Overview
- Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another won Best Picture and led the 98th Academy Awards with six trophies, including Supporting Actor for Sean Penn, whose award was accepted by Kieran Culkin.
- ESPN’s Chris “Mad Dog” Russo attacked the winning film on First Take and revealed plot details during his rant, drawing wide attention online.
- Letters published by the Los Angeles Times criticized the in memoriam segment for notable omissions even though the tribute ran longer than usual.
- Readers also complained about heavy commercial breaks, called a poison-gas gag featuring host Conan O’Brien insensitive, and lamented the scarcity of onstage remarks about current issues.
- Some letter writers questioned how Sinners could receive a record 16 nominations and multiple major wins yet lose Best Picture, alleging incoherent voting and perceived favoritism.