccoli family was like, hey, guess what? We sold Bond. Bond is dead.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

So tell everyone Bond is dead and this new thing is not Bond. What we were doing was Bond, but we sold it. And so let's honor what it was. Now, you could make the case that because of the ending of no Time to Die, it was not the worst idea to honor Bond. But that movie was two and a half years ago. So why didn't we do it then?

[Amanda Dobbins]

So you think that this was like Barbara Broccoli programming and sending out a subliminal message of like, rip my family's entire history. Here's Doja Cat.

[Amy Poehler]

Frankly, I do.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, well.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, I mean, otherwise, why would the telecast do that?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I have no idea. It was baffling. Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

It was. I'm searching for answers. Okay, so that wasn't the worst thing that you saw. You. You. You were yelping a bit during that period, but not.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, I think I was, like, actively yelling once. Once they gave Ray a second verse. With all respect to her, I was just like, this is not Adele. You will not do this to my beloved.

[Amy Poehler]

What's your favorite Doja Cat album?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I just. It was. It was very long, and in general, there was just a lot of singing at this Oscars. As I said to you, at some point, it felt like the Tonys, but it was the Oscars.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, we're getting around Amanda's hater corner to the other side of the corner now. What. What lives on that corner?

[Amanda Dobbins]

What do you mean?

[Amy Poehler]

I'm just trying to set you up for.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, original song. Yeah. Okay. I was just, like, doing some geometry.

[Amy Poehler]

Wait. Weird.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm always like, which corner?

[Amy Poehler]

Did you drop a pin?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Do I have to come up with a new name for the corner? Yes. So Camille and the other French guy won for El Mall from Emilia Perez.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And they got up and. And gave a whole speech, and it was about how El Mal is about, you know, corruption and other stuff, and that was fine. And they talked for a long time. And then just as the music was starting, Camille started singing.

[Amy Poehler]

She was attempting to lead a sing along with the crowd. Unfortunately, none of the songs in Emilia Perez are memorable, and everyone now hates that movie.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But she also kept going. And for some reason, the music, which I thought for the most, they were responsive, you know, they were reactive, but the music did not drown her out. And it just kept going and going and going, and I was just curled up in a fetal position. It was absolutely awful.

[Amy Poehler]

It wasn't good. It wasn't good. It's not a good category.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No.

[Amy Poehler]

I think they need to rethink that category as well.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I do. As. As. As. You know, unfortunately, even under my new, like, rules for the. The category, which would be. It has to be a song that is in the. In the text and in the story of the film. It can't just be, like, tacked on at the end.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Al Mal would qualify. However, under my new rules, you would also have to vote for good songs. So in that sense, it would be a no.

[Amy Poehler]

Who is allowing you to institute new rules?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, I'm now in charge of the Academy because that comes with the access to your adu. So congratulations to me.

[Amy Poehler]

We're going to have to go back maybe later this week and just replay what it is I actually agreed to, because now I think there's some fanciful notions of what's actually going to transpire in that space. I mean, what else? What else from this show? Conan had very few kind of pre taped bits. He had Cinema Streams was really the only one of note which also featured Martin Scorsese, which was very funny but felt more like an SNL sketch. Kimmel would do some of those from time to time in the last few years as well.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Very few presenter bits, which can really go both ways. You can sit through some really tough ones. On the other hand, when done right, they are a pop of celebrity, of humor. You know, they're memorable. And you get to see some famous people. I guess we didn't really see that many, like big movie stars. Besides the nominees.

[Amy Poehler]

No. And there were some. None of these. There's nothing wrong with any of these people. But Miles Teller and Miley Cyrus or Daryl Hannah by herself just seemed like kind of an odd collection. I thought it was very nice when Quentin Tarantino came out to give best director a prize he has not at the Academy Awards. And as soon as he walked out, I knew Sean Baker was going to win because Sean and Quentin are friends and Sean frequents Quentin's movie theater and there is a nice synchronicity there. And I thought Sean was very sweet about what Quentin's movies are and what they have meant to him, but it was just kind of an odd group of presenters. And some of it was like, sure, everybody's shooting the Nolan movie. And some of it was like, okay, maybe the Oscars are no longer Hollywood promotion. Some of it was just like, were these purposeful choices? I couldn't really figure it out. I did like Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan at the end. I thought that was a very inspired choice. And they were both good.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. And they. And they used the When Harry Met Sally IP for good instead of for mayo.

[Amy Poehler]

So they use to sell. Oh, they. Yeah. If they have commercials. What kind of mayo is it?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't remember.

[Amy Poehler]

As you know, I don't eat mayo. I will have an aioli.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I'm on the record about that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Are there any flavors of aioli that you turn down because they're just too mayo? They're not. There aren't like far enough on the spectrum towards aioli.

[Amy Poehler]

Cat litter flavored or like a sewer flavored? I'm not really into those. But, you know, your lemon aioli, your garlic aioli. Yeah, absolutely.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Lovely.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm in.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They were very nice.

[Amy Poehler]

It was nice to see them 35.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Years ago, Billy said was his first time hosting the Oscars.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I think I might have mentioned that I enjoyed listening to Crystal on Conan's podcast a few months ago. And they talked a lot about the Oscars, in part because Conan was getting ready. And I wonder with Conan now, I mean, he no longer has a talk show. I think he still has a series on Max, which is more of a travel show. And he has kind of settled into this emeritus. We can all agree that this guy is fun role.

[Amanda Dobbins]

He podcasts, right?

[Amy Poehler]

He, of course, has a huge podcast.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I was gonna say. Excuse me.

[Amy Poehler]

No, but I mean, in terms of, like, aside from. Not that podcasting isn't a very important work.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, I was gonna say it should.

[Amy Poehler]

Be honored at the Academy Awards. He is our peer. Many people are saying I'm peers with Conan O'Brien. He certainly feels like somebody who could host this show five times in a row.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I really liked it.

[Amy Poehler]

I don't know if he would have the same magic as the first time, but he just is very well suited to this kind of thing. And it's a hard job. And it's been hard for them over the years to find people. One of the reasons why they've gone back to Kimmel so many times is because he's one of the very few people who not only can do it, but is good at it. So I don't know. I thought that was nice that all of that worked out. The telecast still being a little under four hours. Even I, who loves this shit, was like, this is Dragon in the middle.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. Too many performances. We spent a lot of time on almost everything. And I actually really liked the Fab Five presenters for both costume design and cinematography.

[Amy Poehler]

That was where I wanted to end this. Thank you for reminding me.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I liked that because instead of, you know, I believe last year it was used in the acting categories. And this year, actors from each of the films came and spoke to either the costume designer or the cinematographer who had worked on the film and that. And was able to illuminate and I think a very specific way why. What those. What those individual people do to the film and what it means to the. To the larger product that you see. So I thought that was great. I really liked it. That obviously does take more time. And you're doing. If you're doing that in the craft categories, but you're not cutting down because you're. We got a lot of clips, and so you're getting clips in other categories, and then you're just not turning the dial off on some speeches that just went way, way too long. And I'm not talking about Adrien Brody. I'm talking about, you know, I don't need to Single people out, but there were just some people that didn't stop talking.

[Amy Poehler]

So, yeah, I mean, that's always the case, right?

[Amanda Dobbins]

There was just there, there was no place, There were no cuts at any point.

[Amy Poehler]

I think this is obviously a really hard show to produce and it always goes somewhere between 3 hours and 20 minutes to 3 hours and 50 minutes. Because things like that happen. People talk too long, some bits don't work as well or performance is longer than it was during a rehearsal. This year was yet another year in which, like someone like Adrien Brody who's winning one of the four or three biggest awards of the night is getting cut off after 90 seconds or 75 seconds. And my reaction to that is always like, why the fuck are we even here? Yeah, like, this is the best actor of the year. Why are we cutting this person off? Like, what? How does this make any sense? If people are watching the show right now, they're not going to turn it off because Adrien Brody went 45 seconds too long before Best Picture. That's fucking idiotic. But it's because the shows are so front loaded and they're not managed properly. This happens every year. So I'm not like casting aspersions on this year's producers. It always happens. Nevertheless, the presenters thing, that's definitely one of the reasons why it was longer. I liked that, that particular strategy that you highlighted, which is bringing out people who are associated with the film, who are actors, who are good at reading lines, who can speak to the craft but not make it boring. I didn't like the weird inconsistency with the acting performances where we had David and Jarr Randolph and Robert Downey Jr. Both of whom are great and I thought did fine jobs at this, but basically kind of like gave little mini speeches about each nominee and the supporting categories, but then in the actor and actress category.

[Amanda Dobbins]

So we know exactly why.

[Amy Poehler]

But is it because of Corly Sophia Gastronomy? It's because you turned to me stupid.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, a lot of things are stupid at the Oscars, but you did also turn to me, I think during David Joy Randolph's presentation to say, so they're just gonna have Emma Stone come out and say this about like, and speak about Carlos Sophia Gascon, like nothing happened. And you, you were like, they can't do that. Right?

[Amy Poehler]

They didn't do it.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They didn't do it. They had to make a choice. I, you know, I agree that it.

[Amy Poehler]

Was weird compromise though. So like we saw clips for the best actor and best Actress, but we didn't see clips for the supporting actors. Why?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean, I don't know.

[Amy Poehler]

I don't know. I just, I didn't, I didn't like that as, you know, I want clips. I. People really thought that there were going to be clips and then there ultimately were.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right. But not in the acting category.

[Amy Poehler]

Not in the acting categories. But there were like in screenplay, for example, recording.

[Amanda Dobbins]

But there were in actor and actress.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. And in screenplay and a bunch of others too.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I don't know. I, you know, there were a lot of inconsistencies. It, it honestly felt like there were a lot of fixes in this. Whether it was substituting for like, people who couldn't be there to present or sit in the front row trying to, you know, fix things. Like who actually wants to present Best Actress? Like they were patching it together and to their credit, like there weren't any obvious problems in the show. No, it was just a little strangely paced. I think they didn't give out a single award until 4:30pm PST. So that's 30 minutes into the show, which. That's a long time.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. Two and a half hours in. They had nine awards to give left. That's not the best pacing, but it's not, it's not that big of a deal to me. It's more like you could feel the seams almost entirely, maybe because of the Emilia Perez thing, which just kind of threw everything into a room.

[Amanda Dobbins]

And I think like, attendance just seemed a little low in terms of non nominees. I don't think there were very few people not affiliated with a nominated film who you recognize in the audience, with the exception of Andrew Garfield.

[Amy Poehler]

That's a great point.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And certainly your Leo, Ben, Matt Cruz, Denzel, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, that whole. This is the third year in a row we've been saying, like, these people do not go. No, they do not. There's not a reason to go for them anymore, which feels different. Right.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It just, it doesn't feel like prom in the same way. And I think maybe that doesn't matter for younger audiences who like, don't care that much about seeing Meryl Streep or whatever. But to me, one of the appeals of the Oscars has always been like all the famous people in a room together having to interact. And we don't really, we didn't see them really interacting very much just because that's not the way the telecast was scheduled and people weren't, they weren't cutting back and forth and it seemed like there weren't that many people there beyond the cast of Honora and the cast of the Brutalist and Conclave. I guess a few people were there, but here. Let's talk about Conclave for a second, which just, I guess it won one award.

[Amy Poehler]

One award.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They were all there. But how do you feel about having worn a pope's hat? Not a pope's hat, a cardinal's hat. Sorry.

[Amy Poehler]

I feel fine.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

My long history with Christianity is documented on this podcast. It's a film I enjoyed. I think what happened is right. I think if it had won Best Picture, that would have been.

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, I completely agree. But like, four hours ago, we were like, we don't know. It could be a lot of things.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I definitely thought there was a chance it could win. And as usual, I would love to know what the data could tell us about the voting results. I don't feel that it is as close as it was given how many awards they won and the fact that Mikey Madison also won. Now I'm like, good Lord. Maybe inor really significantly outpaced everything. But that's the thing is, like, we were talking about, like, oh, could a movie like the Brutalist Bagel. It didn't. A complete unknown did. And Conclave only went one for eight or nine, whatever it was nominated for, which are not great showings. Even Emilia Perez won two Academy Awards, so, you know, better luck next time, Popes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Seems like Pope Francis is in better health.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, I'm glad to hear. I actually, I forgot to say I.

[Amy Poehler]

Spoke with him today.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay, good.

[Amy Poehler]

Hey, man, good luck on the show. Hope you guys do well. Any closing thoughts?

[Amanda Dobbins]

So you think it wasn't even close? You think it was just an aura all the way through? I mean, I. I tend to agree with you.

[Amy Poehler]

Five for six.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah. Do you think that that suggests just a greater, like, people just really like Anora? Do you think that there were just a lot of Anora, like, first ticket ballots, do you think?

[Amy Poehler]

I think the general consensus, both among movie fans and people within the Academy is that this is a fine, maybe even good year and not a great year. Completely agree that Anora is the film that everyone could most agree on, that they had a good time with, that had good craft and had thoughtful ideas that you were presented with, but were not solved, which is something that the Oscars used to not like and now likes a lot. And I find that interesting. Sort of like semi ambiguous downer ending can now win you an Academy Award. And so I think it just. It succeeded in part because of who it was competing against. Which is the case every year, right?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, I think so. I'm also wondering, do you think it was just the most widely seen in the Academy anyway? Because I'm imagining a lot of people being like, well, I haven't watched that many, but here, Honora's kind of got some.

[Amy Poehler]

I think it had the longest shelf life, other than Dune Part two because it was rubber stamped at Cannes. And that rubber stamping really matters. We saw Anatomy of a Fall win a screenwriting Oscar last year, a movie that in the past would never be competing at the Academy Awards. So I guess we'll have to keep a close eye on what's going to win the Palm this year. You won't be there and neither will I.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You don't know that I won't be there.

[Amy Poehler]

You gonna go?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Well, listen, it's March.

[Amy Poehler]

You should wear that suit to honor Jacques Audiard.

[Amanda Dobbins]

This suit has not ripped yet. But I just. I just have to. Actually, that's not true. I have a change of clothes.

[Amy Poehler]

9 14. The night is young.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yeah, no, but I don't think.

[Amy Poehler]

What are you going to go do after this?

[Amanda Dobbins]

It's a great question. I was not invited to any parties, so. That's actually not true. I was invited. Neon invited me to the party, but.

[Amy Poehler]

I was invited as well.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Traffic is going to be.

[Amy Poehler]

You were not invited to the Universal party, Eh?

[Amanda Dobbins]

No, they didn't. They invited you.

[Amy Poehler]

Sure did. Yeah.

[Amanda Dobbins]

You know, I also really. I was not invited to the Wall Street Journal party with Harrison Ford. The Wall Street Journal magazine party. Even though I know the editor, Sarah Ball, who's a great editor. Sarah, I would have loved to come to your party.

[Amy Poehler]

What's the median age at that party? 74.

[Amanda Dobbins]

It looked fun. It was at the Chateau. I'll show up. I don't care. I can hang.

[Amy Poehler]

Hard to believe you're not getting these invites. Well, this has been a kind of fun Oscar season. I missed you for the first three months. I want to thank Joanna Robinson. Joanna will be joining us later this week on the Mailbag to talk about her thoughts.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Oh, I didn't know. In person.

[Amy Poehler]

In person. She's here in Los Angeles.

[Amanda Dobbins]

That's really great news for me, which.

[Amy Poehler]

Will be really fun. I'm very curious. I heard from her a little bit during this show, but she helped me out enormously while you were on leave. So that was great.

[Amanda Dobbins]

She was wonderful. I'm really excited to see her also. I guess she's here for the whole White Lotus run. Want to go get A drink with Joanna.

[Amy Poehler]

I sent her a note. I sent a note to her and Rob Mahoney that I'm been very mixed on severance, but I've been really loving their podcasts.

[Amanda Dobbins]

They're wonderful at podcasting, even though Rob is my nemesis.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. We'll find some opportunities to ask her what she thought. Maybe she'll totally disagree. Maybe she'll say anora is hot trash and should be deleted from all the hard drives of the world.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Okay. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Do you think she'll say that?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes, absolutely. I think that sounds exactly right.

[Amy Poehler]

Bobby Wagner, any closing thoughts? Well, one of my closing thoughts is that Joanna is going to be really disappointed that Amy Adams did not win for her performance this year in the film the Night Bitch. Or just Night Bitch? No, the. Did we lose the Social Network style? Lose the. The. It's just Night Bitch. I guess my final thoughts here are that, you know, I crunched the numbers a second time because you questioned my math earlier. I was so offended by that. All this hard work that I put into the big Oscar bet. What's that all about? Yeah, I think I never questioned you. I believe in you. So the final outcomes.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes. Let's get some great graphics work going down here as I get my close up.

[Amy Poehler]

We're trying to get this episode up as quickly as possible, so we will not be getting great graphics work going. Amanda's going Marvel executive moment. Like, we just got to get back with some more cgi. More red Hulk.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Just take it apart.

[Amy Poehler]

More red. Final predictions, outcomes. Amanda, you predicted 16 of 23. I predicted 17 of 23.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Right. But we didn't, like. There's no consequence to that.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, the consequences. You lost. And for the big Oscar bet, you scored 43 points and I scored 40.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I did.

[Amy Poehler]

And it all came down to Sean Baker over Brady Courbet in Best Director. In Best Director.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Yes, it did.

[Amy Poehler]

So you win whatever that prize is, which we'll have to listen to on maybe Wednesday's episode of the show. Okay.

[Amanda Dobbins]

I'm so thrilled. Thank you so much. We did it.

[Amy Poehler]

We did what?

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thank you, everyone.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, speaking of that Wednesday episode, people can submit questions for it, right? Our post Oscar Hangover mailbag. Thank you, Bobby. Very good point. What is the email address that people should send questions to? Bigpickmailbagmail.com Big pic mailbag. Let's just say I don't think the ratings will be super high for this telecast. We will talk about that.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Are you gonna lose any sleep over that?

[Amy Poehler]

No, I. As you said. As I said, I'VE kind of let go, let go of a lot of that stuff. But it is, it's relevant, I think, to what we do. And we'll talk about if there's any blowback from the parties. What do you think?

[Amanda Dobbins]

I mean, it is only 9:17 here. So, you know, get in touch. I guess by the time people are listening to this, I'll be a I've.

[Amy Poehler]

Got a black car waiting to take me to the Chateau right now. So see you guys later. Thanks so much to Bobby Wagner, our producer, for his work on this episode and throughout award season. Thank you very much to John Richter and Corey McConnell on the video side for taking care of us for the pre show and for this episode.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Thank you guys for sitting through the entire awards show with us and listening.

[Amy Poehler]

To me yell in lieu of Sanders as well. So was helping us throughout this season. This is not the end of the show, but it is mercifully the end of this season.

[Amanda Dobbins]

Jack, bon voyage. Enjoy.

[Amy Poehler]

Enjoy. Sweden and parts unknown. Thank you all to the listeners and watchers of this show. Two people in their 40s doing their best. We'll be back later this week.