Let’s face it, without its musical performances, the Oscars ceremony would be a drudgery of names being read from lists, teary acceptance speeches and strained quips.
It is the music that keeps the night emotionally charged, pulling and relieving tension throughout the three-and-a-half-hour event.
This year’s ceremony featured several exciting performances, and there were some surprising cameos, each bringing a new twist to songs and compositions featured in last year's biggest films.
Though each act was rousing in its own way, some stood out more than others. Here are the musical performances of the 2024 Oscars ranked – it's not fair to say worst to best, so let's say from ones that we'd likely forget sooner rather than later, to the ones that will stick with us for some time.
6. The Fire Inside
It made sense that the backdrop was aflame as Becky G took to the stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre.
The singer began her performance of The Fire Inside alone and was soon joined by a group of 10 girls. The performance intensified as a choir appeared on the sides of the stage, along with a fully fledged orchestra raised above the fire. As powerful a performance as it was, the night would go on to deliver several spectacles that would outshine it.
The Fire Inside was written by Diane Warren for the Eva Longoria-directed film Flamin’ Hot. The film tells the story of Richard Montanez, the janitor at Frito Lay who came up with the idea for Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
5. Time To Say Goodbye
Andrea Bocelli and his son Mateo Bocelli performed during the ceremony’s In Memoriam section, which paid tribute to the talents that died in the past year. The performance featured stunning choreography and a string section.
It was a beautiful reinterpretation of the song, which was originally released by Bocelli in 1995 as Con te partiro, before its English version came out a year later as a duet with British singer Sarah Brightman.
The memoriam segment began with a recorded message from Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition figure who died last month. A quote from Navalny, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature last year, was then displayed: “The only thing that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
Figures honoured during the memoriam performance included Harry Belafonte, Paul Reubens, Matthew Perry, Norman Jewison, Melinda Dillon, Julian Sands, Carl Weathers, Treat Williams and Burt Young. Their names, photos and clips from some of their most renowned performances were displayed on the screen in the background.
4. It Never Went Away
Jon Batiste has always had a special, expressive touch on the piano, and his performance at the Oscars exhibited this in full flair. Yet, there was something even more personal.
The composer played It Never Went Away from his Oscar-nominated film American Symphony, directed by Matthew Heineman. The documentary tells the story of how Batiste recorded his first symphony in the midst of personal struggle, as his wife, writer Suleika Jaouad, faced leukaemia.
The performance was accentuated with visuals as love scenes from different films, classic and contemporary, were displayed on the circular backdrop.
3. What Was I Made For?
Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell delivered a restrained but nonetheless moving performance of the song.
The fifth single from the film Barbie was a chart-topper worldwide. The pair began with a simple vocal and piano duet, before the purple backdrop opened to reveal an orchestra that carried the ballad to the end with a lush string section.
The performance concluded to thunderous standing ovation, which must have caught Eilish by surprise as she let out a chuckle and a "whoa".
Eilish and O’Connell were then named winners of the Oscar for Best Original Song for What Was I Made For?
2. Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)
Among the most memorable performance was this song from Killers of the Flower Moon, the western crime epic directed by Martin Scorsese.
It was performed by writer Scott George, a member of the Osage Nation and the first Native American to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. George was joined on stage by other Osage singers and musicians.
The performance featured a traditional Osage dance and a hacking drum rhythm as singers chanted in contrasting tones that melded in rolling harmonies. The backdrop, meanwhile, was illuminated a deep orange, giving the impression of a setting sun.
1. I’m Just Ken
Ryan Gosling’s rock star performance shouldn’t be surprising. Yet, as the actor concluded his Barbie character’s song, the audience was enraptured with many A-listers looking towards each other in awe.
Gosling began the song from his seat behind Barbie co-star Margot Robbie, dressed in a shimmering pink suit. He then proceeded to the Dolby Theatre stage with many of his co-stars from the film dancing alongside him.
The audience sang along and twirled giant cardboard cutouts of Barbie faces before Slash, the legendary guitarist from the band Guns N' Roses, made a surprise appearance during the song’s crescendo, to play a blistering solo.
Other surprising cameos during the song included Wolfgang Van Halen and Mark Ronson.
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
SPECS
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The Beach Bum
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Isla Fisher, Snoop Dogg
Two stars
Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
'Midnights'
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SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.