Ryan Gosling is more than ‘Kenough’ with Oscars performance

If the voting for the Best Original Song at the recent Academy Awards had been done after Ryan Gosling’s performance, I am sure that I’m Just Ken from the “Barbie” movie soundtrack would have won the Oscar hands down.

The live number was obviously inspired by Marilyn Monroe’s iconic musical sequence of Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend from the movie “How to Marry a Millionare.” Just like Monroe, Gosling sang and danced, backed by over 50 tuxedoed “Kens” dancing onstage. And in a nod to Barbie, he was clad in a hot pink sequined suit with matching gloves.

Gosling also brought in star-powered guests like Slash of Guns N’ Roses, songwriter and producer Mark Ronson and rocker Wolfgang Van Halen, plus some “Barbie” co-stars on stage with him.

I’m Just Ken, as a nominated song, was a silly, goofy, lots of fun and old Hollywood-style spectacle that ended in a cheering, clapping, standing ovation from the audience who were singing along karaoke style at the end.

“I’m just Ken and I’m enough/ and I’m great at doing stuff….” Not to forget, they also had fireworks. “Hey, world, check me out, I’m just Ken…” It was pure Kenergy at the Oscars.

Who would have thought that Gosling would have his iconic Oscar moment singing I’m Just Ken? But he did and truth to tell, Gosling, who is a former Disney Mouseketeer, was not only fantastic. He was more than Kenough. Best of all, it looked like he was enjoying himself being Ken again.

Now, I took another, more serious listen to Ken’s theme after it won Best Song at the Critics’ Choice Awards last February. I wondered at the choice, but then I listened to the words and realized that I’m Just Ken is talking about real identity issues that men with successful wives or girlfriends grapple with all the time.

Cheers to composers Ronson and Andrew Wyaat. I thought that should the voters listen really, carefully, I was sure the song had a strong chance of winning.

You know how we all have this tendency to dismiss Ken as just a male doll, who is Barbie’s boyfriend. We do not really like male dolls because they are not as fun to dress up as the females. I think that was also how we treated I’m Just Ken. Dismissed because of the supposedly “more important messages” from the other nominated songs.

Gosling though, just like his work in the “Barbie” movie brought life to the doll. He made Ken visible and made us listen to what he has to say. He brought that message back with a loud bang at the Oscars. But then as expected, because I think the Academy voters did not really listen, “Barbie” won again.

Billie Eilish, 22, and Fineas O’Connell are now the youngest and the second youngest recipients of two trophies in Academy Award history. The siblings won their second Oscars last March 11 for their song, the Barbie lament, What was I Made For.

The duo previously won the Academy Award for the James Bond theme No Time to Die in 2022.  What was I Made For was earlier named Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media at the Grammy Awards and was also Best Original Song at the Golden Globe Awards.

The other Best Original Song nominees at the 96th Academy Awards were Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) by Scott George and the Osage Singers from the movie “Killers of the Flower Moon”; The Fire Inside by Diane Warren from “Flamin’ Hot”; and It Never Went Away by Jon Batiste from “American Symphony.”