Oscars

A bungled ending, some charming winners, and making the best of a bad situation — the 2021 Oscars left an impression in a few ways.

After years of #OscarsSoWhite and #OscarsSoMale, industry observers are crowing over the 2021 nominations. This expanded diversity comes along with increased social consciousness in the year's films.

Most awards seasons find film fans seeking out Best Picture nominees in the runup to the telecast, with the eventual winner reaping millions of additional dollars. But this year's bounce is a thud.

It's been a catastrophic 12 months for movie theaters. It has also been a banner year for diversity at the Oscars — but it's going to take some work to make it permanent.

The new Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences requirements are part of a larger effort to promote inclusion in an industry that has faced criticism for its lack of diversity.

Of the 819 artists and executives invited to join this year, the Academy says 45 percent are women and 36 percent are from underrepresented ethnic and racial communities.

South Korean film "Parasite" won the Academy Award for Best Picture Sunday night, the first foreign-language film to do so.

Bong Joon-ho's film about families, class and keeping secrets won best picture. It's the first time a film in a language other than English has won the top prize.

Let's pick a winner and some losers from among a crop that includes a Disney showstopper, an Elton John banger, Randy Newman's latest Pixar romp and two songs about standing.

We listen to this year's nominees for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.