Liza Minnelli was brought out in a wheelchair by Lady Gaga as the duo took to the stage to present the award for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood on Sunday.
Liza received a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd, with Gaga also taking the time to applaud the legendary star.
‘Oh! That’s so exciting!’ exclaimed the 76-year-old Cabaret actress with a laugh.
‘Do you see that? The public, they love you,’ said the Poker Face singer, before helping Liza get her cue cards in order.
Legend: Liza Minnelli was brought out in a wheelchair by Lady Gaga as the duo took to the stage to present the award for Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards in Hollywood on Sunday
‘Good evening, you know how I love working with legends,’ said Gaga, while staring down and placing a hand on Liza’s shoulder.
‘Aw, my baby!’ said Liza as she grasped onto the Grammy Award-winner’s hand.
Gaga continued: ‘And I am honored to present the final award of the evening with a true show business legend.’
The likes of Kristen Stewart and Javier Bardem were all captured applauding Liza.
‘She’s celebrating the 50th anniversary of Cabaret,’ announced Gaga, with Liza famously winning Best Actress for her leading role in the 1972 musical feature.
‘Oscar award-winning actress Liza Minelli,’ continued the singer, which earned around round of applause for the star.
Standing ovation: Liza received a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd, with Gaga also taking the time to applaud the legendary star
All love: ‘Do you see that? The public, they love you,’ said the Poker Face singer, before helping Liza get her cue cards in order
Liza then proceeded to announce they’d be unveiling the winner for Best Picture, with Gaga elaborating that they’d be reading out the nominees first.
‘I got you,’ reassured Gaga before the clips began to roll.
After unveiling the nominees, Liza told Gaga she was her ‘biggest fan’ and ‘so happy; to be there with the Bad Romance singer.
Liza, opening a red envelope, announced the winner for Best Picture to be Apple Tv+’s feature CODA.
The 94th annual Academy Awards ceremony has returned to its regular venue of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California after being held at Union Station last year.
In a rather bold move, the show will be hosted by a trio of stars in Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes as it has gone without a host over the last three years.
The trio have made history as it is the first time there is an all-female host line-up as they are also the first emcees since 2018.
Respect: ‘Good evening, you know how I love working with legends,’ said Gaga, while staring down and placing a hand on Liza’s shoulder
Sweet: ‘Aw, my baby!’ said Liza as she grasped onto the Grammy Award-winner’s hand
Netflix’s Power Of The Dog led nominations with 12 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director and recognition for all of its top actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Campion, a nominee for 1993′s The Piano, became the first woman to ever be nominated twice for best director.
Last year, Chloé Zhao became just the second woman to ever win the award. Campion’s director of photography, Ari Wegner, also became the second woman ever nominated for Best Cinematography.
Honored: ‘And I am honored to present the final award of the evening with a true show business legend,’ said Gaga
Lots to celebrate: ‘She’s celebrating the 50th anniversary of Cabaret,’ announced Gaga, with Liza famously winning Best Actress for her leading role in the 1972 musical feature
Dune followed closely behind with 10 nominations spread out largely in the technical categories that rewarded the gargantuan craft of Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, yet unexpectedly bypassed Villeneuve’s direction.
The Warner Bros. release debuted simultaneously in theaters and — against the strenuous objections of its director — on HBO Max.
With The Power Of The Dog and Dune, the nominees for best picture are: Belfast, CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, Licorice Pizza, King Richard, Nightmare Alley and West Side Story.
No streaming service has ever won Best Picture, but half of the 10 nominees were released by streamers. This year, the odds may be better than ever that Netflix — which led all studios with 27 nominations — or another service will finally break through.
Major: Liza then proceeded to announce they’d be unveiling the winner for Best Picture, with Gaga elaborating that they’d be reading out the nominees first
Here we go! After unveiling the nominees, Liza told Gaga she was her ‘biggest fan’ and ‘so happy; to be there with the Bad Romance singer
Apple TV+ notched its first best-picture nomination with the deaf drama CODA, which also made history as Supporting Actor nominee Troy Kotsur became only the second deaf actor ever nominated as his CODA co-star Marlee Matlin was the first in 1987.
Netflix backed The Power of the Dog and Adam McKay’s apocalyptic comedy Don’t Look Up. And both King Richard and Dune launched on HBO Max. Even the academy for the first time ruled out hard-copy DVD screeners for its members, who instead could watch submissions on the academy’s streaming platform.
It is also set to be a night of great musical performances as Beyonce and Billie Eilish are set to perform but outspoken vaccine skeptic Van Morrison is skipping Hollywood’s biggest night.
All three performers are nominated for Best Song along with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Diane Warren, whose songs will also be performed on the broadcast.
Pop superstar Beyonce’s Oscar-nominated ballad Be Alive was penned for tennis biopic King Richard, which stars Will Smith as the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams.
Hollywood trade publication Variety reported that Beyonce will perform live from the tennis courts in Compton where the sisters played as children.
Winners: Liza, opening a red envelope, announced the winner for Best Picture to be Apple Tv+’s feature CODA
Eilish and her brother Finneas will perform No Time To Die from the recent James Bond movie.
But while Morrison, who wrote Down to Joy for Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white childhood drama Belfast, was invited to perform at the star-studded gala, he ‘will not attend the Oscars due to his tour schedule,’ organizers said.
The singer, known as ‘Van the Man’ to his fans, is due to tour England in late March, before arriving in the US next month for further dates.
Morrison’s high-profile criticism of pandemic restrictions — including three anti-lockdown ‘protest songs’ — and opposition to vaccine mandates had led to questions about whether he would be welcomed at the Oscars.
The ceremony taking place Sunday in Hollywood requires nominees, guests and press to be vaccinated, although performers and presenters are reportedly able to attend without proof of vaccine if they undergo rigorous testing.
Miranda’s Dos Oruguitas from Disney animated movie Encanto will be performed by Sebastian Yatra.
Best known for creating Broadway sensation Hamilton, Miranda will attain the coveted and rare EGOT status for winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award if he wins on Sunday.
Warren’s song Somehow You Do from Four Good Days — which will be performed by Reba McEntire — is her 13th Oscar nomination, but she has never won.
Also performing at the Oscars will be an all-star band including Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and DJ D-Nice.
There will also be many A-list presenters including Bill Murray, Lady Gaga, Kevin Costner, Samuel L. Jackson, Zoë Kravitz, Lupita Nyong’o. Anthony Hopkins, Lily James, Daniel Kaluuya, and Mila Kunis.
As if that already wasn’t enough John Leguizamo, Simu Liu, Rami Malek, Rosie Perez, Chris Rock, Naomi Scott, Wesley Snipes, Uma Thurman, John Travolta, Yuh-jung Youn, Ruth E. Carter, Halle Bailey, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Shawn Mendes, Tyler Perry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Stephanie Beatriz, DJ Khaled, Jennifer Garner, H.E.R., Tiffany Haddish, Tony Hawk, Elliot Page, Kelly Slater and Shaun White will also be taking to the stage.
