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How Ryan Gosling won the Oscars without actually winning an Oscar

We've got answers to all of your questions about Gosling and his epic "I'm Just Ken" performance.

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From start to finish, Ryan Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" performance was one to remember.


At the 2024 Academy Awards show, Ryan Gosling managed a pretty incredible feat—winning the entire Oscars without taking home a single award with his performance of "I'm Just Ken."

Throughout the show, the songs that were nominated for Best Original Song were performed, with two songs from "Barbie" bookending the night. Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas performed first, making everyone cry with the hauntingly gorgeous "What Was I Made For." But it was Gosling's "I'm Just Ken" spectacle that had everyone laughing, singing along and wondering how on Earth we got to this iconic cultural moment.

Let's face it—the entire idea of Ryan Gosling playing a classic Ken doll in a movie about Barbie sounded pretty goofy from the start. And yet the combined genius of the movie's creators and Gosling's abject refusal to phone in anything not only made it work, but earned the actor widespread praise and a nomination from the Academy for Best Supporting Actor. Throw in some cheesy-on-purpose songwriting and an over-the-top embrace of its own absurdity, and we get one of the greatest Oscar moments ever.

First of all, if you missed it (or just want to witness it again), here's Gosling's performance in all its sparkling pink glory:

Naturally, the standing ovation performance got people asking questions about "the man behind the tan," and we've got answers:

Q: Who was the woman Ryan Gosling was sitting with, the one he put the cowboy hat on?

Gosling is married to actor Eva Mendes, but that woman sitting next to him definitely wasn't her. It was actually Gosling's sister, Mandi Gosling. Gosling and Mendes keep their relationship much more private than most celebrities and rarely make appearances together, even at major events like the Academy Awards. Gosling often brings his sister, with whom he has a close relationship, to accompany him on the red carpet.

(Mendes was there to support Gosling, however. She posted an Instagram standing outside his dressing room with the caption, "Always by my man." But she wasn't dressed in a designer gown and didn't sit on the main floor with the other Hollywood stars. For some, their arrangement might seem strange, but it seems to work for them.)

Q: What's the necklace that Gosling kissed during a camera close-up?

A: All signs point to the necklace he kissed being an "E" for his wife, Eva. (See? all good.) He wore a necklace that looked like the Barbie "B" but with an "E" instead at the "Barbie" movie premiere. A sweet little shout-out to his wife of 13 years and their two kids during the performance.

Q: Why did the staging of "I'm Just Ken" look familiar?

A: The pink sparkly suit, pink gloves and tuxedoed backup dancers wasn't just a "Barbie" thing. The whole performance was an homage to Marilyn Monroe's performance of "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." We could talk about the metaness of this staging choice for days, but suffice it to say it worked.

Q: Was Ryan Gosling really singing or did he lip sync?

A: Oh, that was all him. You can tell by the minor imperfections here and there, which simply made it real and didn't take away from the impressiveness of it all. Gosling's easy charm, charisma and comfort on stage are really something to witness, and frankly he put on a better performance than a lot of actual singers do when they perform live.

Q: Has Ryan Gosling always been this engaging as a stage performer?

A: Well, yeah, pretty much. The Canadian actor got his start young, being recruited by Disney as a Mouseketeer all the way back in 1993. Enjoy this little historical tidbit of adorable little Ryan Gosling from the CBC:

Some people are born with the gift to entertain, and that certainly seems to be the case with Ryan Gosling. Not to take anything away from his hard work, of course, but it's the dedication to craft combined with that all-elusive X factor that makes a genuine superstar, and Gosling just keep on proving that he's got it all.

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Nature

Joaquin Phoenix rescues cow and her calf after 'compassionate talk' with slaughterhouse owner

Every Oscar winner has their own unique way of celebrating Academy Award glory. Some winners part like there is no tomorrow. Others use the newfound gravitas to build support for their passion project. Sanda Bullock famously went to Astro Burger for a humble yet delicious snack.

And then, there's Joaquin Phoenix. Fresh off winning a Best Actor Oscar for his divisive role in Joker, Phoenix decided to do something deeply personal with his moment of elevated cultural relevance.

Phoenix already made international headlines for dedicating most of his acceptance speech to the cause of the vegan diet. A number of news outlets ridiculed the Gladiator actor for interjecting personal politics and convictions into a night dedicated to celebrating pop culture entertainment. Regardless of whether or not you agree with Phoenix, those critics are definitely wrong in this case. Rather than finger-pointing or name-calling, Phoenix's speech was unifying gesture meant to rally people's support from a point of compassion.

In fact, the most uplifting moment of the entire speech was arguably at the end, when a humble Phoenix addressed his own past personal difficulties and called for an end of "cancel culture" where people lift each other up out of and beyond bad behavior.

But just hours after that speech, Phoenix showed he is a person of personal integrity, willing to put his own words into action.

The 45-year-old Hollywood icon partnered with Farm Sanctuary, an organization dedicated to animal rights, specifically to providing shelter for animals rescued from farms.

In a video released by the organization, Phoenix does something truly special: He rescues a mother cow and her calf from a local California slaughterhouse (whom he later named "Liberty and Indigo") after having a civil conversation with the farm's owner. Not just a simple act of mercy, the moment by Phoenix and Farm Sanctuary shows how compassion and civility can cross bridges over even contemptuous issues.


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It almost doesn't matter what side of animal rights issue you fall on. This statement from Phoenix really says it all:

"I never thought I'd find friendship in a slaughterhouse, but meeting Anthony and opening my heart to his, I realize we might have more in common than we do differences. Without his act of kindness, Liberty and her baby calf, Indigo, would have met a terrible demise. Although we will continue to fight for the liberation of all animals who suffer in these oppressive systems, we must take pause to acknowledge and celebrate the victories, and the people who helped achieve them. Shaun Monson, Amy Jean Davis, and the entire LA Animal Save community, have taken their pain of bearing witness and turned it into effective, diplomatic advocacy for the voiceless."

"As a result, Liberty and Indigo will never experience cruelty or the touch of a rough hand. My hope is, as we watch baby Indigo grow up with her mom Liberty at Farm Sanctuary, that we'll always remember that friendships can emerge in the most unexpected places; and no matter our differences, kindness and compassion should rule everything around us."

That's an incredible statement from someone who could so easily use their passion as a platform to shame or attempt to cancel those who disagree with them. If you believe in animals rights, Phoenix just gave a master class in how to bring people over to your side. Make it a discussion with a big tent instead of an argument. This is the civility so many people say they miss these days. And we could all use more moments like it.

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Family

Grab a tissue and watch the 6-minute short film 'Hair Love.' You'll see why it won an Oscar.

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From students with dreadlocks being denied the right to walk in their own graduations to news anchors being fired from their jobs for the way their hair grows naturally out of their heads, black hair has long been treated as controversial. That's one reason why Hair Love, the 6-minute short film from written and directed by Matthew A. Cherry, has captivated audiences since its release last August.

But unnecessary controversy and injustice surrounding black people's hair isn't the only reason this film has gotten so much attention.

On the surface,Hair Love is a story about styling black hair, but it's also about so much more than that. It's a beautiful story of family, of determination on the part of a young girl and her father, of love and caregiving and hope—a story vividly and powerfully told without any of the main characters directly speaking a word. After watching it, it's clear why it won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. It's a brilliant and moving piece of storytelling, totally deserving of all the accolades.

(Seriously with the tissue, though. You'll start off laughing at the cat's side-eye, but you'll want a hanky handy at the end.)

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Heroes

The first woman in 23 years took home an Oscar for Best Original Score. Here's why it matters.

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When Hildur Gudnadottir walked up to the stage at the Oscars last night to receive her award for Best Original Score, I squealed. Then I texted my 19-year-old daughter, "A female composer won Best Score for 'Joker'!!!"

My daughter is a music composition major with ambitions to become a film composer. I knew how huge last night's award was because when we researched that career choice, we discovered how unbelievably male-dominated the film scoring industry is.

RELATED: Marvel just hired its first female film composer. Here's why that's a big deal.

Most people with a keen interest in movies can name a few film composers off the top of their heads—John Williams, Hanz Zimmer, Howard Shore, etc. But very few can name even one female film scorer, or even recognize one by name. When my daughter and I watched the film scoring industry documentary, Score, we were dismayed to find that of the nearly 50 composers interviewed, just two were women.

But sadly, that ratio lines up pretty closely with the actual statistics. A report from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film shows that of the top 250 domestic box office films of 2018, 94 percent were scored by men. In addition, a 2018 University of Southern California studyfound that of the top 1,100 fictional films from 2007 to 2017, male composers were included in credits 1,200 times—and female composers just 16.

Such drastic underrepresentation can't possibly be due to a lack of interest in the field, since there are plenty of women in other musical careers. There's nothing inherently gendered about music, so it's not about talent or ability, either. As Captain Marvel composer Pinar Toprak said in an interview, "Music, and art in general, it's genderless because emotions are genderless."

However, history has not seen music as genderless. Some of this underrepresentation may be due to our automatic connection between orchestral music and male composers, thanks in large part to a long history of female composers being unable to have their work heard. (One example: Felix Mendelssohn's sister, Fanny, was every bit his musical equal, yet she was discouraged from publishing her compositions. When she finally did get her work published, it was under her brother's name. Mozart's sister was also a child musical prodigy, her talents largely overlooked by society and history.)

Perhaps there are also some self-perpetuating assumptions in the industry. The most famous and successful composers have always been men (notably, almost exclusively white men), therefore men may automatically be seen as the most able composers. As in many male-dominated industries, male domination itself becomes a defining factor of the field without even trying. Instead of a "glass ceiling," female composers face a "sound barrier" purely because of their gender—one that, despite some chipping away, seems very hard to break.

That's why this Oscar win by Gudnadottir—as well as her other wins, such as being the first solo female composer to win a Golden Globe for Best Score—is a big deal. That's why Pinar Toprak being the first woman to score a Marvel film was a big deal. That's why my daughter seeing such examples of both excellence and recognition is a big deal.

RELATED: She's the first woman to land this gig at ESPN. Here's how she did it.

As Gudnadottir said her speech, "To the girls, to the women, to the mothers, to the daughters, who hear the music bubbling within, please speak up. We need to hear your voices."

This win will help smooth the way for aspiring female composers like my daughter to have their voices heard.

Check out Gudnadottir's acceptance speech:

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