Review: Conan O'Brien navigates the Oscars through song, dance and awards

Another year, different Oscars, 97th successful a series, presented unrecorded from the Dolby Theatre, connected the erstwhile tract of the Hollywood Hotel, structurally indistinguishable from Oscars that were — pandemic variations notwithstanding — and Oscars that volition be. The aboriginal starting clip — 7 p.m. alternatively of the aged 8 p.m. ET — simply acknowledges what erstwhile years person already made evident, that the programme volition not beryllium implicit successful 3 hours, arsenic so it was not. (“If you’re inactive enjoying the show,” big Conan O’Brien said adjacent the broadcast’s end, “you person thing called Stockholm syndrome.”)

This was O’Brien’s archetypal clip captaining the Oscars, but he’s hosted the Emmys twice, successful 2002 and 2006, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner successful 2013, the MTV Movie Awards successful 2014 and astir 4,000 nights of late-night television. Are the Oscars much important, much intimidating than mocking Washington large shots to their often stony faces? More to the point, would the juncture fto Conan beryllium Conan — 6-foot-4 (6-foot-7 with the hair) quality rooster and antheral of fractional a twelve voices, who featured connected his “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” a recurring quality called Masturbating Bear? Sure, he’s the latest — and with the co-optation of the Kennedy Center, its presenting body, perchance the past — victor of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, but helium is 1 of the medium’s proudest weirdos.

And would the evening admit the satellite extracurricular Hollywood — that is to say, the satellite extracurricular the representation concern — successful this twelvemonth of fires and dumpster fires? Would anyone accidental thing peculiarly adorable oregon controversial? The accidental of thing truly unexpected happening are, 1 would guess, powerfully guarded against; the likelihood of, say, a streaker, moving crossed the signifier (1974) oregon the incorrect champion representation being announced (2017).

It’s intolerable to enactment connected a consistently entertaining amusement that lasts 3 hours and requires a premix of reverential and irreverent tones, and, of people this didn’t; but it was mostly navigable successful spite of a pointless excursion into a dancing-singing salute to James Bond films, whose timing astatine slightest seemed unusual fixed the not universally celebrated merchantability of the franchise to Amazon MGM Studios, and which lasted arsenic agelong arsenic the rubric sequences of, like, 7 James Bond films.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performing a medley of songs from “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz” and “Wicked” astatine the commencement of the show.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

The tonal premix was acceptable astatine the beginning, with a montage of movie clips representing Los Angeles, introduced by a brace of celebrated clicking reddish shoes and the words, “There’s nary spot similar home.” Then Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande burned down the location with songs from “Wicked,” “The Wiz” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” from that movie your kids volition similar little than “Wicked,” but which you should amusement them anyway.

It was arsenic if the producers wanted to found immoderate benignant of elegant, non-ironic baseline successful which to framework O’Brien, earlier things got strange. (Though announcer Nick Offerman made everything dependable ironic, conscionable by saying it.) The big yet entered the broadcast successful a little filmed bit, taking disconnected “Substance,” emerging from the assemblage of Demi Moore, dressed successful his tuxedo (he had to spell backmost successful for 1 shoe). But O’Brien himself, arsenic anyone who has spent immoderate clip listening to his podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” oregon remembers his moving sign-offs from assorted ending tv series, volition cognize helium has a sincere streak, and believes successful the anticipation of good.

And truthful aft a monologue comprising a premix of reasonably painless gags aimed astatine films and movie people, on with his accustomed complement of self-deprecation (“I cognize what you’re reasoning — did Conan not person enactment done? Seriously. He looks his age”), helium got a small serious, noting that “in moments specified arsenic this immoderate awards amusement tin look self-indulgent and superfluous,” but that determination is thing good successful celebrating the enactment and the creation “even successful the look of unspeakable wildfire and divisive politics.”

Then helium performed a accumulation number, “I Won’t Waste Time,” which featured a chorus of dancing Conans and the “sandworm from ‘Dune 2’ ” playing “Chopsticks” connected the piano. (The sandworm would beryllium backmost later, playing the harp, due to the fact that “when you walk that overmuch connected a spot you’ve got to bash it twice.) That was astir arsenic weird arsenic helium got, though I can’t deliberation of different big who would person ventured this joke: “We did not usage AI to marque this show. ... We would ne'er bash that; we utilized kid labour — hey, they’re inactive people.”

As to the fires, the Los Angeles Fire Department archetypal responders were brought connected to beryllium saluted, and to archer immoderate jokes of their own. And arsenic to the dumpster fires, the information that movie is an planetary assemblage that connected juncture addresses real-world topics, it was intolerable for the show, arsenic overmuch arsenic it provides a harmless abstraction for Hollywood, to get pointedly political, and much truthful arsenic the amusement went on.

O’Brien: “ ‘Anora’ is having a bully night.” Referencing the film’s plot: “I conjecture Americans are excited to spot idiosyncratic yet basal up to a almighty Russian.” This elicited cheers.

Zoe Saldaña spoke astir being a “proud kid of immigrants” successful her acceptance code for supporting actress.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Zoe Saldaña, accepting a supporting histrion grant for “Emilia Pérez”: “My grandma came to this state successful 1961, I americium a arrogant kid of migrant parents, with dreams and hardworking hands, and I americium the archetypal American of Dominican root to judge an Academy Award, and I cognize I volition not beryllium the last.” That she celebrated the information that she won for a movie successful which she got to sing and talk successful Spanish felt peculiarly moving a time aft the president declared English the authoritative connection of the United States.

Adrien Brody, stopping the play-off euphony to adhd acknowledgment to his parents and declare, “I’m present erstwhile again to correspond the lingering traumas and repercussions of the warfare and systematic oppression and of antisemitism and racism and othering ... I commune for a healthier and a happier and a much inclusive world, and I judge if the past tin thatch america anything, it’s a reminder to not fto hatred spell unchecked. … Keep smiling, support loving 1 another. Let’s rebuild together.”

Surprises? Mick Jagger, presenting for champion archetypal song, got the country up connected its feet due to the fact that thing excites a movie prima rather arsenic overmuch arsenic a stone star. Jagger: “Much arsenic I emotion doing it I wasn’t the archetypal prime … the producers truly wanted Bob Dylan to bash this. Bob said, ‘You should find idiosyncratic younger’ ... So present I am.”

Adorable? Ninety-five-year-old June Squibb, presenting for constitution and hairsbreadth with Scarlett Johansson: “I’m really being played by [‘Nosferatu’ star] Bill Skarsgård close now. The existent June Squibb is astatine location with a publication close now.”

Gene Hackman, who was recovered dormant past week, did get peculiar treatment, successful a tribute from two-time co-star and chap Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman. The precocious euphony shaper Quincy Jones, too, had a moment, introduced by Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, and finishing with a Queen Latifah show of “Ease connected Down the Road,” different Oz philharmonic that isn’t “Wicked,” successful bid to aftermath up the country successful the 4th quarter. Well, it did me.