An Illustrated Oscars Recap, Featuring Justin Teodoro
Lights! Camera! Chalamet!
Hi friends~
As many of you know, I love awards season: the organized chaos of The Golden Globes; the show-stopping performances at the Grammys; the actor-y seriousness of the SAGs! But most of all, I love the Oscars, where pageantry meets higher purpose, where since the dawn of motion pictures, people have gathered to celebrate cinema as both an art form and entertainment. When I thought about recapping this year’s ceremony, I wanted to do something different from what I’d typically send out. I spoke with Justin Teodoro, the super-talented artist who illustrated my book Queen Meryl, and asked if he’d be interested in collaborating on a visual recap. Amazingly, he said YES. I could not be more thrilled to present his illustrations in today’s Oscars-themed letter.
Justin and I worked together on Queen Meryl six years ago and he blew me away with his ability to capture the very essence of my elusive subject (Meryl “Streepgoddess” Streep) in brushstrokes that are expressive, exuberant, witty, sincere and fabulously chic. Besides publishing his artwork in books, Justin was the official Costume Illustrator for Madonna’s Celebration Tour and recently partnered with Nespresso on a collection of custom coffee mugs benefiting the Ali Forney Center, which protects LGBTQ youth from homelessness. He frequently posts his pop culture-inflected sketches via Instagram as well as his eponymous newsletter, in which he’s posted our recap in his own stylish fashion.
We both believe that art matters, and that was a running theme at the 2025 Academy Awards. Without getting preachy, host Conan O’Brien took some moments to address the importance of movies and the unsung contributions of the below-the-liners who make them. Is it just us, or was this year’s show more emotional than previous ceremonies? Cue the tears, the drama, the laughs, the long-ass speeches: let’s get to it!
While I don’t believe the red carpet is as good absent Joan Rivers’ commentary, there were a slew of looks that might’ve met her exacting standards: Ariana Grande in a sculptural blush-pink Schiaparelli, Cynthia Erivo in green velvet Louis Vuitton, Elle Fanning in ladylike Givenchy, Isabella Rossellini in a jewel-toned dress honoring the late David Lynch, her Blue Velvet director. (Laura Dern, her co-star in the 1986 noir, joined Rossellini on the carpet.)
And let’s not forget Colman Domingo in fiery red Valentino. Joan would’ve lost her mind every time Colman stepped out of a limo; the man is a true dandy and gift to fashion. As for Timothée Chalamet, well, I can imagine Joan shading his lemon yellow Givenchy suit, but we give Timmy props for taking a risk and ditching a standard tuxedo on The Biggest Night in Showbiz. That guy has always worn whatever he wants and relished being in the spotlight — clearly, he loves being famous. He’s dating a Kardashian.
However, the night’s MVPs were not Timmy and Kylie but Cynthia and Ariana, whose opening performance electrified the audience and the viewers back home. Ari crooned “Over the Rainbow,” her voice as bubbly as uncorked champagne, then Cynthia performed “Home” from The Wiz, adding a jolt of soul before the Wicked co-stars joined forces on “Defying Gravity,” with Cynthia belting every joyous note and conjuring Elphaba, the Rebel of Oz, in real time, In These Times. What a time to be alive to witness her wizardry!
My goodness. Ultimately, those powerhouses lost shiny gold men to Zoe Saldaña and Mikey Madison, but that’s OK. Their work in Wicked transcends a shiny gold man. The Oscar producers, knowing what they had, basically cleared the stage for Cynthia and Ari and were like, “Do your thing.” Can you blame them?
Conan was another major highlight. The sardonic, self-deprecating emcee kept things moving at a brisk pace, firing off scripted jokes at the speed of a 30 Rock episode and improvising one-liners on the fly, as when Latvian filmmakers scored an animation prize. “Ball’s in your court, Estonia,” he quipped.
We also loved Conan’s bits featuring the Dune 2 sandworm, an underdressed Adam Sandler, and John Lithgow making a “slightly disappointed” face (and turning himself into an instant meme).
Movingly, Conan honored “the hard-working men and women behind the camera who have devoted their lives to making film. … Even in the face of terrible wildfires and divisive politics, the work, which this is about, the work continues.”
A generous ringleader, he folded members of the Los Angeles Fire Department into his comic routine, paying the ultimate tribute by giving them jokes — really funny ones — and standing back as they tried their hand at good-natured insult comedy. In the funniest quip, a fireman declared that Chalamet’s singing in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown “was so good, he almost lost the part.”
Mutually, Justin and I thought Sunday’s production was an elegant throwback to the Oscars of yore, yet still felt modern and up to date. We celebrated Paul Tazewell’s historic win for Best Costume Design; the Wicked wardrobe guru is the first Black man ever to receive that award.
We adored June Squibb and ScarJo’s sparkling repartee, with the presenters revealing that underneath their glamorous stage makeup, they were actually Bill Skarsgard and Andy Serkis. We cringed A LOT, though. Especially during Margaret Qualley’s dancing and a Best Original Song winner accepting the award while singing the song unsolicited. It was a bit jarring to hear Mozart’s “Requiem” throughout the In Memoriam segment that honored James Earl Jones and Gene Hackman, among other legends; I’d have preferred an, um, less haunting orchestral arrangement. But those are the imperfect, unpolished and sometimes unhinged moments that make the show so fun to watch. (The Oscars aren’t going to please everyone, nor should they!)
There were plenty of surprises, too. Kieran Culkin, that endearing goof, was pretty much a lock for Best Supporting Actor, and it was oddly heartwarming to see the photographic evidence of Kieran and frenemy Jeremy Strong hugging it out over commercial break.
I’ll admit that my mind wandered while Best Actor winner Adrien Brody rambled for what seemed like 3 hours and 35 minutes — roughly the run time of that film. The only thing I really remember is Brody tossing something to girlfriend Georgina Chapman as he ran up the stage. Justin tells me that it was gum.
You better believe that I paid the fullest attention when 25-year-old Mikey Madison scored Best Actress, crushing Demi Moore’s hopes of taking home the trophy for her fearless turn in The Substance. Ironically, that body horror flick was inspired by Hollywood’s poor treatment of aging female stars — who are often passed over for ingénues like Mikey. My heart breaks for Demi. She looked so upset. Her loss at age 62 to a woman younger than her daughters seemed, to me, an especially cruel twist. I don’t like it! I don’t like it one bit!
But alas, I can’t hate Mikey. She’s superb in Anora, which is, shall we say, a journey. It was my favorite Best Picture contender alongside Wicked, and tells the thrilling story of a feisty sex worker who marries the vapid son of a Russian oligarch. The Brutalist was supposed to score Best Picture and Best Director, but Anora sneaked up from behind and grabbed the ball and did not drop it.
“You know Anora is having a good night,” Conan snarked, adding, “I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian.”
Wait a second! How did I get this far without mentioning the Oscars’ most notable surprise? In a cameo that struck me in the heart, like Cupid’s Arrow, none other than Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal stepped out of the wings to present the award for Best Picture. They looked happy and comfortable together, just like old friends. Or Harry and Sally. Lately, the actors have fully embraced their rom-com legacies and appeared together at various high-profile events as well as a Hellmann’s Super Bowl ad. (A source in the know tells me that Meg and Billy earn more money when they make joint appearances. Good for them! No shame in the game!)
“Let’s just cut to the chase,” Meg said to Billy, holding the envelope in his hand.
“You’re right,” he replied. “Because when you have a chance to be an Oscar winner for the rest of your life, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
And, scene. That’s a wrap!
Thank you, Justin, for sharing your incredible gifts with You’ve Got Mail: The Newsletter. Readers, you can subscribe to Justin’s newsletter HERE and follow him on Instagram HERE.
END CREDITS
My friend Samantha Win is the stuntwoman who starred in the incredible L’Oreal Paris ad that aired during the Oscars. I bow down!!!
Lisa Bonos, our special Twisters correspondent, is killing it at The Washington Post, where she covers tech culture. She was the first journalist to interview regretful Tesla fans and, last week, she broke a story about an anti-aging pill for dogs.
Brittany Newell’s Soft Core is getting all the raves. I loved it! If you’re in San Francisco on Thursday night, I’ll be at Telegraph Hill Books to celebrate Brittany and her brilliant novel.
Warmly,
Erin
This is so fun! Loving the illos and commentary. As soon as Meg and Billy walked out I thought, can't wait to see what Erin's going to say about this!
The illustrations are amazing. I've read a bunch of Oscars recaps by now but this is one of the best 💖