Oscars 2020: Eminem drops surprise performance; Janella Monae, Billy Porter, Idina Menzel take to the stage

Rapper Eminem gave a surprise performance of his song ‘Lose Yourself’ from his movie 8 Mile, which had earned him an Oscar in 2003. The 15-time Grammy winner was given a standing ovation once his performance ended. After the performance, Eminen took to Twitter to share the 2003 video from the Oscars where he was being awarded the award for the Best Original Song.

Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity... Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here. pic.twitter.com/CmSw2hmcZo

— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) February 10, 2020

Pop futurist Janelle Monae delivered a jaunty, surrealist performance to open the Oscars on Sunday, including an ode to the year’s women directors snubbed in the nominations. [caption id=“attachment_8024041” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Janella Monae, Billy Porter, Idina Menzel, Eminem perform at Oscars 2020.[/caption] “We celebrate all the women who directed phenomenal films and I’m so proud to stand here as a black, queer artist, telling stories,” she said. Monae sported a Mister Rogers-style red cardigan and black trousers to sing the theme from the children’s television show that inspired the film from this year,  A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood , starring Tom Hanks. She then swapped the sweater for a wearable floral bouquet inspired by the folk horror film _Midsommar_ , and danced with a troupe of Jokers wearing the comic book villain’s signature suit. “Happy Black History month,” she belted out during the performance that had the star-studded audience vibing to the music before rising to its feet. Monae’s ode to women and minorities stood in stark contrast to the gala itself, which in the nominations process more or less lived up to its reputation as a night celebrating Hollywood’s white men. It was a quirky opening number for the Academy Awards ceremony, which is often accused of triggering yawns. The second performance saw Idina Menzel grace the stage for a rendition of ‘Into the Unknown’ from Disney’s animated feature _Frozen II_ . Menzel was joined by a coterie of singers, who play Queen Elsa in foreign versions of the film, and delivered verses of the song in a variety of languages. Pose star Billy Porter then rocked the stage in a glittering gold cape, red jumpsuit and sparkling platform boots as he sang Elton John’s “I’m Still Standing” before a mirrored grand piano that belonged to Liberace.   With inputs from RFI and ANI.