The Academy Awards [1] will go down at end of February, likely providing us with a gorgeous collection of red carpet gowns [2], plenty of PDA-friendly couples [3], and some truly spectacular moments [4]. It will be the 89th iteration of the annual award show, and although they're sure to be great, we have a feeling it'll be hard to top what happened at the Oscars 20 years ago. That's right — the red carpet at the 1997 Oscars was, as the kids say, f*cking lit. The dress code included crop-tops, t-shirts, and velvet capes, and couples who seem bizarre to us now were getting cozy all over the place. 2017's show might have Ryan Gosling [5], but the one in 1997 had someone legitimately dressed as the Oscar statue. There's no coming back from that.
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise Held Hands
Fran Drescher and Salma Hayek Struck a Pose
George Foreman Pretended to Punch the Cameras
Jada Pinkett Smith Did This
Nicolas Cage and Patricia Arquette Were Still Married
Barbra Streisand Wore a Sweater Dress
Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria Got Cozy
Juliette Binoche Dressed Like a Velvet Vampire
Dennis Rodman Smoked a Cigar With Vivica A. Fox
A Teenager Dressed Up as the Oscar Statue
Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon Looked Happy to Be There
Chris Farley Goofed Off
Jonathon Lipnicki Hung Out at the Afterparties
Jennifer Lopez Posed With First Husband Ojani Noa
Elton John Hung Out With Muhammad Ali
Celine Dion Danced on the Red Carpet
Billy Bob Thornton Proclaimed His Love For ZZ Top
Claire Danes Wore a T-Shirt
Frances McDormand Got Silly With Joel Coen and Steve Buscemi
