2021 Oscars: Elton John leads stars poking fun at Covid-era 93rd Academy Awards

Elton John lead the stars poking fun at 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday night, which looked a little different this year due to the COVID-19 restrictions.

Comedian Leslie Jones also roasted winners for their very long speeches at the ceremony – which was held at Union Station, the main railway station in Los Angeles.

Speaking from his first-ever virtual fundraiser for the Elton John Aids Foundation at Rosewood London, usually held in West Hollywood, the Rocket Man singer quipped: ‘The Oscar ceremony looks like it’s coming from a Starbucks somewhere’, before raising $3 million (£2.1M) for the global effort to end the condition.

Nailed it: Elton John said this year’s Oscars set ‘looked like a Starbucks’ (pictured) as he watched from home while hosting a virtual bash for his annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscars party 

Hilarious: Elton fronted his own star-studded virtual party for the Elton John AIDS Foundation (pictured above)

Later, when speaking with husband David Furnish, a flummoxed Elton added, ‘I still can’t get over the set’ as he watched from the five-star hotel.

Saturday Night Live star Leslie did not hold back, as she is known for, giving her opinion on the event.  Leslie, 53, filmed her reaction as Mank’s Erik Messerschmidt said he would like to split his trophy for Best Cinematography into ‘five pieces.’

‘But we really hope that you don’t cut it into five pieces because, Lord have mercy,’ Leslie said in her video. 

‘Everybody done got up there and said about 17 minutes of a f*****g speech. It’s already in the Alcoholics-Anonymous-and-we-gonna-roast-each-other f*****g building. And you motherf*****s look scared as f**k.’

She went on, ‘Don’t get up there and do a three-hour speech. So no, you shouldn’t be able to cut it into five parts. Thank God and move on, son!’ 

And the latte goes to: Elton compared the 93rd Academy Awards to a Starbucks (a branch pictured in Tianjin, China, last year)

Different: The tiered set-up ensured attendees maintained the social distancing protocols

Covid-friendly: A wide-shot view of the building saw the audience in small hubs

Coveted: Trophies were displayed backstage before the ceremony unfolded

According to a report from Deadline, producers told nominees in a letter about acceptance speeches: ‘It is our belief the show isn’t ‘too long’ because of the speeches.’

Questlove, the Oscars’ musical director, also explained to Variety last week that producers Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins changed the format to eliminate music ushering out speeches during the 93rd annual Academy Awards.

‘The one thing I’m a little disappointed that I won’t be able to do is my favorite all-time thing, which is the play-off music when the speeches get too long,’ the musician, 50, said. ‘I’m not allowed to do that.’

Meanwhile, Difficult People star Julie Klausner questioned whether the glitzy event was actually just a ‘fundraiser’ and comedian Fortune Feimster also bemoaned the long speeches, tweeting: ‘Ok, we’re definitely going to need some play off music. It’s gonna be a long night.’

Wow: Dua Lipa looked unreal rocking a metallic dress to perform at the ceremony’s pre-party

‘Dream come true!’ Dua called performing with Elton a ‘dream come true’ ahead of the event

Fringe appeal! The sleeves were shredded into a playful fringe which matched the eccentric hemline of Dua’s look (also pictured left with Elton’s husband David Furnish, before switching into another grand ensemble

In her element: The New Rules hitmaker took centre stage as she belted her hit tracks Levitating, Pretty Please, Hallucinate and Don’t Start Now, before performing Bennie and the Jets and Love Again with her icon

Fetching a beverage? Brad Pitt is seen at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles

Sizzling: Elizabeth Hurley looked incredible in a plunging gold dress as she got ready to attend the musician’s annual party from home

Comedian Sandra Bernhard did not appear to be enthused with the ceremony either as she tweeted that she was ‘slowly losing my mind’ while watching the show.

Ricky Gervais lampooned the Academy for not having a host, and posted his controversial 2020 Golden Globes monologue, where he took aim at Hollywood stars, saying: ‘It’s the Oscars tonight, I wasn’t invited. Was it something I said?’

Modern Family producer Daniel ‘Danny’ Zuker tweeted: ‘The producers of the Oscars have truly captured the pure joy and excitement of spending 3 hours in a train station.’ 

While actress Kiran Deol joked: ‘There is something insane about hosting the Oscars in a train station when people attend to do not take public transportation.’ 

Stunning: The brunette looked typically radiant as she complemented her beauty with shimmery make-up and wore her tresses in a straight fashion

Important cause: The producer stood out in a sparkly blue blazer as he took to the piano

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