The 97th annual Academy Awards returned to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, March 2. Conan O’Brien hosted the show for the first time in Oscar’s history. Here are some of the top moments that got people talking on social media.

Memorable performances between awards

The Oscars kicked off with a medley of songs performed by “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Rumors about the performance had been circulating online for weeks, and the combination of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from the “Wizard of Oz,” “Home” from “The Wiz” and “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked” definitely exceeded expectations.

There was another medley of the night featuring popstars Lisa of k-pop group Blackpink, Doja Cat and Raye performing some of the lead tracks from the James Bond franchise “Live and Let Die,” “Diamonds Are Forever” and “Skyfall.”

“The Wiz” made a splash later in the show when Queen Latifah performed “Ease on Down the Road” to honor the late Quincy Jones who was the music producer for the film.

The comedian’s get the last laugh

From the moment Conan O’Brien took the stage for his opening monologue, it was apparent to both viewers at home and those inside the Dolby Theatre that the crowd was on his side and ready to laugh. He came through with what many have come to expect from comedians who host award shows: some edgy jokes here and there, poking fun at the nominees, and setting up what viewers can expect for the evening.

He provided a few more fun bits throughout the show, including a PR pivot to bring people back to movie theaters by pitching it as “CinemaStreams.” The sketch had O’Brien selling movie watchers on the concept of a “building for movies,” telling them, “we took 800 smartphones and glued them all together and made one giant smartphone.” The video also included a surprise cameo from director Martin Scorsese who ended the bit by telling potential customers to “Tell them Marty sent you.”

But O’Brien wasn’t the only star to get major laughs throughout the evening. “Saturday Night Live” and “Wicked” star Bowen Yang was one of five actors to present the best costume design category, but unlike his fellow presenters, he was the only one to do so in the costume from the film. Yang joked with fellow presenters, including John Lithgow, that they could have informed him in the group chat ahead of time that they had all decided to bail on the idea.

SEE ALSO: Oscars 2025: Kieran Culkin wins first award, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo pay ‘Oz’ tribute

Historical wins

Paul Tazewell became the first Black man to win the best costume design category for his work in “Wicked.” Zoe Saldana became the first Dominican-American actor to win an Academy Award after winning best supporting actress for her role in “Emilia Perez.” “I’m Still Here,” won best international film, giving Brazil’s first Oscar win in the category.

When Harry reunited with Sally

Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan of “When Harry Met Sally” reunited on the Dolby Theatre stage to present the final award of the night, Best Picture. Crystal even made a nod to the film by putting a fun spin on one of its famous lines, “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.”

Unexpected win leaves viewers feeling robbed

Throughout this year’s award season, Demi Moore has taken a few of the best actress category awards for her role in “The Substance,” leaving many to think that she was a shoo-in for the Academy Award. However, the award went to breakout star Mikey Madison for her role in “Anora.”

Madison expressed her gratitude in her acceptance speech, sharing that she “grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me, so to be here standing in this room today is really incredible.”

Many viewers expressed mixed feelings online, with one user stating “Look, OK….I Love Mickey Madison, but DEMI MOORE WAS ROBBED.” Another user chimed in with a more optimistic view, “On the bright side Demi Moore won many awards this season and she got introduced to a new younger audience of people and I’m really hoping good scripts stack up on her desk and she just keeps getting amazing opportunities!”

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Women’s college flag football is coming to the East Metro.

The Vikings announced Monday the organization is helping to launch a six-team league that will compete on three weekends in April. The six participating colleges are Northwestern-St. Paul, Bethel, Wisconsin-Stout, Gustavus Adolphus, Augustana and Concordia-Moorhead.

Those six schools will play in a pair of jamborees — on April 5 at Northwestern-St. Paul and then on April 12 at Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wis. — prior to the championship tournament on April 26 at the Vikings’ practice facility, TCO Stadium, in Eagan.

The Vikings, along with the NFL, are contributing $140,000 to the league and its participating schools.

“This is a significant moment for the continued growth of girls’ and women’s flag football,” Vikings vice President of social impact Brett Taber said in a release. “These institutions are set to do something unique, and their partnership with the Vikings and the NFL will bring further awareness to the future of women’s football and empower the next generation of athletes to find opportunities to compete and shape this game.”

This league wasn’t the only of its kind announced Monday. ESPN reported the Atlantic East Conference — a Division-III conference located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the country — announced it was launching its first varsity women’s flag football season this spring, becoming the first NCAA conference to do so. That venture also is receiving financial support from the NFL.

Last month, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics recommended all three divisions across the NCAA add flag football to the NCAA’s Emerging Sports for Women program, which gave all three divisions the chance to sponsor legislation that would move the sport through governing structures of the NCAA.

A sport must have a minimum of 40 schools sponsoring it at the varsity level, and meet minimum contest and participation requirements, to be considered for championship status. The Associated Press reported last month that at least 65 NCAA schools were sponsoring women’s flag football at the club or varsity levels this year, with more slated to join in 2026.

While that process plays out, leagues such as the one announced for local competition this spring could allow programs to hit the ground running if and when women’s flag football receives championship status from the NCAA down the road.

“It’s definitely the hope that it would continue to grow at an NCAA level and that the NCAA will sponsor it,” Rebecca Mullen, interim commissioner of the Division III Atlantic East conference, told ESPN. “To see it continue to grow and buy into that is really a unique opportunity.”

The Associated Press reports there are 14 states that have sanctioned girls flag football as a high school varsity sport.  Nearly 500,000 girls ages 6 to 17 years old played flag football in 2023, per NFL FLAG.

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By LISA MASCARO, AP Congressional Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump arrives this week on Capitol Hill to deliver a speech to Congress, a coequal branch of government he has bulldozed past this first month in office, wielding unimaginable executive power to get what he wants, at home and abroad.

The Tuesday night address will unfold in the chamber where lawmakers crouched in fear four years ago while a mob of his supporters roamed the halls, and where Nancy Pelosi, Liz Cheney and others vowed to prevent him from ever holding office again. It’s the same House chamber where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a hero’s welcome for fighting off Russia’s invasion, in the first year of that war.

Since his reelection, Trump has blazed across the federal government, dismantling not just norms and traditions but the very government itself. With billionaire aide Elon Musk by his side, he is firing thousands of federal workers, closing agencies established by law and publicly badgering Zelenskyy while positioning the U.S. closer to Russia.

As legal cases mount, more than 100 so far challenging the legality of the Trump administration’s actions, the Republican president is daring the other branches of government — Congress and the courts — to try to stop him.

“This whole thing about approaching a constitutional crisis is not quite true,” said Rep. James Clyburn, of South Carolina, a senior Democrat in the House. “We’re already there.”

Trump revels in going it alone, but there are limits

Reveling in the might of going it alone, Trump is about to test the limits of his executive branch authority as he turns to Congress to deliver tax cuts and other key aspects of his agenda. Only Congress, by law, can allocate funds — or pull them back — but the Trump administration’s actions have been testing that foundational rule, enshrined in the Constitution.

Trump also needs lawmakers to fund the government and ensure federal operations don’t shut down when money runs out March 14. And he will need Congress to pass legislation to prevent an economically damaging debt default, something he has pushed lawmakers to resolve.

While Trump enjoys the rare sweep of power in Washington, with the Republicans controlling the White House, the House and the Senate, he relies on political fear as well as favor to motivate lawmakers. With Musk having poured $200 million into electing Trump, the president has a ready patron whose vast political funds can influence any resisters.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has positioned himself as a partner to the president, has said he’s excited about what Trump is accomplishing in rooting out waste, fraud and abuse to downsize government.

“Fireworks,” is what Johnson, R-La., said he expects from Trump’s speech, dismissing as “nonsense” concerns that Congress is ceding too much power to the White House.

“The president is doing what he said on the campaign trail he would do,” Johnson said Sunday on Fox News Channel.

Democrats, after their stunning rejection by voters, are slowly beginning to mount a resistance. They are fighting Trump in court, with amicus briefs to protect federal workers, and filing legislation to serve as a check on what House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York calls the “parade of horribles.”

But as the minority party, they are limited in their power. Jeffries brushed off calls for Democrats to boycott Trump’s address. “It’s the people’s House. It’s the House of Representatives,” he said on CNN.

Instead, Democrats are inviting fired federal workers as their guests.

Tax cuts and mass deportation funds all at stake

One of Trump’s top campaign promises, extending the tax breaks approved during his first term in 2017, is posing one of his party’s biggest challenges.

Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota are marshalling the GOP majority to deliver what Trump calls a “big, beautiful bill” extending those tax breaks — and providing new ones. But Republicans also want some $2 trillion in budget cuts with changes to Medicaid and other services that millions of Americans count on, which Trump could decide is too much to bear.

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Trump’s other big campaign promise — the biggest deportation operation in U.S. history — is running short of cash, and border czar Tom Homan has implored Republicans on Capitol Hill to loosen the purse strings to give the Homeland Security and Defense departments the money needed.

Those budget debates all come as the Trump administration is ripping the federal government apart and freezing federal funds. It’s challenging the Nixon-era Impoundment Control Act, which prevents the executive branch from halting allocations Congress has already approved, setting up a showdown that could wind up at the Supreme Court.

“Testing the boundaries a little, I would expect that,” said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., who said he supports much of what the Trump administration is doing, to a point.

“We’ve got separate but equal branches of government,” said Womack, whose committee controls vast funding. “What we don’t want is, we don’t want a constitutional crisis.”

Lives, livelihoods and the echoes of Jan. 6

It’s not just constitutional issues at stake but the lives and livelihoods of Americans. Communities depend on federal dollars — for health care clinics, school programs and countless contracts for companies large and small that provide goods and services to the federal government. Many are watching that money evaporate overnight.

Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia, a former governor, said voters back home have concerns even as they support the idea of downsizing government.

“People are always afraid of the dark,” he said, citing potential changes to Medicaid and preschool programs in particular. “Let’s give it time to see really what materializes before we run through the streets with our hair on fire.”

And the threat of Jan. 6, 2021, hangs over the building.

Trump will stand on the dais where Pelosi, then the House speaker, was whisked to safety as the mob ransacked the Capitol. He will look out over the rows of lawmakers, some of whom blocked the back door to the chamber as Capitol Police were fending off rioters, steps away from where Trump supporter Ashli Babbitt was shot and killed. Visitors will be watching from the galleries where representatives crouched on the floor in gas masks before being evacuated.

The Supreme Court granted Trump’s presidential actions wide immunity from prosecution, and the four-count criminal indictment against him over Jan. 6 was withdrawn once he was reelected, in line with Justice Department policy.

In one of his first acts on Inauguration Day, Trump issued a sweeping pardon of all the rioters, including extremist leaders Stuart Rhodes and Enrique Tarrio, who were convicted of sedition. They have both returned to make appearances at the Capitol since their release from prison.

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was in the Capitol on Jan. 6.

“I acknowledge that he won and he’s got the right to use all the executive authority to pursue his policies. He doesn’t have a right to exceed constitutional authority,” Welch said. “So how he does this should be of great concern to all of us.”

By ALBERT STUMM, Associated Press

Mealtimes by the Caspian Sea were always displays of abundance. Omid Roustaei’s extended family would gather every summer, swimming at the beach in the morning and returning to mounds of food at the family villa.

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Pomegranate, bitter orange, dried lime, walnut and olive appeared on repeat. The earthy scents of cumin and coriander blended with sweeter cinnamon and cardamom — maybe even pulverized rose petals.

Plus, there were herbs. Handfuls of parsley, cilantro and dill tossed into stewing pots and served by the bunch for munching at the table.

“To us in Persian food, herbs are not treated as little, cute things you put on the side of the plate, but rather herbs to us are vegetables,” said Roustaei, author of the new cookbook “Bitter and Sweet: Global Flavors from an Iranian-American Kitchen.” “When we cook a dish, we use mounds of herbs.”

The tranquility of a childhood mixing cosmopolitan Tehran with summers in the north would be shattered when he was about 10 years old. The Iranian Revolution was brewing, and several years later he left the country, first going to the Netherlands and then Arizona.

It took decades for Roustaei to return to his Iranian roots and explore the cuisine of his youth. Eventually, he made his way to Seattle, began giving cooking classes, and started a blog called The Caspian Chef.

Besides making tasty meals, Roustaei hopes that making Iran’s culinary traditions more visible serves as a type of diplomacy. He sheds light on universal traditions, like caring for your family and bringing people together.

“Through the food, which always feels like this safe gateway, it allows people to get to know Iran and who Iranians truly are,” said Roustaei, who is also a psychotherapist.

He attempts to demystify what is a fairly complex cuisine. What Iranians consider “plain rice,” for instance, is actually more of an art form. The rice is scented by saffron and maybe mixed with yogurt, which produces light and fluffy grains with a crispy layer of golden tahdig, meaning “bottom of the pot.”

The book is filled with dishes that would have been familiar on that long-ago family table, but many include personal twists that reflect a modern lifestyle.

One, khoresh fesenjun, reminds Roustaei of his mother. Bone-in chicken is braised in a dark sauce made from sauteed onions and ground walnuts. Reflecting Iranians’ penchant for sour flavors, the sauce is brightened by sweet-tart pomegranate paste, which is made by patiently simmering the vibrant juice until most of the liquid evaporates.

Since she didn’t have a food processor, his mother crushed one walnut at a time on a wooden tray, mashing each piece with a river rock. Making it took hours.

For the average American home cook, a food processor or blender gets close enough, and pomegranate molasses is easier to find than the paste. It will still be delicious, evoking the pleasures of the Caspian Sea.

“I find it to be really easy to prepare, accessible and yet profoundly unique in its taste,” he said.

The recipe:

Chicken in Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce

From “Bitter and Sweet: Global Flavors from an Iranian-American Kitchen,” by Omid Roustaei

Ingredients:

2 cups walnuts
2 tablespoons neutral oil
4 chicken thighs (about 1½ pounds), bone in and skin on
1 onion, diced
½ cup pomegranate molasses
½ cup water
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2–4 tablespoons sugar (optional)
½ teaspoon saffron threads, ground and bloomed in 1 tablespoon hot water

Directions:

In a food processor, chop the walnuts and process until finely ground. Set aside.

In a Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil and cook the chicken, skin side down until golden, about 5 minutes on each side. Place the chicken on a plate, and set aside. Lower to medium, cook the onion until aromatic and lightly golden, about 10 minutes.

Add the walnuts to the onion. Reduce to medium-low and stir continuously for 2–3 minutes. The walnuts should appear slightly dense and sticky. Add the pomegranate molasses, water, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.

Return the chicken to the pot and immerse in the sauce. Partially cover the pot with the lid and raise the heat to simmer gently. When it bubbles, reduce to low and cover. Stir occasionally and scrape the bottom with a flat-edge spatula to inhibit crusting. After 40 minutes, taste the sauce and add more pomegranate molasses or sugar if needed. You’re aiming for a robust pomegranate flavor with a balanced sweet and tart profile.

Simmer until the sauce becomes deep maroon and the chicken falls off the bone, up to another hour. Stir in the bloomed saffron.

Turn off the heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. The natural oil from the walnuts and chicken will rise to the top. That’s a sign of a khoresh that is jā-oftādeh, a Persian culinary term for a well-prepared stew.

Serve with steamed basmati rice.

Albert Stumm lives in Barcelona and writes about food, travel and wellness. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com