The host opened the 95th Oscars ceremony with a monologue that tackled various topics, including the return of the ceremony to its full format, the nominees, and the state of the film industry. They poked fun at the fact that many of the top-grossing films were sequels or franchises, and joked about Steven Spielberg's autobiographical film, "The Fabelmans." The host also congratulated first-time nominees, including Jamie Lee Curtis and Brendan Fraser, and acknowledged the achievements of veteran nominees, such as John Williams. They also made light of the fact that some notable figures, like James Cameron and Tom Cruise, were not in attendance. The monologue also included humorous warnings about the consequences of any violent outbursts during the ceremony, and the host's own personal security team, which includes Adonis Creed, Michelle Yeoh, and Guillermo del Toro. The host concluded by announcing that all 23 categories would be presented live during the ceremony.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The event is the 95th Oscars.
2. Brendan Fraser and Ky were in a movie together, "Encino Man", 31 years ago.
3. Two actors from "Encino Man" are nominated for Oscars.
4. Steven Spielberg claims he has never smoked weed.
5. Steven Spielberg is the first director to be nominated in six different decades for an Oscar.
6. John Williams is the oldest nominee in Oscar history.
7. John Williams turned 91 years old last month and is still scoring.
8. Walt Disney has been nominated for more Oscars than John Williams, with 53 nominations and 5 wins.
9. The sequel to "Avatar" is the most expensive movie ever made, with Disney spending $2 billion on it.
10. James Cameron is not present at the event.
11. Rihanna is nominated for her first Oscar for the song "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever".
12. Rihanna has a 9-month-old baby backstage.
13. The Academy has a crisis team in place in case of any unpredictable or violent events during the ceremony.
14. The event will show all 23 categories live, except for one, which was awarded earlier to "All Quiet on the Western Front".
15. The event will feature a group of performers from the movie "RRR" who will dance off speakers who go on too long.
16. There are 16 first-time nominees in the acting categories, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Colin Farrell, and Michelle Yeoh.
17. Austin Butler is a first-time nominee, for his role as Elvis Presley.
18. Nicole Kidman was "held captive" for almost two years and has been "released".
19. The top 10 highest-grossing films this year were all sequels or franchises.
20. The movie "Babylon" lost $100 million.
21. The movie "Bat Girl" was defeated by an accounting department.
22. Tom Hanks gave Austin Butler a vintage typewriter before shooting began for the movie "Elvis".