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Poll: 2021 Oscars: Most Memorable Moments

A poll by rubyfruit76.
This year's Oscars made history, both because of some firsts in the nominations and wins and because of a ceremony very different from many other years, due to the pandemic. Though the night had no song and dance performances, no glitzy set, and was light on rehearsed comedy and entertainment, there were plenty of beautiful quotes and some delightfully fun moments. What was, for you, most memorable about the 2021 Oscars?

After voting, discuss or reminisce here.

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  1. Vote!

    Tyler Perry at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    During the first standing ovation of the night, Tyler Perry accepted the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, telling the "shoe story" that inspired the start of his charitable foundation ("My feet are off the ground!") and dedicated the award to "anyone who wants to stand in the middle... because the middle is where healing happens."
  2. Vote!

    Youn Yuh-jung at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Yuh-Jung Youn's endearing and funny acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress. Among other comic moments, after Brad Pitt presented her with the award, the actress from 'Minari' declared, "Mr. Pitt, finally..."
  3. Vote!

    Thomas Vinterberg at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    After doing a little jig up to the stage to accept the award for International Feature Film (for 'Another Round'), filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg gave a personal, funny, and poignant speech, explaining: "this is a film about letting go of control in life, as I lost control in my own." He then tearfully dedicated the Oscar to his daughter, who was tragically killed four days into the filming of the movie.
  4. Vote!

    Daniel Kaluuya at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Daniel Kaluuya's impassioned, celebratory "I'm alive!" acceptance speech after winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in 'Judas and the Black Messiah:' "Peace, love, and onwards!"
  5. Vote!

    Emerald Fennell at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Emerald Fennell winning for Best Original Screenplay for 'Promising Young Woman' and becoming the 12th solo female screenwriter to win in Oscar history and the first since Diablo Cody's win for 'Juno' in 2007.
  6. Vote!

    Glenn Close at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Although she lost for the eighth time at the 93rd Oscars, she may have taken the night: the icon showed off her music knowledge — and dance moves — during the music trivia quiz with Lil Rel Howery and Questlove, doing the "Da Butt" dance to the Experience Unlimited song from Spike Lee's 1988 film 'School Daze.'
  7. Vote!

    Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, and Jamika Wilson at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Mia Neal dedicating her Oscar, shared with Sergio Lopez-Rivera and Jamika Wilson, to "our ancestors... who put the work in and never gave up" and celebrating as she and Wilson "[broke] this glass ceiling with so much excitement for the future."
  8. Vote!

    Chloé Zhao at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Chloé Zhao became the second woman (and the first woman of color) to win for Best Director in Oscar history, saying "This is for anyone who has the faith and the courage to hold out for the goodness in themselves and to hold out for the goodness in each other."
  9. Vote!

    Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Winning for a film about one young Black man's experience with police, Travon Free delivered a moving speech: “James Baldwin once said, 'the most despicable thing a person can be is indifferent to other people’s pain,' so I just ask that you please not be indifferent. Please don’t be indifferent to our pain.” (Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe, in matching tuxedos, won for Best Live Action Short for 'Two Distant Strangers,' which can be seen on Netlix.)
  10. Vote!

    Angela Bassett at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    The In Memoriam segment, remembering those lost in the past year, like Chadwick Boseman and Sean Connery, while Angela Bassett quoted Vernon Jordan, eloquently reminding us that "we exist temporarily through what we take, but we live forever through what we give.”
  11. Vote!

    Pete Docter and Dana Murray at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Accepting the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, for 'Soul,' Pete Docter and Dana Murray dedicated the award to art & music teachers everywhere and Docter said that his "wish for all of us tonight is that we follow the example of jazz musicians: that wherever we are, whatever we have, we turn it into something beautiful."
  12. Vote!

    Frances McDormand and Chloé Zhao at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    Wearing her producer's hat, Frances McDormand howled as she dedicated the Oscar for Best Picture to "the wolf."
  13. Vote!

    Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Jon Batiste at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    One of the night's few standing ovations went to this trio who won for Best Original Score for their work on 'Soul.' Jon Batiste received applause and laughter for his speech, explaining, "You know what’s deep is God gave us 12 notes: it’s the same 12 notes that Duke Ellington had, that Bach had, Nina Simone... I'm thankful to God for those 12 notes! That's so dope!"
  14. Vote!

    Bryan Cranston at an event for The Oscars (2021)

    For the first time, the Hersholt Humanitarian Award had two recipients: Tyler Perry (above) and also the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF), which was the first time the award has gone to an organization. The MPTF, represented by nurses, social workers, doctors, producers, chaplains, actors, cooks, and many others who gathered together, with presenter and member Bryan Cranston, received and celebrated the special award given for tireless service during the pandemic of the last year.
  15. Vote!

    Frances McDormand in Nomadland (2020)

    Frances McDormand joined the exclusive group of actors to win more than two acting Oscars (only the seventh in Oscar history) and exclaimed, "My voice is in my sword; we know the sword is our work."
  16. Vote!

    Chloé Zhao at an event for Nomadland (2020)

    A lot of history was made, including the first time two winners of major categories were of Asian heritage (Director & Supporting Actress) and the first time a woman won both Best Director & Best Picture awards. Women were prominent this year with wins for Original Screenplay, as well, and being parts of many other Oscars, such as Best Production Design, Best Animated Feature, and Best Short Documentary. Racial diversity and presentations in Korean and American Sign Language, as well as in English, added to the feeling that these Oscars were more inclusive.
  17. Vote!

    Harrison Ford

    Harrison Ford, giving a rare public appearance, presented the Oscar for Best Editing and first highlighted the critical role of editing with a list of harsh notes that those who were involved in the film received for an original cut of the now classic 'Blade Runner.'

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