What he found changed his life.

“It was kind of like a musical bomb,” Souther says from his home in New Mexico, describing the night he stumbled onto Sill performing to a dozen or so people at Artie Fatbuckle’s Cellar in Hollywood in 1971. “I expected her to be good because David Geffen said she was great, and he has great taste.

“I did not expect her to be an absolute original,” he continues. “Because she was really unlike anything any of us had ever seen at that moment when we were all just starting out and just being signed to (Geffen’s) Asylum Records.”

For singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin, while the setting was different, the epiphany was much the same.

“I was 17 and I was scooping ice cream in Baskin-Robbins in Carbondale, Illinois,” Colvin says from her home in Austin, Texas. “We were listening to our college radio station, WTAO, and this woman comes on and it was … I was kind of like pushed back and nailed to the wall. I was like, ‘Who’s that?!’

“It was ‘There’s a Rugged Road,’ which is the first song on ‘Heart Food,’” she says of the 1973 album that had just come out when Colvin heard Sill for the first time. “The guitar playing was superb. Nobody before or since, to me, has ever sounded like Judee Sill as a singer and as a writer. So it was totally unique, but in a genre that was close to my heart.

“And that was it. I just went to the record store and got ‘Heart Food.’ The record probably cost $3.99. And fell in love with it.”

Souther and Colvin are not alone in their love of the singer-songwriter whose hard life has often overshaded the genius of the two albums she made for Asylum in the early ’70s, where she was the first artist signed after Geffen launched the label.

They, along with artists including Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, Big Thief, Weyes Blood and Fleet Foxes, all appear in “Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill,” a new documentary that opens Friday, April 12 in theaters and on streaming services.

Through the testimony of musicians, friends, writers and more, the film seeks to restore Sill to her rightful place in music history, say co-directors Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom, who worked more than a decade to bring the project to the screen. (Full disclosure: Lindstrom and I were college classmates.)

“We were very lucky to have such enthusiasm,” Lindstrom says of the response from those they approached to participate in “Lost Angel.” “The feeling was like, ‘Wow, this is about time. People need to know about her. How can we help?’”

A life revealed

Sill never shied from sharing the basic facts about her life before she made her first record.

As a teenager, she was arrested for a string of robberies in the San Fernando Valley and sent to reform school where she developed her musical skills by playing gospel songs on the organ for chapel services. After her release, she fell into drug addiction, sometimes working as a prostitute for money to buy heroin.

But that’s not the story Lindstrom and Brown wanted to tell, and to those who knew her, it never defined or confined her as an artist.

“What was striking about the interviews was, each of the people we talked to just said how much fun Judee was,” Lindstrom says. “How lovely she was. What a light she was. It completely blew away that kind of Wikipedia doom and gloom, the female Nick Drake depiction of her.

“One thing that’s really notable is the circle of love that she built in her life as an adult,” he says.

“She was, as far as her friend group, their dearest friend,” Brown adds. “The funniest person they ever knew. The one who would organize all the holiday gatherings and gave presents on their birthdays.”

Sill released her self-titled debut in 1971 and the sophomore release, “Heart Food,” in 1973. The first sold about 40,000 but failed to break through commercially. The second sold less and Sill was dropped by the label, a huge blow to a singer-songwriter who wanted not only to be famous, but also to heal the world with her music, as she says through interviews and journal entries in “Lost Angel.”

The filmmakers were limited to the decades-old footage of Sill in performance, but even in a video recorded by a friend at a performance at the University of Southern California, her talent shines through in the grainy images.

Other sources provided more context. An audiotape of an extensive interview she gave a journalist for the L.A. Free Press covered much of the same ground as the cover story that Rolling Stone published. Her niece had kept many of Sill’s journals, which through the narration of a voice actor and animation of Sill’s drawings, provided more of her voice for the film. The multitrack tapes of “Heart Food” allowed Sill’s music to serve as the film score.

“Our goal was to have Judee tell the story, but we didn’t have the archive to do that,” Brown says. “That’s partly why it took 10 years to make the film, because we were accumulating these things as we went along.”

J.D. and Judee

After that first night in the folk club on Melrose, Souther was completely taken by Sill.

He was already deeply enmeshed in the growing country rock scene in Los Angeles, writing and performing with friends such as Glenn Frey and Don Henley, soon to become the Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and Warren Zevon.

Yet in Sill, Souther says he saw things that none of them were doing yet.

“None of us – even Jackson, who was at that point far better than Glenn or Don or Zevon or I – had the kind of detail and the sort of admixture of the numinous and the absolute earthiness,” he says. “It was just great. She was great.

“She was by far the best writer of any of us,” Souther says. “If you asked her what musicians she liked, she would say Ray Charles and Bach. And she kind of liked the Sons of the Pioneers, which you can hear in some of her stuff that’s kind of cowboy country. Her craftsmanship was just elegant, well-formed, and deep. It had a point of view without judgment, but it also had great detail, great specificity.”

Souther and Sill became an on-and-off couple. It ended for good when Souther left to tour with Ronstadt and came home in a relationship with her.

The breakup inspired one of Sill’s greatest songs, “Jesus Was a Cross-Maker,” which mixes holy metaphors with earthly sorrows as it takes Souther down a peg or two for how he broke her heart. Famously, she showed up at his house before breakfast one day to let him hear it straight from her.

“Oh yeah, she threw it right in my face,” Souther says, laughing. ” “Here’s how I feel about you, you unrepentant bastard.’

“I think I said, ‘Wow. Well, let’s go to Lucy’s and get some huevos rancheros,’” he says. “So we went to El Adobe and had some some huevos rancheros. She had spoken her piece, you know. And then we got close again after that. Even when Linda and I were together, and we were in the studio singing, Judee was there a couple of times.”

One of the greats

After Sill lost her record deal, she struggled. Her new boyfriend at the time wasn’t good for her, Souther and other friends say in the film.  A car crash in Souther’s borrowed VW Beetle left her with long-term back pain, which soon led her back into a drug habit.

When she died in 1979 of a drug overdose, she left behind two albums, both of them filled with beautiful music, but outside of her friends few noticed her passing. Her dream to succeed ended unrealized by commercial measures, but that’s not the only way to judge an artist’s life.

“My first instinct is to just prompt us all to kind of re-evaluate what it means to make it,” Lindstrom says. “Can anyone listen to ‘The Kiss’ and think that Judee, in any way, did not make it?

“I think she kind of helps us understand her story with her last words in ‘Lopin’ Along Through the Cosmos,’” he says. “‘However we are is OK.’ I think that can sometimes be used as a kind of meaningless phrase, but in Judee’s case, it’s quite the opposite. I think of it as a kind of hard-won depth and acceptance and grit and perseverance to it.”

Unlike Souther, Colvin never knew Sill through anything but her records. She recorded that first song she heard on the radio at the Baskin-Robbins on her 1994 album “Cover Girl,” and has performed other Sill songs including “The Phoenix,” which appears in “Lost Angel,” over the years. But the most common response to her mention of Sill’s name has been the blank expressions of those for whom it isn’t known.

“That’s why this movie is so important,” Colvin says. “I liken her to Van Gogh or something. It’s like you’re gonna know about her long after she’s gone, and hopefully this is the start of that, because she really should be.

“I just think it’s one of those cases where I have to believe that she just wasn’t meant to blow up while she was alive,” she says. “And who knows how long it’s going to take. But she belongs among the greats. Because she is one of the greats.”

This poignant and emotionally astute film begins with Ella (Anna Paquin) having cratered. She’s newly sober, but also bitter and bereft, spending her days bickering with her concerned but helpless dad (Ray Winstone) and sitting and stewing at the playground where she used to take her daughters.

Ella’s mother died of cancer and her father drank. And Ella grew up angry, drank too much would lose control, taking it out on her young daughters – until she handed custody over to her ex-husband. 

It’s at the playground that she meets Neil (Luca Hogan, in a memorable debut), a quirky and precocious adolescent boy, who restores Ella’s hope. 

“A Bit of Light” is adapted from a play by Rebecca Callard. The director, Stephen Moyer, first met Paquin when they starred on the Showtime vampire hit “True Blood.” Their characters fell in love, and so did they, marrying in 2010. Moyer did his first directing work on that show and has since directed a feature, the well-received ensemble film, “The Parting Glass,” which also featured Paquin. 

Paquin and Moyer spoke to us about the new film, which arrives in theaters and on streaming April 5, and the conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Q. What appealed to you about the play and the role? 

Moyer: I like that we are coming in after the fireworks have happened. We meet Ella at that moment where it’s the mundane: “Every day, I’ve got to go to fucking meetings that I loathe and I don’t want to be in this room. I don’t want to be with my dad. I don’t want to be any of this.”

I’m sober. I haven’t had a drink in like 23 years. And there are times early on when one is doing that where you think, “Oh my God, it’s only 11:00 a.m. and I’m still sober and that is so boring.”

Paquin: I love how raw and unapologetic and completely broken she is and it’s not dressing up this ugly and sad moment in her life. We allow her to be all the things she is trying to not be but that she is perpetuating because she’s just so full of self-loathing. 

Moyer: This idea of Ella going to the playground where she used to take her children to torture herself, by watching other children play was just such a rock-bottom moment. And it was such a beautiful idea, the story of a person at their lowest ebb, who’s invisible and broken, but who gets seen by this boy who decides to try and put her back together again. I loved this idea that even at your lowest ebb, there is somebody there to help you if you allow them in. Ella tries very hard to try him and make him go away, but he’s relentless.

The irony is that when I read the play Rebecca had sold the rights, but a couple of years later when we actually got the rights Anna – who Rebecca had thought of as too young for the role – had reached 39. And Ray Winstone has a daughter called Ellie, who he calls Els and he has another daughter who is the same age as Anna. It was weird how it all came together at the right time. 

Q. Anna, did you like being told you finally look old enough for this part? 

Paquin: I am so bored of playing significantly younger people than my numerical age. I know you are not ever supposed to complain about looking young in my line of work, but I have absolutely no desire to redo my younger years. It doesn’t necessarily fascinate you when you get older and your priorities and life change. I’ve always been waiting to age into the roles that I want. 

Q. Meanwhile, the youngest character, Neil, is probably the most mature despite his own difficulties in life. 

Moyer: I loved the fact that he speaks plainly and speaks like an adult but he says the things that nobody else will say – he’s the voice of conscience, if you like, of the whole piece, so he’s not a normal 13-year-old boy. 

Q. Like Ella, and also Alan, he’s invisible in his own world. 

Moyer: Exactly. I love the idea of Broken Dad also being put back together. The “bit of light” in the title could be the fact that there is just this tiny, tiny piece of hope that Ella has. But it also could be that wherever Neil, this odd spectral character, travels, he’s the bit of light. Whatever other people he runs into, he helps them cope with the moment that they’re in. He made it his quest to put Ella back together, but in doing so, he affects everybody else around her as well. 

Q. Ella is in constant emotional turmoil. Was that draining and hard to shake off at the end of the day?

Paquin: I don’t know how to do that. I just give it my absolute all and leave absolutely all of it on the floor and walk away. I like that drained feeling. That makes me feel like I’ve done my job well. But to go to emotionally scary or intense places and really open up, you need to feel safe in your surroundings. And I feel really safe with my husband as the director. I know that he’s got my back. We met doing a chemistry read and we were very comfortable with each other from the get-go. 

Q. Is your dynamic the same at home as it is on the set? 

Moyer: On the set I’m lovely, but I’m a monster at home.

Paquin: No, he’s so nice. 

His daughter Gudrun said Tuesday that Flaherty died Monday following a brief illness.

Flaherty, who was born in Pittsburgh, spent seven years at The Second City in Chicago before moving north of the border to help establish the theater’s Toronto outpost.

He went on to star alongside John Candy and Catherine O’Hara in “SCTV,″ about a fictional TV station known as Second City Television that was stacked with buffoons in front of and behind the cameras. Flaherty’s characters included network boss Guy Caballero and the vampiric TV host Count Floyd.

Former castmates also included Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas and Andrea Martin.

He won Emmys in 1982 and 1983 for his writing on “SCTV” and continued to work in TV and film for decades.

He was introduced to later generations through memorable turns as a jeering heckler in the 1996 film “Happy Gilmore” and as an old fashioned dad in the TV comedy “Freaks and Geeks,” which ran from 1999 to 2000.

“Oh man. Worshipped Joe growing up,” comedian Adam Sandler said on X. “Always had me and my brother laughing. Count Floyd, Guy Caballero. Any move he made.”

Flaherty maintained deep ties to Toronto, serving as an artist-in-residence at Humber College.

“Dad was an extraordinary man, known for his boundless heart and an unwavering passion for movies from the ’40s and ’50s,” his daughter wrote in Tuesday’s statement. “Cinema wasn’t merely a hobby for him; it profoundly influenced his career, particularly his unforgettable time with ‘SCTV.’ He cherished every moment spent on the show, so proud of its success and so proud to be part of an amazing cast.”

The 76-year-old action star revealed the surprise health news on an episode of Arnold’s Pump Club podcast.

“Last Monday, I had surgery to become a little bit more of a machine: I got a pacemaker,” the “Terminator” star announced.

“First of all, I want you to know I’m doing great! I had my surgery on Monday and by Friday, I was already at a big environmental event with my friend and fellow fitness crusader Jane Fonda,” he said. “Nobody would ever have thought I started the week with a surgery.

“I want to thank my whole team at the Cleveland Clinic. All of the doctors and nurses took amazing care of me and made the surgery as painless as possible,” he added.

Schwarzenegger underwent surgery to replace his pulmonic and aortic valves in 1997. He had follow-up surgeries for new replacement valves in 2018 and 2020, according to Deadline.

He said on the podcast he’d developed an irregular heartbeat and monitored it closely.

“I stayed in touch with my medical team and visited in person at least once a year to get a full check-up and see how my heart was doing,” he said. “That’s life with a genetic heart issue. But you won’t hear me complaining.”

He explained he had the pacemaker installed shortly after a checkup earlier this month in which his doctor said he’d need it if he wanted to be healthy enough to act in upcoming projects.

“I can’t do my serious training in the gym for a while, but I will be 100% ready,” Schwarzenegger said.

“I want you to know you aren’t alone. And if you’re putting something off out of fear, I hope I inspire you to listen to your doctors and take care of yourself,” he advised listeners.

The film, which is the second in the renown directors series of genre-defining zombie flicks, turns 45 this year and will return to theaters across the country in April and May.

Locally, the film will screen at Gardena Cinema, which will screen the film in 3D, the Alamo Drafthouse in downtown Los Angeles and in Orange County at the Frida Cinema in Santa Ana.

“I love this film. I think it has some of the greatest effects of all-time in terms of the gore and the sequences in particular, with zombies ripping people apart look unbelievable, better than anything you see on screen now,” said Trevor Dillon, director of programming and special events at the Frida, who jumped at the chance to screen the film, which is very rarely seen in theaters.

“We’ve never had the chance to play it and we’ve never been able to. I’m very surprised more theaters aren’t playing it,” he said.

The film followed Romero’s 1968 masterpiece “Night of the Living Dead,” which pretty much revolutionized the horror film genre and sparked the zombie craze that remains extremely popular today.

“I think ‘Night of the Living Dead’ really set the tone for the modern zombie movie and then ‘Dawn of the Dead’ then really pushed it forward,” Dillon said. “If ‘Night of the Living Dead’ set up the pins, ‘Dawn of the Dead’ knocked them all down.”

While the first film followed seven people trapped in a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania who are under assault by flesh eating zombies, “Dawn of the Dead” went further into the genre by exploring the larger-scale effects of a zombie apocalypse on an entire society. The storyline follows a group of people who barricade themselves in a mall after a mysterious virus spreads all around them, turning those who are bitten into rabid, flesh-hungry creatures.

“It went into a way more political area, it’s more violent, it’s in color, it’s commenting on American consumerism but it’s also entertaining,” Dillon said.

The North American gala premiere of ‘Dawn of the Dead’ took place on April 12, 1979 at the Gateway Theatre in downtown Pittsburgh before it was released nationwide. At the Frida a couple of weeks before its early April screening, Dillon was busy putting up film posters at the theater and said he expects a sold out house at all three screenings inside the Orange County theater. He is also planning on having horror-themed vendors on-site during the screening.

Dawn of the Dead

Where: The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth Street, Santa Ana. Showtimes are 7:45 p.m. Friday, April 12-Saturday, April 13 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 14. Tickets are $12 at thefridacinema.org.

Gardena Cinema, 14948 Crenshaw Boulevard, Gardena. Showtimes are 2:30 pm, 6 p.m. and 9:30 pm on Saturday, April 27 and at 6:00 pm and 9:30 pm on Sunday, April 28. Tickets are $15 at eventbrite.com.

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 700 W. 7th Street, Suite U240, Los Angeles. Showtimes are 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 12 and 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, April 16. Tickets are $10 at drafthouse.com. This location is almost sold out.

For more information and more locations, go to dawn45.com.

But the nonprofit went through a financial disaster last year that resulted in the pause of all Outfest programming and the subsequent layoff of the approximately 20-person staff at the Los Angeles-based nonprofit. However, the city’s predominant LGBTQ+ film festival could still come back this year, albeit in a much different and more than likely smaller version.

“Today, we are taking a look at how we get back to our mission and assure that we mount some of our core programming this year. And it won’t look like a traditional year for Outfest, but we want to make sure that we continue to play our irreplaceable role in the creative community,” said Christopher Racster, who took over as interim executive director late last year and is the organization’s current sole employee.

Outfest was launched in 1982 by UCLA grad students and grew to include various programs to help develop filmmakers, as well as a Legacy Awards Series and the Fusion QTBIPOC Film Festival, which focuses on people of color. Its flagship event, the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, is made up of about 200 or so films and includes various parties, panel discussions and other events. The film festival has become an event that amplifies queer and transgender stories, while creating a sense of community and serving as a launching pad for young filmmakers whose voices may have not otherwise been heard.

For those reasons, Racster said it’s crucial for the festival to take place in whatever form is possible this year.

“We won’t have a traditional Outfest Los Angeles Film Festival, there’s no way we could mount that right now given current financial conditions,” he said.

“But we will have and are working with community members to have a replacement for that. Whether it would be a streaming series or a mini festival, something that replicates that opportunity for people to come together to make sure that the new filmmakers who haven’t been seen have a chance for their work to be seen and their works elevated,” he added.

Racster said it’s possible a revamped film festival may take place in late summer or early fall.

“I feel really disheartened that this cultural landmark is not going to have the full presence it normally does,” he said.  “It really does have an irreplaceable part in our culture and creative community. The LGBTQ community doesn’t always have a safe place to come together and we provide that, a place to come together and celebrate and get to know one another and we’re working to make sure we create something to replicate that.”

Racster blamed the financial woes on various reasons, including the writers strike, which affected their programming and fundraising events, building momentum back up after COVID-19, inflation and the rising costs of putting on such a large-scale event as well as mergers among entertainment entities that have trimmed sponsorship budgets.

“Quite suddenly you could find yourself in a severe financial deficit,” he said.

So far, no employees have been hired back and Outfest is currently raising funds to pay approximately $500,000 owed to various vendors and partners. So it may seem like an uphill battle for Outfest to get back to where it once was, but those involved in the LGBTQ film community say it’s crucial because the Outfest film festival is an event that has an impact far beyond the LGBTQ community.

“Outfest reminds people that the LGBTQ community has a big effect and passion for Hollywood and for film and TV and that lifts up all of Hollywood,” said John Griffiths, the executive director and founder of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and Dorian Awards.

“It nurtures and advances writers, directors, screenwriters,” said Griffiths, whose organization has teamed up with Outfest in the past for some of their programming.

“It’s one of those very special places where industry people, fans, serious artists, filmmakers, young people, old people who are celebrating a passion for film and TV that are queer can really feel at home and excited,” he added.

Besides the flagship film festival, Racster said they will also be holding a Fusion festival celebration sometime this year.

“That’s a must. we’re still looking at what that will look like and what dates but that’s a must-have,” he said.

“I have a 12-year filmmaking career as a queer filmmaker because of organizations like Outfest. Without it I wouldn’t have had that career and I want to make sure that for the next 42 years this organization is continuing to invest in our storytellers and also provide that crucial space for our community to come together,” Racster said.

The Oscars can extend some additional thank-yous to “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” as the awards continued to claw back viewers lost during the pandemic with the highest rating in four years, averaging 19.5 million viewers on Sunday night based on Nielsen data released Monday.

That figure represented a 4% gain over 2023. Last year’s Oscars added more than a million viewers on a seven-day basis thanks to delayed playback of the show, so the final audience will grow beyond the same-day figures reported by Nielsen.

The Oscars sank to an all-time low in 2021, a year that saw all award shows slump due to the pandemic. ABC has now registered increases regaining some of that audience in each of the last three years.

The Academy and ABC opted to go with an earlier start time this year, moving up the show an hour to 7 p.m. ET. The combination of that and the switch to Daylight Savings Time figured to depress viewing at the outset, with the hope that finishing by 10:30 p.m. ET would encourage more people to stick things through until the end.

The Oscars drew 23.6 million viewers in 2020, the last time the show cracked the 20-million plateau in same-day viewing, and at the time, a record-low performance.

Having more widely popular nominees, like “Barbie” and best-picture winner “Oppenheimer,” has long been seen as one way to enhance interest in the telecast.

An episode of the ABC comedy “Abbott Elementary” scheduled after the Oscars also posted a ratings high for that series, with 6.9 million viewers.

Best Oscars show in several years. Surprising, yes?

Yes. Especially given the expected and ultimately fulfilled dominance of front-runner “Oppenheimer” — seven wins, including for best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan), best actor (Cillian Murphy), best supporting actor (Robert Downey Jr.), plus cinematography, musical score and editing — and hardly any awards constituting an upset. Minimal upsets plus zero train-wreck moments (no Will Smith violence; no envelope mix-up, though I did love the tiny jump scare Al Pacino provoked with his abrupt reveal of the biggest award of the night) typically means bleh TV. So why was the 96th running of the bull Sunday such a surprise, even without actual surprises?

Here are five theories that, stitched together, form one big Frankentheory, in honor of Emma Stone’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Bella Baxter in “Poor Things.”

1. The quality of goods on display: Way up this year. Take the 10 best picture nominees. Even “Maestro,” the one arguably least deserving of inclusion, had some terrific elements and scenes in its corner. The Thanksgiving Day argument between Leonard and Felicia Bernstein (Bradley Cooper, not the evening’s happiest attendee, and best actress nominee Carey Mulligan) made the rest of the movie’s relationship details feel either dodgy, phony or rushed. But look, compared to some of the lesser titles filling out recent best picture nomination lists? “Elvis” in 2022? “Don’t Look Up” in 2021? “Promising Young Woman” in 2020? “Jojo Rabbit” in 2019? “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Green Book” in 2018?

2. The actual, unironic love and respect in the room: So many Oscar ceremonies arrive in righteous sanctimony without much in the way of interesting things to say in between numbers. This year was different, and better. The production itself sold its various presentation concepts, such as rounding up five previous Oscar winners to introduce this year’s performing categories, with a shrewd blend of wit and heart. And when certain winners took the stage and took the opportunity to express a view or two, miraculously it kept the show moving.

3. Now that’s how you go political: Quick, civil but pointed, and move on. Footage of the late Russian dissident, Putin enemy and likely Putin casualty Alexei Navalny, slipped into the show Sunday night in a beautiful and moving way. Also brief. Just right. Elsewhere, winning the international feature Oscar, “Zone of Interest” writer-director Jonathan Glazer referred to his film’s depiction of dehumanization in relation to Hitler’s Third Reich as well as linking it to Israel’s invasion of Gaza: “Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.”  No stridency, no reiterations, just clear opinions eloquently expressed, with one eye on the clock.

4. It’s fair game to take on the local industry on the industry’s biggest night: Oscar winner Cord Jefferson, who adapted (and directed) “American Fiction,” maximized his speech time by calling out the conglomerated, amalgamated, any-old-tentpole-in-a-storm mess that is contemporary Hollywood. Instead of throwing dice at a $200 million franchise burger, Jefferson said, “why not try making twenty $10 million dollar movies?”

5. When a sound designer gets an Oscar-night standing ovation, something is working: For “The Zone of Interest,” designer Johnnie Burn and production sound mixer Tarn Willers created a welter of ghastly everyday horrors, largely unseen but ever-present: furnaces, gunshots, screams, not quite realistic, not quite fantastic. It’s design genius of monstrous subtlety. My friend Eric Lindbom texted me from a Los Angeles Oscar party and said it first, and best: Not since “The Conversation” in 1974 has there been a feature so reliant on such a brilliantly detailed soundscape.

While we’re on it: When a film as bracing as “The Zone of Interest” garners five Oscar nominations, in an especially rich year, the Academy members are doing something right. They, and we, got an entertaining awards show in the bargain. Four-time MC Jimmy Kimmel? Solid. Coming off Jo Koy’s herniated hosting effort at the Golden Globes two months ago, I’ll take solid and easygoing, no questions asked.

Emily Blunt squared off against Ryan Gosling for a grudge match of a “Barbenheimer” peacekeeping mission. Quite droll. So was Kate McKinnon. And special thanks to John Mulaney for a transcendent non-sequitur riff on “Field of Dreams” dream logic, smack in the middle of introducing the category of best sound design. Long comic odds, for sure. But Mulaney found gold.

I suppose you had to be there, or rather anywhere, somewhere, watching. But this is why morning-after YouTubing has a secure place in this world. And amazingly — for a while longer — so does Oscar.

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

See Also: Get complete coverage of the 96th Academy Awards

For many viewers at home, the most talked-about night in Hollywood was also the conclusion of the nearly year-long Barbenheimer saga.

today we are officially saying goodbye to one of the most iconic era in cinematic history pic.twitter.com/ef3n76nuSR

— َ (@popcultfilm) March 10, 2024

Fans enjoyed various moments between the cast of the “Barbie” Movie such as Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie holding each others hands as well as the standing ovation for Billie Eilish and Finneas’ performance of the song “What Was I Made For” from “Barbie.” The two ended up winning the award for best original song, making Eilish the youngest person to win an Oscar twice at just 22 years old.

RYAN GOSLING AND MARGOT ROBBIE SHAKING HANDS! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/LJYqKWLX0L

— best of ryan gosling (@gosling_best) March 10, 2024

MARGOT ROBBIE AND RYAN GOSLING HOLDING HANDS IN SUPPORT I LOVE THEM #Oscars pic.twitter.com/DX05zE7CYS

— Sarah (@barchieshome) March 10, 2024

The #Oscars having the audacity to open their show with the instrumental from Dance The Night after snubbing Dua & Mark is just disrespectful… pic.twitter.com/254Kyk6pQx

— sam ★ (@lipaschaos) March 10, 2024

That standing ovation was well deserved.
I cannot hear her performed this without sobbing. https://t.co/bXXvFWdIKN

— Lisa Guerrero (@4lisaguerrero) March 11, 2024

And Greta adapted America Ferrera’s showstopping monologue from what? From what!!!!

— jr (@jamesearl23) March 11, 2024

barbie and ken at the oscars pic.twitter.com/CmWozSS93b

— aidan (@AlDANS_) March 10, 2024

margot robbie saying “hi barbie!” for the last time… end of an era #Oscars pic.twitter.com/P7MY9dNcsr

— pop culture gal (@allurequinn) March 11, 2024

billie: “when did it end”

me: “ALTHOUGH ENJOYMENNNTTT” pic.twitter.com/YvJ5JT05i0

— Cameron Scheetz (@cameronscheetz) March 10, 2024

Jimmy Kimmel returned to host the Oscars for a fourth time, which generally seemed to go over well (although the host read aloud a social media post from former President Donald Trump that was less than impressed).

Jimmy Kimmel making a joke about movies being long #Oscars pic.twitter.com/9sThOlF462

— jon (@prasejeebus) March 10, 2024

wish i could do this to whoever writes jimmy kimmel’s stuff #Oscars pic.twitter.com/Dx3OWoI9Je

— alexander ☆ (@paranflower) March 10, 2024

Jimmy Kimmel… awkward Robert Downey Jr. “jokes” #Oscars pic.twitter.com/iTsY9xea3B

— think. ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ (@_GLVSS_) March 10, 2024

I just love this man #Oscars #Oscars2024 pic.twitter.com/6DJiK8EOhf

— 𝙧𝙤𝙭𝙖𝙣𝙖ʰᵒᵗ ⁱᵐᵃᵐ (@Roxyafs) March 10, 2024

I don’t think it’s fair that I have to see Jimmy Kimmel bc I like movies. That’s not nice.

— reilly (@GoodPostReilly) March 10, 2024

One popular element was having past winners present the awards together. Each nominee got their own moment from previous stars who knew the honor of being nominated.

I've dreamt of days like these pic.twitter.com/NgkmBs6YnO

— Jorge Molina (@colormejorge) March 10, 2024

lupita said GIRLS IN GLASSES ARE HOT didn’t you hear #oscars pic.twitter.com/Selziey5Xy

— annie black (@helloannieblack) March 10, 2024

OH MY GAHHHHH #Oscars LUPITA & DA’VINE!!!! pic.twitter.com/NnYBiYjNmH

— numa perrier (@missnuma) March 10, 2024

this is a Da'Vine Joy Randolph stan account #Oscars pic.twitter.com/0rYUwEr5v4

— annie black (@helloannieblack) March 10, 2024

I don’t care if the #Oscars is 5 hours long, I’m so happy they brought pack this presenters format!

— Taylor Banks (@MsTaylorBanks) March 10, 2024

Ok, #Oscars! This presentation style is brilliant!

— Justin Hinton (@justinhintontv) March 10, 2024

There is no greater dopamine rush than five Supporting Actress Oscar winners walking towards you

— samantha roomba (@samcorb) March 10, 2024

it’s so refreshing for the oscars producers to finally give up on making the show shorter and just lean in to the emoooootion and spectacle of actresses actressing!!!
pic.twitter.com/nNPQv8MrPx

— David Mack (@davidmackau) March 10, 2024

I've dreamt of days like these pic.twitter.com/NgkmBs6YnO

— Jorge Molina (@colormejorge) March 10, 2024

All arguments against the “past acting winners tributing the current nominees” presentations are wrong and stupid and should be run out of town

— Chris Feil (@chrisvfeil) March 10, 2024

Da’Vine and Lupita a real Yale Drama moment

— Jackson McHenry (@McHenryJD) March 10, 2024

They should keep this format of past winners speaking highly of the nominees. This is what it’s about. #Oscars

— Caroline Renard (@carolinerenard_) March 11, 2024

Fans were thrilled to see Messi the border collie in attendance during the 96th Academy Awards.

"Anatomy of a Fall" star Messi is in the audience at this year's #Oscars. https://t.co/qxqSOgif3j pic.twitter.com/Y0yuT4uLqF

— Variety (@Variety) March 10, 2024

He looking for whoever was hating on him https://t.co/couH3TgNcf

— paul (@paulswhtn) March 10, 2024

The #Oscars' VIP (Very Important Pup). pic.twitter.com/1zGrTqlS5v

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 10, 2024

Every restaurant in LA: No Animals!

Every table at every restaurant in LA: pic.twitter.com/aGuEAhGobw

— Americana at Brand Memes (@americanamemes) March 10, 2024

The stage is the other way. Act like you’ve been there https://t.co/Z0L9GrM6xy

— broti gupta (@BrotiGupta) March 10, 2024

GOOD. They didn't take away his moment from him because of some sour people. https://t.co/TXuERFTp5u pic.twitter.com/i2GyHNSgQz

— CatMom (@alisha_ann94) March 10, 2024

It’s so funny this dog has haters and he still came through to flex that’s the goat https://t.co/XL4JLRdJo5

— joe bro (@jbromovies) March 10, 2024

YESSSSS! #Oscars
(I'm not even watching, I just needed the dog to be there to get his flowers ) https://t.co/9vMhV9KPIs pic.twitter.com/bwMbl1P2JH

— Kelsey Wilson (@KelsGoesKaboom) March 10, 2024

Although it’s possible that it was not in fact the same dog that played Snoop in “Anatomy of a Fall,” but rather a look a like according to behind the scenes video.

Messi the dog from Anatomy of a Fall was not due to attend the #Oscars but there is a look alike in front of a camera in the Dolby filing a segment with a small audience. pic.twitter.com/cyXwm3z7vU

— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) March 10, 2024

Regardless, viewers were thrilled to see whoever it was clapping when the cameras cut to him.

WAIT YOU GUYS WERE TALKING ABOUT A DOG??? i thought everyone was talking about the soccer player https://t.co/Mr9gAXo5FM

— ً (@alicechambersgf) March 11, 2024

Watching messi clap on repeat https://t.co/d4xmyB4Tgo

— Jordana (@jordanataylor) March 11, 2024

the two-second messi clapping clip is much more entertaining than Kimmel's entire stage presence so far mhm mhm https://t.co/bNv9OXLav1

— daphne (@defneorsomethin) March 11, 2024

either i’m still sleep deprived (i am) or this dog is fully clapping rn https://t.co/8i4LjXkDgB

— sarah (@fataldreamland) March 11, 2024

messi is wearing a bow tie? pic.twitter.com/7EFyCXHhed

— mariana (@pastapilled) March 10, 2024

“Godzilla Minus One” won for best visual effects and brought their Godzilla action figures onstage with them.

the godzilla team taking a bunch of godzilla toys onstage….. i love them pic.twitter.com/3ma2Gvf3L0

— zach silberberg (@zachsilberberg) March 11, 2024

The GODZILLA MINUS ONE team on the stage juggling their Oscars & Godzillas #Oscars pic.twitter.com/5D0yix3kQQ

— Conor Holt (@conor_holt) March 11, 2024

John Cena made an ironic entrance to present the award for best costumes, with no costume in sight.

This Cena bit is perfect, perfect slapstick & timing

— Emily Nussbaum (@emilynussbaum) March 11, 2024

MARGOT ROBBIE REACTING TO A NAKED JOHN CENA LMAOOOOOO #Oscars pic.twitter.com/BXTN5EiaQ0

— ໊ (@addictionmargot) March 11, 2024

https://twitter.com/SeanFennessey/status/1766981216543383805?s=20

mom: why is a naked man on the oscars?!
me: that’s oomf pic.twitter.com/MdCl7AiGUr

— swiftie struggle tweets (@swifferstruggle) March 11, 2024

The pairing of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt had many viewers eagerly looking forward to the duo’s upcoming film “The Fall Guy” because of the pair’s chemistry.

Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling got jokes at the #Oscars:

R: “I’m just happy we can finally put this Barbenheimer rivalry behind us!”

E: “And the way this award season turned out wasn’t that much of a rivalry so… JUST LET IT GO! ” pic.twitter.com/KJsBxIuBH6

— best of emily blunt (@badpostblunt) March 11, 2024

Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken” lived up to the hype and proved to be a fan favorite of the night. Fans also loved the genuine reactions of Robbie and Eilish trying to hold in their laughter.

ryan gosling starting "i'm just ken" in the audience behind margot robbie who CANNOT stop laughing. genius. i hope the kenergy never leaves ryan gosling #oscars pic.twitter.com/NVgEvEzGHH

— Nora Dominick (@noradominick) March 11, 2024

Ryan Gosling fully belting out ‘I’m Just Ken’ is the one of the most incredible Oscar musical performances I’ve ever seen. People were screaming, cheering and gasping inside the Dolby. #Oscar2024 pic.twitter.com/Eh70gDdIzj

— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) March 11, 2024

BEHOLD, THE GREATEST MOMENT IN OSCAR HISTORY!! BRAVO, RYAN GOSLING & “I’M JUST KEN!” #OSCARS #BARBIE #KENERGY pic.twitter.com/KVwwBwDXYT

— Scott Mantz (@MovieMantz) March 11, 2024

The way Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie JUMPED from their seats during Ryan Gosling’s I’m Just Ken performance! They were singing along and Greta looked like she had choreography down. A VIBE! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/7BWk6rdKkz

— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) March 11, 2024

Me watching this Ryan Gosling performance pic.twitter.com/86hLfkDU6b

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) March 11, 2024

Ryan Gosling kinda an icon for life #Oscars pic.twitter.com/OXujOEZErL

— kelechi (@kelechi_ai) March 11, 2024

YAAAALLLLLLL THE WAY BILLIE WAS LAUGHING IN THE BACKGROUND WHEN RYAN GOSLING STARTED PERFORMING “IM JUST KEN” IM CRYING pic.twitter.com/u1dmcz7HWP

— rachel HELD BILLIES HAND (@breakapromisee) March 11, 2024

Billie and Margo laughing at Ryan… #Oscars2024 pic.twitter.com/YWfEgIDUSQ

— Devyn (@HeyGayDev) March 11, 2024

LETS GO RYAN GOSLING pic.twitter.com/mMrGLlzv4t

— popculture (@notgwendalupe) March 11, 2024

ryan gosling’s lack of fear when it comes to being goofy it’s so endearing

— vampire workday (@imbobswaget) March 11, 2024

pic.twitter.com/jdRenYfhjB

— Americana at Brand Memes (@americanamemes) March 11, 2024

OMG https://t.co/XLgNrwoKv1 pic.twitter.com/6gz5NA2Fw7

— Letterboxd (@letterboxd) March 11, 2024

appreciate the “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” homage for the “i’m just ken” number pic.twitter.com/VJ8EVLhU1h

— dr. olympia kiriakou (@thescrewballgrl) March 11, 2024

As if it wasn’t star-studded enough with the various Kens from the film, Gosling out did himself by bringing out Guns N’ Roses’ guitarist Slash.

OMFG RYAN GOSLIN WITH SLASH “IM JUST KEN” #Oscars sanggggggggg Barbie movie! ENTER ME ZADDY pic.twitter.com/suN8wfwJPR

— TheeeDanielR (@TheeeDanielR) March 11, 2024

There was also a quick “La La Land” reunion with fellow nominee Emma Stone.

la la land enjoyers (me) won today https://t.co/3mYLzyvJ01

— heesuu/fives ♡ ! (@obiluvv) March 11, 2024

this was THE emma stone and ryan gosling moment i have waited for all awards season #oscars pic.twitter.com/v6ESsANFoV

— Nora Dominick (@noradominick) March 11, 2024

Stone went on to win for best actress. Before she started her speech she informed the audience that her dress had broke, which she assumed happened during Gosling’s performance of “I’m Just Ken.”

girlhood is emma stone asking the women on stage to help fix her dress while winning a whole ass oscar

— sarah (taylor's version) (@sarahjehoiada) March 11, 2024

Sisterhood is every woman on stage trying to to help Emma fix her dress. #Oscars

— Leah Rocketto (@LRocketto) March 11, 2024

Omg hooray! Emma Stone wins best actress for Poor Things as she says “my dress is broken I think it happened during I’m just ken.” #Oscars2024 pic.twitter.com/hcvb9Qc0py

— Kristen Meinzer (@kristenmeinzer) March 11, 2024

“my dress is broken, i think it happened during i’m just ken” being the first words of emma’s acceptance speech oh i love her pic.twitter.com/vt76OCa26Y

— lissy (@kenerqy) March 11, 2024

"My dress has broken." Emma Stone, you will always be famous. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/EO4z7DIq1O

— Decider (@decider) March 11, 2024

Best Lead Actress

Emma Stone and her broken dress #Oscars2024 #Oscars pic.twitter.com/q1cjv79tPS

— Eve… This Barbie is Coquette (@EveliaDGM) March 11, 2024

I love how the other women rushed to try to fix Emma’s dress #Oscar2024

— Mdub (@lineofmargarets) March 11, 2024

Kimmel made a joke about Stone’s previous win for “La La Land” asking someone to tear up the card with her win on it to prevent further confusion. In 2017 the film was announced the winner for Best Picture only to be discovered after the cast and crew took the stage the win actually went to “Moonlight.”

the la la land joke was the only funny one kimmel told tonight

— h (@agarfieldski) March 11, 2024

the la la land joke was the only funny one kimmel told tonight

— h (@agarfieldski) March 11, 2024

LOL that was the most anti-climactic way to announce this after the La La Land/Moonlight joke that Jimmy Kimmel just did

— Game, Set, backhand dig (@GameSet_bhd) March 11, 2024

Other fan favorites from the night including “American Fiction”’s writer Cord Jefferson’s win for best adapted screenplay and 12-year-old Porche Brinker taking the stage after “The Last Repair Shop” won for best documentary short.

See when you take a chance on a screenplay like American fiction and new Black Director and writer? #Oscar

— Caroline Renard (@carolinerenard_) March 10, 2024

“I know this is a risk averse industry, but maybe instead of making one $200 million dollar movie, try making 10 $20 million dollar movies.” – Cord Jefferson on winning Best Adapted Screenplay that half of Hollywood passed on. YES!! Let’s take chances on new voices again. #Oscars

— Gennefer Gross (@Gennefer) March 10, 2024

I would die for her??? pic.twitter.com/HMoSayayy3

— AB (@AlannaBennett) March 11, 2024

Best dressed, best walk, best everything! Our Oscar princess! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/5YGkRccw7s

— Olivia Truffaut-Wong (@iWatchiAm) March 11, 2024

“Poor Things,” a quirky fable about a young woman rediscovering a life she’d lost, won four Oscars at the 96th annual Academy Awards including best actress for Emma Stone.

See Also: Complete coverage of the 96th Academy Awards

“I’m a little overwhelmed,” Murphy said as he accepted the Oscar for his portrayal of scientist Robert Oppenheimer. “All my fellow nominees, I remain in awe of you guys, truly.

“We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb, and so for better or worse, we’re all living in Oppenheimer’s world,” he continued. “So I’d really like to dedicate this to peacemakers everywhere.”

Christopher Nolan, who won his first Oscar on his eighth nomination, expressed his gratitude for the honor his fellow filmmakers bestowed on him and the film.

“Movies are just a little bit over 100 years old,” he said. “Imagine being there just 100 years into music or painting. We don’t know where this incredible journey is going from here. But to know that you think I’m a meaningful part of it means the world to me.”

Emma Stone won her second Oscar for “Poor Things,” eight years after her first Oscar for “La La Land.” She arrived on stage with a damaged dress to worry about – “I think it happened during ‘I’m Just Ken,’ she said of “Barbie” actor Ryan Gosling’s performance of his song from the film.

She was also emotional throughout her acceptance speech, tearfully happy for the entire cast and crew of the director Yorgos Lanthimos’ film.

“Oppenheimer” also won Oscars for Robert Downey Jr. as best supporting actor, best score for composer Ludwig Goransson, best cinematography for Hoyte Van Hoytema, and best film editing for Jennifer Lame.

“Poor Things” won three Oscars in addition to Stone’s, with wins for best costume design, best production design, and best hair and makeup.