The 2025 Oscars turned out to be a big night for more than one movie inspired by L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz series. Sure, Wicked got plenty of attention – Oscar-nominated stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the 97th annual Academy Awards with a performance of Oz-related songs, and yes, Wicked nabbed the Oscars in the production design and costume design categories.
But the real surprise was how much airtime was devoted to The Wiz, Sidney Lumet’s 1978 adaptation of a Broadway musical. Not only did Erivo sing “Home” from that film, but Queen Latifah hit the stage to deliver a rousing, bouncy take on “Ease on Down the Road,” another of the film’s classic numbers (which Michael Jackson and Diana Ross took to No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100).
The Oscar-nominated actress’ performance — which she delivered rocking a billowy silver cape — was in tribute to Quincy Jones, who died in Nov. 2024 at the age of 91. Jones was nominated for seven Oscars over the course of a lengthy career that saw him score many films and contribute to plenty of others, including The Wiz, on which he served as the musical supervisor and music producer.
Prior to the performance, Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg — who worked together on 1985’s The Color Purple, which Jones wrote the score for and co-produced – said a few words in honor of the beloved figure in the film, TV and music industries. “Quincy was love in human form,” Winfrey said.
