Twitter is in Love with Regina King’s “Cool as Hell” Oscars Opener

No host? No problem. The 2021 Oscars kicked off with a Steven Soderbergh-inspired intro following the luminous Regina King as she strutted into Union Station (this year’s Oscars venue) and explained how the night would work. After that glamorous Ocean’s Eleven intro, King’s monologue nodded to racial justice, the profound loss of the past year, and — maybe most pressing for viewers — how Hollywood was pulling the Oscars off this year. Explaining that everyone had been vaccinated, tested, and isolated, King said they were treating the telecast just like a film set. “When we’re rolling masks off, when we’re not rolling, masks on.”

Bucking tradition, this year’s Academy Awards does not have a host. Instead, Oscar show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and (the aforementioned) Steven Soderbergh assembled a unique “ensemble cast” to guide viewers through the event, which is meant to feel more like a movie than a live show. The Oscars ensemble cast includes Riz Ahmed, Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Viola Davis, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Bong Joon Ho, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Steven Yeun, Renée Zellweger and Zendaya.

Regina King kicked things off by awarding Emerald Fennell the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Promising Young Woman, followed by an award for Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Father. However, fans watching the telecast at home were much more interested in the production aspects of the ceremony — and King’s radiant entrance.

So maybe the Oscars look different this year, and maybe that’s a good thing? However, as Oscar fans know, the true test of an Oscar telecast is its ability to keep the audience’s attention for its three hour plus run time. The night is young, but so far, folks seem dazzled once again by Hollywood’s most stunning night.