During an impressive break from the academy custom, the TV broadcast was used as an obvious promo for some upcoming films. Chris Evans has released a commercial for “Lightyear”, an upcoming Pixar “Toy Story” prequel that will be released exclusively in theaters in June. A lengthy videotaped promotion of the academy’s new museum in Los Angeles featured Sykes on tour. Last year, the TV audience for the Oscars dropped so sharply (down 60 percent from 2020, already a record low) that the organizers decided to repeat the live broadcast. The Oscar nomination in eight categories – the least stars – was moved to a non-television portion, with the academy saying it would record acceptance speeches and incorporate edited tracks into the main show. Screams of frustration are heard, both from moviegoers and marginalized artists. But the academy remained stable. Nominated for a total of 10 categories, “Dune” won the Oscars for Best Sound, Music, Production Design and Editing during what the academy called the “Golden Hour” in an effort to quell bruised egos. Hans Zimmer, who wrote the music for “Dune”, was not ready to receive the Oscar, the second of his career after “The Lion King” (1989), with a presenter explaining that he was missing on tour. The team behind Chastain’s transformation into a TV announcer with tarantula lashes in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” won the Oscar for makeup and hairstyle. Chastain hugged the team from its place in the front row. (The quotient of celebrities during the non-television portion of the ceremony increased as time went on, with swivel seat cushions.) The winners of the short film were “The Windshield Wiper”, the animated story of a man contemplating love in a cafe while smoking a pack of cigarettes. “The Long Goodbye”, a violent short live-action starring and co-written by Riz Ahmed that takes place in anticipation of a wedding. and “Queen of Basketball”, a 22-minute New York Times documentary about Lusia Harris, the first and only woman to officially enter the NBA
