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Key Oscar moments: Paul Thomas Anderson and Amy Madigan wins, outstanding songs and sad goodbyes
This Oscar cycle’s heavyweight battle is finally over. The politically charged action comedy “One Battle After Another” just managed to outmuscle Ryan Coogler’s musically driven vampire thriller “Sinners.”
It was a 3 hour and 40 minute whirl through cinema and celebration, with Michael B. Jordan winning best actor for “Sinners” and Jessie Buckley winning for “Hamnet,” making her the first Irish performer to ever win in the category.
There was electricity when Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman and Black person to win the cinematography award for “Sinners,” asking all the women in the Dolby Theatre to stand up because moments like this don’t happen without women “standing up for you and advocating for you.”
Here were some other show highlights:
The battle is over for one filmmaker
Paul Thomas Anderson, one of the most respected filmmakers of his generation, finally won an Oscar. Then he won another. Then he won for best picture.
He first won best adapted screenplay for “One Battle After Another” and then was crowned best director. “You make a guy work hard for this,” he said. Anderson was back onstage for the night’s final award — best picture.
“Let’s have a martini. This is amazing,” he said.
Anderson had been nominated 14 times previously, including five times for screenplays and three times for best director. His films include “Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood” and “Magnolia.”
“I wrote this movie for my kids, to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them,” Anderson said onstage after winning for his screenplay. “But also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.”
Even Cassandra Kulukundis, who served as the casting director on past Anderson films, hoped he would win an award himself while accepting the first new completive Oscar category in over two decades for “One Battle After Another.”
She beat him to a win by just minutes.
Another long wait for Oscar hardware
Amy Madigan, the night’s first winner, had to wait a long time to celebrate an Oscar win. The gap between her first ever Oscar nomination and first win was 40 years — handing her the record wait for a best supporting actress.
Madigan’s first Oscar nomination was for 1985’s “Twice in a Lifetime,” losing to Anjelica Huston. She won Sunday for playing an unrecognizable and utterly mesmerizing oddball aunt in “Weapons,” a supernatural thriller about missing children. Madigan had earlier picked up wins at the Critics Choice and Actor Awards.
Aunt Gladys’ smeared, heavy makeup, strange hair and large glasses became a popular internet meme and was even played up by Oscars host Conan O’Brien in his opening skit, looking like Gladys as he raced through appearances in other nominated movies chased by children.
On hearing her name, Madigan collapsed into the arms of her husband, actor Ed Harris. Onstage, she thanked film writer-director Zach Cregger for giving her a part in “Weapons” she could “grab by the throat.” She last thanked “my beloved Ed,” adding: “None of this would mean anything if he wasn’t by my side.”
A heavy goodbye to the Reiners
A stage of stars bid farewell to Rob Reiner, led by a long friend and colleague, Billy Crystal.
Crystal kicked off the in memoriam section by saying he met Reiner while cast as a best friend of Reiner’s on “All in the Family” in 1975.
Reiner’s movies included “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “When Harry Met Sally…,” “Misery,” “A Few Good Men” and “The Princess Bride.”
“My friend Rob’s movies will last for lifetimes because they were about what makes us laugh and cry and what we aspire to be: Far better in his eyes, far kinder, far funnier and far more human,” Crystal said.
Reiner was killed along with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, in December. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of murder.
After Crystal’s speech, he revealed a stage filled with stars who shone in Reiner’s films, including Meg Ryan, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Kathy Bates, Kiefer Sutherland, Demi Moore, Jerry O’Connell, Annette Bening, Mandy Patinkin, Fred Savage and Cary Elwes.
In memoriam and Redford
The in memoriam section then highlighted those lost during 2025, like Catherine O’Hara, Diane Keaton, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall, Brigitte Bardot, Michael Madsen, Terence Stamp, Diane Ladd, Sally Kirkland, Tom Stoppard, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Val Kilmer.
Barbra Streisand then stepped up to honor her co-star in “The Way We Were,” Robert Redford.
“He was thoughtful and bold. I called him an intellectual cowboy who blazed his own trail, and won the Academy Award for best director, and I miss him now more than ever, even though he loved teasing me,” Streisand said.
She then sang a snippet of “The Way We Were,” which she last performed during the 2013 ceremony, when she sang it as an homage to the late composer Marvin Hamlisch.
Two stunning song performances
The Oscars had only two musical numbers but they were Grammy-worthy.
Singer-actor Miles Caton and songwriter Raphael Saadiq performed the deeply bluesy, slinky song “I Lied to You” from “Sinners,” joined by an ensemble that included Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith in a tribute to the film’s visual and musical style.
The camera swept in and among the writhing bodies in a rollicking, kinetic performance.
“KPop Demon Hunters” later celebrated its win as best animated feature by opening its performance of “Golden” with a fusion of traditional Korean instrumentalists and dance, with dancers in gold waving golden fabric flags. Then Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — the singing voices behind HUNTR/X in the film — belted out “Golden” as members of the audience waved light sticks.
Then “Golden” won the Oscar for best original song, a first for K-pop.
The coolest part was seeing dancers from each song appear in the other’s, a kind of communication between Delta blues and Asian pop.
‘Bridesmaids’ give us a bouquet
Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig and Ellie Kemper celebrated 15 years after “Bridesmaids” hit theaters by showing everyone their funny bones haven’t aged.
“Now, we are not good with numbers, but we figured out backstage that means we shot this movie in 1883,” Wiig joked.
The group — presenting best original score and best sound — had fun at the expense of Stellan Skarsgård, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jacobi Jupe of “Hamnet.”
They pretended to read messages from the crowd, including one from DiCaprio that accused Byrne of staring at him. “I have been staring at you,” Byrne replied. “I thought you were somebody else.”
Rudolph leaned into her dimwit persona when she wondered: “Earlier today, when I was counting my money, I asked myself, “What is sound?”
There was also a mini-“Avengers” reunion with Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. presenting best adapted screenplay. And a “Moulin Rouge!” reunion with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. And there was a Pullman family reunion when Bill teamed up with son, Jack.
Second time’s a charm, Conan
Conan O’Brien hit almost every note on Sunday — savage, playful, heartfelt and dumb.
The second-time host predicted he’d be the last human Oscar MC. “Next year, it will be a Waymo with a tux,” he joked.
He also had a jab at Timothée Chalamet, who got into hot water when he seemed to call ballet and opera dying art forms. “They’re just mad you left out jazz,” O’Brien quipped.
He reached for a Jeffrey Epstein joke when he noted that it was the first time since 2012 that there were no British actors nominated. “A British spokesperson said, ‘Yeah, well at least we arrest our pedophiles.’”
But he also got poetic and sweet when he noted that 31 countries across six continents were represented at the Oscars.
“Every film we salute is a product of thousands of people speaking different language, working hard to make something of beauty,” O’Brien said. “We pay tribute tonight, not just to film, but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today: optimism.”
Of course, sometimes his bits fell flat, like the time he used a leaf blower onstage and a gag about memes with Leonardo DiCaprio.
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For more coverage of this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards
A drone slammed into a high-rise apartment building a few miles from the Kremlin on Monday, a rare attack on Moscow that came as Ukraine has expanded its long-range strikes inside Russia.
The breach of air defenses in the Russian capital occurred five days before the annual Victory Day parade, a major event on Red Square marking the Soviet contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Last week, Russia said that the parade would be significantly downsized, in an acknowledgment of the growing threat from Ukrainian drones.
In an effort to damage Russia’s oil-dependent economy, Ukraine has conducted several strikes in recent weeks on facilities deep inside Russian territory. Russia said on Sunday that Ukraine had attacked an important oil-exporting station on the Black Sea, and Ukraine said its forces had struck two ships in the Russian “shadow fleet” — vessels that surreptitiously transport oil in violation of sanctions — in another Black Sea port.
The drone strike on the Moscow apartment building took place in the early hours of Monday, the city’s mayor, Sergei S. Sobyanin, said in a statement. There were no casualties, he added. The Russian authorities did not directly attribute the attack to Ukraine, and Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the attack.
It was not clear whether the upscale apartment building, which soars 54 stories in a leafy, quiet neighborhood of low-rise buildings, was the intended target. The tower, the tallest in Moscow’s southwest, is about four miles from the city center, in an area named after Mosfilm, the Moscow film studio.
Videos and photos from the scene showed part of one floor in the tower gutted by the drone hit. The drone’s evasion of air defenses was an embarrassment for the Kremlin. In recent days, city officials had reported several interceptions of Ukrainian drones in the Moscow suburbs.
Last week, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called for a cease-fire on May 9, the day of the Victory Day parade. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine rejected the offer, saying his country would welcome a lasting cease-fire, not a day off for Russia to celebrate itself.
On Monday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement that Mr. Putin had declared a cease-fire for May 8 and 9, and that it hoped Ukraine would follow suit. Mr. Zelensky followed up hours later by announcing a cease-fire of his own — for May 6.
“We believe that human life is far more valuable than any anniversary ‘celebration,’” he said, adding that “it is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s Defense Ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill.”
Because of the threat of Ukrainian drones, Russia will hold the parade without heavy military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades. The Kremlin also canceled the participation of students from military secondary schools.
The Russian Defense Ministry statement said that if Ukraine attacked Moscow during the parade on Saturday, it would retaliate with a “massive” missile strike on the center of Kyiv.
Mr. Putin has portrayed Russia’s war in Ukraine as an extension of the Soviet Union’s struggle in World War II, falsely asserting that the government in Kyiv has been taken over by Nazis.
In the past, the Victory Day parade has been an important foreign policy event for Russia, attracting heads of state including President George W. Bush and Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader. This year, Robert Fico, the Russia-friendly prime minister of Slovakia, is expected to be the main foreign dignitary.
Mr. Zelensky made a vague reference to the drone attack during a speech in Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on Monday. He said that Russia’s decision to scale back the May 9 parade showed its weakness.
“They cannot afford military equipment,” Mr. Zelensky said, “and they fear drones may buzz over Red Square.”
Mr. Zelensky was in Armenia, a traditional ally of Russia, as it hosted a summit of leaders from a grouping known as the European Political Community. While Armenia is the site of a Russian military base, the country has been moving away from Moscow after the Kremlin did not come to its aid in a 2023 conflict with Azerbaijan.
Pro-war commentators in Russia have been seething over Armenia’s decision to welcome Mr. Zelensky and European leaders. Oleg Tsaryov, a former member of the Ukrainian Parliament who is now a pro-Kremlin blogger, asked in a post on the message service Telegram on Sunday what was stopping the 5,000 Russian troops in Armenia from arresting Mr. Zelensky on arrival.
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An explosion at a fireworks factory in a central Chinese province killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others, according to state media.
The blast happened at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, a city administered by Changsha in Hunan province, on Monday afternoon, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.
The plant was operated by Liuyang Huasheng Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Co. in Liuyang, which is under the jurisdiction of Hunan’s capital, Changsha. Liuyang is home to a hub for fireworks manufacturing, state media China Daily reported.
MASSIVE FIRE DESTROYS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA LABORATORY BUILDING: ‘TOTAL LOSS’
Fire crews work to put out a fire after an explosion at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, Hunan Province of China. (Yang Huafeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
Aerial footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed white smoke still billowing on Tuesday in parts of the area, with facilities collapsed or damaged and debris scattered around.
Nearly 500 firefighters, rescuers and medical personnel responded to the scene, according to the South China Morning Post. People in danger zones were evacuated because of what authorities described as high risks posed by two black powder warehouses at the site.
An explosion at a fireworks factory in Liuyang, Hunan Province of China, killed at least 21 people and injured 61 others. (Yang Huafeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” to save injured victims and to search for people who remain unaccounted for, Xinhua reported. He called on authorities to probe the cause and pursue serious accountability. Xi also ordered effective risk screening and hazard control in key industries and the strengthening of public safety management.
Xi often issues “important instructions” to local officials after deadly accidents and disasters, according to reports.
CREWS RESPOND TO MASSIVE EXPLOSIONS AT FIREWORKS FACILITY IN CALIFORNIA
Fire rescue forces carry out rescue operations after an explosion at a fireworks plant in Liuyang, Hunan Province of China. (Yang Huafeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
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Authorities launched an investigation into the cause of the blast, and unspecified “control measures” were taken against those in charge of the company.
In an effort to avoid additional accidents during the search for survivors, rescuers adopted measures such as spraying and humidification to eliminate potential hazards. Robots were also used to assist with the search and rescue operation.
ISIS-linked group has tortured, killed and abducted civilians in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including children.
Amnesty International has accused a rebel group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of mass war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In a damning new report published Monday, the rights group said the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) was behind multiple cases of murder, abductions, forced labour and marriage, sexual abuse of women and girls, and the exploitation of children.
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The report is entitled “I’d Never Seen So Many Bodies: War Crimes by the Allied Democratic Forces in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo”.
The ADF has been involved in a years-long military campaign against central authorities in Kinshasa and pledged allegiance to ISIS/ISIL, also known as ISIS-Central Africa, in 2019.
“Civilians in the eastern DRC have suffered extensive brutality at the hands of ADF fighters. They have been killed, abducted and tortured in a dehumanising campaign of abuse,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said.
“The ADF’s violence is contributing to an escalating humanitarian crisis… These abuses constitute war crimes which the world must not continue to ignore.”
The ADF largely operates in eastern DRC, near the Ugandan border, and has for years been in conflict with the government’s Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), along with the UN mission MONUSCO.
Repeated ADF attacks have led to mass displacement in parts of the DRC and limited the population’s access to healthcare, food and education.
A rebellion by the Rwanda-backed March 23 Movement, better known as M23, has worsened the situation for civilians in the region, while the ADF has taken advantage of international and domestic focus on these attacks to intensify its own military operations in eastern DRC.
Amnesty interviewed 71 people, including survivors of ADF attacks, as well as humanitarian workers and police officers, as part of its research in North Kivu province, eastern DRC, where the violence is most prominent.
In one notorious attack on Ntoyo village in September 2025, ADF fighters allegedly disguised themselves as mourners and used hammers, machetes, guns and axes to kill more than 60 people at a wake.
Another attack two months later in nearby Byambwe village saw at least 17 civilians killed, with four wards at a hospital set ablaze. A survivor told Amnesty that the fighters “shot anything that moved” at the church-run medical facility.
Forced marriage, child recruitment and abductions
Amnesty also spoke to five women and two girls who had been forced into marriages with ADF fighters, with interviewees indicating that members of the group were given “wives” as an incentive to fight the government. Under threat of death, victims were made to convert to Islam and suffered sexual and physical violence, with several women forced to watch the killings of others who had refused the group’s orders.
Amnesty documented 46 cases of abduction, including hostages being held for ransom, enduring torture, sexual slavery, forced labour, or they were murdered. Some were made to carry heavy loads for days, receiving beatings and given little food during their ordeal.
“They taught us how to kill with weapons and with blades,” a woman who escaped after two years told Amnesty. “In the bush, you had to do what you were told. You cannot be weak.”
‘Stronger action to ensure protection of civilians’
Amnesty has called on authorities in the DRC to do more to protect civilians and urged the government to work with the UN and local communities to improve early warning systems and to quickly respond to any attacks.
Witnesses said that security forces sometimes arrived late at the scenes of ADF attacks or not at all. Peace and reintegration programmes were also essential to help survivors and communities to cope with their trauma.
“The Congolese government must take far stronger action to ensure the protection of civilians,” Callamard said, warning that disregarding the ADF threat would undermine security and human rights in the country.
“The international community must steadfastly support the Congolese state in improving efforts to protect civilians, ensuring justice, and providing long-term, sustainable support to victims and survivors.”
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