Wicked musical moment soars at Oscars, while James Bond falls flat

The 2025 Oscars was full of surprising moments but one delightful aspect of the show that worked (and sometimes didn't) was the way the prestigious ceremony celebrated music.

Wicked was of course the big nominated musical of the night, and stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande delighted audiences both in the room and at home by opening the ceremony with a stunning medley. They performed songs from the franchises history, with Grande first performing The Wizard of Oz's Over the Rainbow, then Erivo stepping on stage to sing The Wiz's Home, before the two of them then came together to perform Wicked's Defying Gravity.

It was an incredible celebration of both singers and their vocal talent, a true showstopper moment for Erivo especially when she belted out that final note of Defying Gravity.

It gave them and Wicked itself the time to shine when the only awards the film received were Costume Design and Production Design of its 10 nominations.

The pair were a true highlight of the night before the awards had even properly begun being given out, and there were plenty of musical moments where that came from — but not all of them worked.

For some reason the Oscars decided to celebrate the music of the James Bond franchise with a 10-minute medley introduced by Halle Berry. Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the producers that worked on Bond but have since given Amazon MGM total control of the franchise, had been honoured with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award the Annual Governors Awards back in November 2024.

Things then took a strange turn from there, with The Substance's Margaret Qualley dancing alongside a number of tuxedoed men for... reasons. The musical tribute didn't stop there, because then Lisa from K-Pop sensations Blackpink, Doja Cat, and Raye stepped up to perform songs Live and Let Die, Diamonds are Forever, and Skyfall.

It was strange to see the Oscars celebrate James Bond in this way, a complete misfire by all accounts because of how odd and misplaced it seemed on a night where 007 wasn't even a feature.

Perhaps it was a way for the industry to bid farewell to Brocolli and Wilson's era before it inevitably is milked for all it is worth by Amazon. But still, it was strange indeed.

Elsewhere in the show Queen Latifah performed Ease on Down the Road from The Wiz in tribute to the late Quincy Jones, who died in November at the age of 91. This felt like a moving moment to celebrate the singer and his work, as well as fit nicely alongside Erivo and Grande's opening medley.

On the other end of the spectrum was the moment Emilia Perez won Best Song for El Mal, with Clement Ducol and Camille receiving the prize from rock royalty Mick Jagger.

It was one of only two awards the 13-time nominated picture received on the night, but Ducol and Camille's acceptance speech will be defined by the moment in which the latter decided to break into song at the end. People in the room were visibly confused by the breakout into song and so too were viewers at home.

The Oscars are available to stream in the UK on ITVX.