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Oscars 2026: ‘One Battle After Another’ wins best picture

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

One Battle After Another was the big winner at Sunday’s Oscars, taking home the top prize of best picture.

“I just want to say that in 1975 the Oscar nominees for best picture were Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jaws, Nashville and Barry Lyndon,” said the film’s director, Paul Thomas Anderson. “There is no best among them, there is just what that mood might be that day.”

“But we’re happy to be part of this, a wonderful, wonderful journey with our fellow nominees, our fellow filmmakers, our fellow filmmakers that even weren’t recognized by the academy,” he added. “So many great films this year.”

Anderson also thanked his cast, noting he “blew it” when he forgot to thank them when he won best director earlier in the evening. He specifically called out actress Chase Infiniti, saying, “You are the heart of this movie.”

One Battle After Another took home six awards. In addition to best picture, it won director, adapted screenplay, film editing, achievement in casting and supporting actor for Sean Penn.

Oscars 2026: Jessie Buckley wins best actress

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Jessie Buckley won the Oscar for best actress at the 2026 Academy Awards Sunday. She took home the award for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in the film Hamnet, becoming the first Irish performer to win in the category.

“Thank you so much — this is really something,” Buckley started off her acceptance speech, before admiring her fellow nominees. “Thank you to the incredible women that I stand beside. I am inspired by your heart and your art, and I want to work with every single one of you.”

She also thanked the producers of Hamnet, noting, “None of this is possible without you,” and shouted out her family members in attendance.

“Mom, Dad, thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectations,” she said. Buckley also expressed her love for her husband, Freddie Sorensen, and their daughter.

“It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K. today, so I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” she ended the speech. “We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds. Thank you for recognizing me in this role. This is the greatest honor.”

Oscars 2026: Michael B. Jordan wins best actor

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Michael B. Jordan won best actor at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night for his dual roles as Smoke and Stack in Sinners.

This was Jordan’s first Oscar nomination and win. He was nominated alongside Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke and Wagner Moura.

Last year’s winner, Adrien Brody, took to the stage to announce this year’s best actor nominees. Brody won the award in 2025 for his performance in The Brutalist. He poked fun at himself by referencing his infamously long acceptance speeches for his win last year, as well as his 2003 win for The Pianist.

Jordan is the sixth Black actor to win in the category. He follows Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith. Jordan thanked the actors who came before him, as well as best actress Oscar winner Halle Berry, when accepting his award.

“I stand here because of the people that came before me,” Jordan said.

The actor continued by thanking everybody in attendance at the Oscars and everyone watching the ceremony at home for supporting him over the course of his career.

“I feel it. I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me. So thank you for keeping betting on me,” Jordan said. “I’m going to keep stepping up, and I’m going to keep being the best version of myself I can be.”

Oscars 2026: Paul Thomas Anderson wins best director for ‘One Battle After Another’

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

In the battle for best director, Paul Thomas Anderson came away with the win for his film One Battle After Another.

“You make a guy work hard for one of these, I really appreciate it,” Anderson said in accepting the award, thanking the academy for “finding my work worthy of this highest honor.”

He also recognized his fellow nominees in the category, Chloé Zhao for Hamnet, Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme and Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value.

“I couldn’t ask for a better class. It’s an honor to be counted amongst you guys,” he said. “There will always be some doubt in your heart that you deserve it, but there is no question at the pleasure for having it for myself.”

Finally, Anderson noted, “This is a wonder gift, and I’m so happy to call the movies home. This is really terrific.”

The win comes after 14 career Academy Award nominations for Anderson. It was his second win of the night, after winning best adapted screenplay.

Oscars 2026: ‘Sentimental Value’ wins best international feature film

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

You can now add Oscar winner to Joachim Trier’s list of accomplishments. His film Sentimental Value won best international feature film, also making history for Norway as the first Norwegian feature film to win in the category.

The film triumphed over The Secret Agent (Brazil), It Was Just an Accident (France), Sirāt (Spain) and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).

“I’m just a film nerd from Norway,” Trier began, noting the win “means the world to me.”

“This film is about a very dysfunctional family, and it’s the opposite of what I felt with this very beautiful group behind me,” he said, surrounded by the film’s cast. “I think I make films to feel at home with people, and I really felt at home with the crew.”

Trier also thanked his “real family,” including his parents “for showing him movies,” and his wife and his kids. He shouted out his fellow nominees, before paraphrasing a quote from James Baldwin.

“All adults are responsible for all children,” Trier said. “Let’s not vote for politicians that don’t take this seriously into account.”

Oscars 2026: ‘Golden’ and all the musical performances

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Unlike past years, when multiple nominees for best original song were performed during the Oscars ceremony, Sunday night’s Academy Awards only featured two nominees: “I Lied to You” from Sinners and “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters, which took home the trophy.

Dressed in coordinating white outfits, the voices of HUNTR/X — EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna — sang “Golden” as a troupe of dancers waved golden flags behind them. The Oscar audience got in on the fun by waving lightbulb-shaped glow sticks in time to the music.

Of note, the Oscar for best original song was presented by past winner Lionel Richie; “Golden” is the first K-pop song to be nominated for, and to win, an Oscar. An emotional EJAE, who co-wrote “Golden,” accepted the trophy and pronounced herself “so proud” that “everyone is singing our song,” which she said was about resilience. When one of the song’s other co-writers attempted to thank someone, the group was played off the stage.

The “I Lied to You” performance recreated a specific scene in the film, in which the character Sammie sings in Club Juke and the music is so powerful that the entire history of Black music unspools around him. In addition to those who appeared in the film — Miles Caton, Alice Smith and Buddy Guy — the number incorporated many guest musicians and artists, including Raphael Saadiq, who co-wrote the song, plus Shaboozey, Alabama Shakes’ Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Bobby Rush and ballerina Misty Copeland.

One unexpected performance at the show was Josh Groban’s appearance during host Conan O’Brien’s opening monologue. As O’Brien imagined winning an Oscar and being crowned king, Groban was on hand to sing a comically dramatic song celebrating O’Brien’s genius.

And a bonus performance came from Barbra Streisand, who sang a bit of “The Way We Were” after eulogizing her co-star Robert Redford, who died in September 2025.

Oscars 2026: Autumn Durald Arkapaw makes history as first woman to win best cinematography

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Autumn Durald Arkapaw made Oscars history as the first woman to win the award for best cinematography at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday.

Arkapaw was awarded the prize for best cinematography for her work on Sinners. Arkapaw is only the fourth woman to be nominated in the category, and she is also the first woman of color to be nominated. Now she is the first woman to win the award in the academy’s 98-year history.

The other nominees in the category were Adolpho Veloso for Train Dreams, Michael Bauman for One Battle After Another, Dan Laustsen for Frankenstein and Darius Khondji for Marty Supreme.

After taking the stage to accept her prize, Arkapaw asked all of the women in the room to stand up.

“I feel like I don’t get here without you guys,” Arkapaw said. “I really, really, truly mean that.”

The three other women who have been nominated in the category are Rachel Morrison for the 2018 film Mudbound, Ari Wegner for the 2021 movie The Power of the Dog and Mandy Walker for 2022’s Elvis.

Arkapaw also thanked Sinners director Ryan Coogler.

“Thank you for believing in me and thank you for trusting me, and that’s the kind of guy I get to make films with,” Arkapaw said.

Oscars 2026: Rob Reiner tribute includes Billy Crystal, cast members from Reiner’s films

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

The Oscars paid tribute to the late Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, Sunday, with Reiner’s good friend Billy Crystal on hand to salute the actor/director.

Crystal noted he first met Rob Reiner in 1975 when he played his best friend in All in the Family. Said Crystal, “It went so well, Rob said, ‘You know, it was fun playing your best friend, why don’t we keep it going.'”

“It was a thrill to see him evolve from a great comic actor to a master storyteller,” said Crystal, before going through the movies Rob Reiner made, including This is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride and Crystal’s own film When Harry Met Sally, plus more serious films like Misery and A Few Good Men.

“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,” said Crystal. “Far better in his eyes, far kinder, far funnier and far more human.”

Crystal then mentioned Rob Reiner’s wife, noting that after Michele Reiner entered his life they were “unstoppable.”

“Their loss is immeasurable,” said Crystal.

“To the millions who have enjoyed his films all these years, I want you to know, here and around the world, how many times Rob told me that it meant everything to him that his work meant something to you,” Crystal concluded. “And for us, who had the privilege of working with and knowing him and loving him, all we can say is, buddy, what fun we had storming the castle,” a reference to The Princess Bride.

The curtain then opened to reveal cast members from some of Rob Reiner’s films, including Meg Ryan, Demi Moore, Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Wil Wheaton and Jerry O’Connell.

Oscars 2026: Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler secure their first Oscar wins

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Paul Thomas Anderson has gone from Oscar nominee to Academy Award winner, as his film One Battle After Another won best adapted screenplay at the 2026 Oscars.

“I owe a huge debt of adoration and love to Thomas Pynchon,” he began his speech, paying tribute to the novelist behind the 1990 novel Vineland, which loosely inspired One Battle After Another.

“Any writer knows that … your special thanks is really to your family and the people that you share a roof with that put up with what it means to live with a writer,” Anderson said. “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, but also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.”

The award marks PTA’s first Oscar. Also securing his first Academy Award was Ryan Coogler, whose movie Sinners won best original screenplay.

During his speech, Coogler thanked the academy for recognizing the film and his fellow nominees for “the gifts that your movies were and for y’all friendship over the past couple years and months.” He expressed gratitude to Warner Bros., the cast and crew of Sinners, his parents, producer Sev Ohanian and his partner, Zinzi Coogler, whom he called “the best mom and wife in the world.”

“Every day I get to spend with you is better than the one that came before it,” he said to Zinzi. He then shared a message to his children. “I apologize for all the time away. Dad loves you. Memories are all we have. I hope I give you some great ones,” he said. “When y’all blessed to live a long life, and dad becomes just a memory, I want y’all to remember this one thing: I love y’all more than anything.”

Oscars 2026: Sean Penn wins best supporting actor

March 15, 2026 by WDNY Radio

Sean Penn won best supporting actor at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night for his role as Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another.

This was Penn’s sixth Oscar nomination and his third win. He was nominated alongside Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Delroy Lindo and Stellan Skarsgård.

Last year’s winner, Kieran Culkin, took to the stage to announce this year’s best supporting actor nominees. Culkin won the award in 2025 for his performance in A Real Pain. Penn did not attend the ceremony, so Culkin accepted the award for him.

“Sean Penn couldn’t be here, or didn’t want to, so I accept this award on his behalf,” Culkin said.

Penn was previously nominated for his roles in Dead Man Walking, Sweet and Lowdown and I Am Sam. He won his first Oscar for Mystic River in 2004, before winning again in 2009 for Milk.

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