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Watch Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande's Wizard of Oz, Wiz, & Wicked tribute
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande singing 'Defying Gravity' at the 97th Academy Awards.
The Wicked costars sang Oz anthems "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Home," and "Defying Gravity."
The 97th Academy Awards started with a breathtaking musical number from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande that tied together The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked — a dazzling nod to the three biggest productions referencing L. Frank Baum's 1990 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
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This Ozian segment started with Grande singing a stunning rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" — originally sung by Judy Garland (as Dorothy) in 1939's The Wizard of Oz film from MGM. (Fun fact: The official name of the song is "Over the Rainbow," even though it is frequently mentioned as "Somewhere Over the Rainbow.")
Next up was Erivo's powerful rendition of "Home," which paid homage to the 1978 film The Wiz. In that movie, the one and only Diana Ross brought Dorothy Gale to life.
Last but certainly not least, the two singers and actresses sang the biggest anthem of Wicked, "Defying Gravity," bringing this mind-blowing segment to a close.
The 97th Academy Awards ceremony is airing on ABC and Hulu.
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out. He's also a staff contributor to The Advocate, PRIDE, and other equalpride publications. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida.
You can follow Bernardo Sim on Instagram. Otherwise, you can find him on Bluesky, Threads, X/Twitter, and TikTok.
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out. He's also a staff contributor to The Advocate, PRIDE, and other equalpride publications. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida.
You can follow Bernardo Sim on Instagram. Otherwise, you can find him on Bluesky, Threads, X/Twitter, and TikTok.
