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The opening musical number of the Oscars on Sunday had all the glitz and glam associated with the biggest night in Hollywood: the singer-songwriter Janelle Monáe in a tuxedo top, a large cast of backup dancers and sparks flying from the back of the stage.It was also unusually self-aware. Some dancers’ costumes referenced films that had been snubbed in the Academy Award nominations, and there were clear references to the lack of diversity among the contenders.Monáe made a pointed comment about female filmmakers, who were noticeably absent from the best director category. “We celebrate all the women who directed phenomenal films,” said the performer, draped in a shawl fashioned from a bright assortment of flowers and wearing a flower crown, a reference to the horror film “Midsommar,” which wasn’t nominated.She then touched on the lack of people of color in the running for prizes.“I’m so proud to stand here as a black, queer artist telling stories,” Monáe said. “Happy Black History Month.”The cast of performers onstage, which included Billy Porter, was noticeably more diverse than the acting nominees. Only one actor of color — Cynthia Erivo of “Harriet” — was nominated.At one point, Monáe seemed to throw into the lyrics a reference to #OscarsSoWhite, the viral hashtag that spurred a cultural reckoning in the film industry five years ago.The dancers behind Monáe were dressed as characters from notable 2019 films, some of which were otherwise overlooked at the ceremony. Dancers were dressed in the red jumpsuits from the horror film “Us,” slick suits and period dresses reminiscent of the looks in the Eddie Murphy biopic “Dolemite Is My Name” and outfits from “Queen & Slim” — three films that did not receive any nominations.Other costumes nodded to films that were not short on Oscars recognition. Performers dressed in the suit and face paint in “Joker” and others wore militaristic attire that looked like the British World War I-era uniforms seen in “1917.” (Some viewers wondered online if those costumes were actually Nazi uniforms seen in “Jojo Rabbit.”) More

And they told us there wouldn’t be hosts!The 2020 Oscars got off to a decidedly traditional start in Sunday night when, after Janelle Monáe’s musical opening number, Chris Rock and Steve Martin — two comedians who have hosted the ceremony before — took the stage and traded one-liners. Martin and Rock shouted out several nominees, made current events jokes and punched at the lack of representation for people of color. Martin closed out their bits with, “Well, we’ve had a great time not hosting tonight.”Here is the full text:CHRIS ROCK Wow. Janelle Monae. Incredible. That was incredible. That was incredible. While we were backstage watching it, Steve says to me, “J-Lo is killing it two weeks in a row!”STEVE MARTIN You know, I was thinking today, Chris, that we both have hosted the Oscars before and this is such an incredible demotion. They don’t really have hosts anymore. Why is that?ROCK Twitter. Everybody’s got an embarrassing tweet somewhere. I know I do.MARTIN A couple of years ago, there was a big disaster here at the Oscars where they accidentally read out the wrong name, and it was nobody’s fault, but they have guaranteed that this will not happen this year, because the Academy has switched to the new Iowa caucus app. But what a night!ROCK I don’t know, Steve. I’m a little conflicted, you know? I was driving here tonight and seeing the terrible homeless problem in L.A. —MARTIN Thank you, Chris. So many stars! Oh my god, there’s Brad Pitt. It’s like looking in a mirror.ROCK Mahershala Ali is here tonight. Mahershala has two Oscars. You know what that means when the cops pull him over? Nothing. Jeff Bezos is here.MARTIN Oh, wow, great actor.ROCK He’s got cash. When he writes the check, the bank bounces. Jeff Bezos is so rich, he got divorced and he’s still the richest man in the world. He saw “Marriage Story” and thought it was a comedy. Steve, do you have anything you want to add about Mr. Bezos?MARTIN No, I like getting my packages on time. And Marty Scorsese is here, somewhere, where is he? Genius, wow.ROCK Marty Scorsese. Marty, I got to tell you, I loved the first season of “The Irishman.”MARTIN Oh, “The Irishman.” that’s that new Ray Romano movie. Such a great supporting cast.ROCK Steve, did you see “The Joker”?MARTIN I can’t wait to see it. It sounds so funny. I’m laughing already. Joker.ROCK There’s so many — so many great directors nominated this year.MARTIN I don’t know, Chris, I thought there was something missing from the list this year.ROCK Vaginas?MARTIN Yes, yes.ROCK “Ford v Ferrari” is nominated. I’ve got to tell you. I’ve got a Ford. I’ve got a Ferrari. It ain’t even close. It’s like Halle Berry versus gum disease.MARTIN Cynthia Erivo is here tonight.ROCK Yes, Cynthia Erivo is here tonight. Cynthia did such a great job in “Harriet” hiding black people that the Academy got her to hide all the black nominees. Cynthia, is Eddie Murphy under this stage?MARTIN Eddie, I loved you in “Dolemite.” Well, you know, Chris, think how much the Oscars have changed in the past 92 years.ROCK Yeah, they’ve changed a lot, Steve.MARTIN Yeah, they have. In 1929, there were no black acting nominees.ROCK And now, in 2020, we got one.MARTIN Yeah. Amazing growth! Well, we’ve had a great time not hosting tonight. More

At the Oscars, it’s the big-ticket categories that tend to draw the most attention, but this year the winner for animated short rose to prominence.“Hair Love” is a sweet and joyful story about an African-American father learning to style his daughter’s natural hair in his wife’s absence. The film uses words sparingly; the characters’ gestures and expressions take viewers through the father’s commonplace but poignant endeavor.One of the film’s messages — embracing and loving your natural hair — was transported to the ceremony itself on Sunday. The actress Gabrielle Union and the former N.B.A. champion Dwyane Wade, married producers of “Hair Love,” invited to the ceremony a black high school student in Texas who was suspended because of the way he wore his dreadlocks.The student, DeAndre Arnold, was told that his look violated the student handbook, which said that male students’ hair must not extend below the top of a T-shirt collar. Critics of the policy called it racist and rooted in limiting gender roles.Arnold wore a black and navy blue tuxedo by Paul Smith. His mother, Sandy Arnold, wore a blue gown by Solace London. (The company Dove paid for their Oscar tickets and red-carpet looks.)Accepting his Oscar, “Hair Love’s” writer, Matthew A. Cherry, said he wanted to draw attention to the Crown Act, a law first passed in California that bans discrimination based on natural hairstyles and that backers hope to pass in other states.In “Hair Love,” young Zuri tries to fashion her thick curls into a stylish hairdo using the directions of a vlogger, but when she struggles to make it work, her dad steps in. He starts out frustrated and bewildered by the array of hair tools and products, almost giving up until he seeks help from the natural hair vlogger.The six-minute film stood out in a year where Oscars nominees have noticeably lacked racial diversity, despite efforts in the film industry to shift the narrative: Only one actor of color — Cynthia Erivo of “Harriet” — was nominated.Cherry, a former football player, said in an interview last year that he wanted the film to combat negative stereotypes about black fatherhood and address a lack representation in animation.“I wanted to see a young black family in the animated world,” he said.On the stage on Sunday night, another “Hair Love” filmmaker, Karen Rupert Toliver, described the film as a labor of love that stemmed from “a firm belief that representation matters deeply,” especially in cartoons “because that’s when we first see our movies and it’s how we shape our lives and think about how we see the world.”The story is told mostly through miming and body language, but the vlogger is voiced by Issa Rae. It was directed by Bruce Smith, the creator of “The Proud Family,” the Disney Channel animated sitcom, which is due for a revival on Disney Plus; and the veteran Pixar animator Everett Downing Jr., whose credits include “Brave” and “Up.” More

Topping the box office, “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)” still fell far below projections. Analysts had expected the film’s domestic opening to reach around $50 million; instead it brought in $33.3 million.Distributed by Warner Bros., the movie stars Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, the DC Comics figure and sometimes girlfriend of the Joker. The runaway success Warner Bros. had with “Joker” last year — it grossed over $1 billion worldwide — helped set expectations high.Directed by Cathy Yan, “Birds of Prey” is a spinoff of the violent ensemble superhero film “Suicide Squad.” That movie opened to about $134 million in 2016, even though critics panned it. “Birds of Prey” received warmer reviews (its current Rotten Tomatoes score is 81 percent fresh), and ticket buyers gave it a B+ grade in CinemaScore exit polls. That reception didn’t translate into success.With a reported budget of $84.5 million, “Birds of Prey” brought in an additional estimated $48 million overseas this weekend, according to the studio, which lifts its total weekend sales to about $81 million.[Read our critic’s review of “Birds of Prey.”]The film dethroned the action-comedy “Bad Boys for Life” (Sony), which fell to second place. “Bad Boys for Life” made an estimated $12 million in domestic sales this weekend, its fourth in theaters and its first not in the top spot.Third place went to Universal’s “1917,” a World War I action movie from Sam Mendes, released in most theaters Jan. 10. The only Oscars contender in the top five, it sold an estimated $9 million in domestic tickets this weekend according to Comscore, which compiles box office data.Rounding out the top five, Universal’s adventure movie “Dolittle” was in its fourth weekend and brought in an estimated $6.7 million; and Sony’s “Jumanji: The Next Level,” an action-comedy that managed an estimated $5.5 million, despite being in its ninth weekend. More