Let's revisit the train wreck that was the 1989 Academy Awards

https://film.avclub.com/lets-revisit-the-train-wreck-that-was-the-1989-academy-1845307381

The Lowe brothers must have been really excited heading into the 1989 Academy Awards. Rob Lowe was set to open the show with none other than “the star of all time” (whatever that means), Snow White. And later on in the telecast, Chad Lowe would take to the stage with 18 (for some reason the total was 19, not 20) “stars of tomorrow” for a nine-minute musical number. Both of the performances would go on to be memorable—but for all the wrong reasons.

The 1989 Oscars were actually groundbreaking in many ways that didn’t involve cringe-inducing singing and dancing. The brainchild of Grease producer Allan Carr, the show—held on Wednesday, March 29—had a lot of firsts: the first year with no host, the first red carpet as we know it today, the first time the Best Picture nominees were each given separate presentations, and the first time “the Oscar goes to...” was standardized. But those aren’t the fun topics to cover when looking back at the most infamous Oscars show ever.