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Nobody Asked for Eminem's Surprise Oscars Performance

The rapper performed his hit "Lose Yourself," which won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2003.

Photo by Madison McGaw/BFA/Shutterstock

Considering what many considered to be an overwhelmingly white and male nominee pool, the 92nd Annual Academy Awards ended up being...not that bad?

Korean thriller Parasite made history by becoming the first foreign language film to take home an Oscar for Best Picture, and its director Bong Joon Ho was adorable on numerous occasions. Joaquin Phoenix, after being named Best Lead Actor, continued his streak of spicy acceptance speeches with a condemnation of the animal agriculture industry. Janelle Monáe's opening number saluted snubbed films like Us and Midsommar. Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph were, well, just as funny as you'd expect.

But there was one appearance at the Oscars that had many attendees and viewers perplexed. At the end of a montage celebrating iconic songs made famous by movies, clips of 8 Mile were projected on the screen as the instantly recognizable chug of "Lose Yourself" played along. And then—for reasons widely unbeknownst to the audience—Eminem himself appeared onstage to perform the 2002 No. 1 hit.

While some audience members in the Dolby Theatre happily rapped along, many seemed dumbfounded by Eminem's seemingly random appearance.

— (@)

"Lose Yourself" became the first rap number to win the Oscar for Best Original Song back in 2003, but Eminem didn't attend that year because he didn't think he had a chance of winning. Although the reason for his delayed appearance is unclear, it seems Eminem just figured he was better late than never: "Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity... Thanks for having me @TheAcademy," he tweeted. "Sorry it took me 18 years to get here."

We're glad Slim Shady finally got his second shot, but why 18 years late? At this point, it feels like a pathetic and haphazard promotion of his eleventh studio album, Music to Be Murdered By, which received backlash for its audacious reference to the bombing at Ariana Grande's 2017 Manchester concert. A clip of old audio also recently resurfaced in which Eminem claimed he'd "side with Chris Brown" on the issue of Brown's infamous assault of Rihanna. Why are we continuing to bait Eminem's constant hunger for relevancy?

These audience reactions say it best:

— (@)

From Your Site Articles

3 Reasons Why Knowing A Second Language Can Change Your Life

Learning a new language is at the top of nearly everyone's bucket list. A second language improves critical thinking skills, opens the mind, and can come in handy in any spy movie. However, it can be a daunting task. Since 1992, Rosetta Stone has been breaking down language division by becoming the leading educational tool for language learning. Now, they've been able to transfer their efficient system to an app that's more convenient than ever. The app has an exclusive set of fun features that are designed to help stimulate every part of the brain to begin navigating real-life conversations in a new language.

Here are three ways that knowing even a little bit of a second language can make a huge impact.

When you're adventuring all over….

Backpacking in South America just got easier with a graspable knowledge of Spanish. The sweat, the heat, and the trek will all become a little more manageable when you can start breaking down those language barriers and get clear directions from locals. With the Seek & Speak feature, you can take photos of everyday objects like fruits, in scavenger-hunt style challenges, so you can speak the language more and awkwardly gesture less.

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When you need a leg up at work…

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When you want to bond with family…

Taking an ancestry test to discover you have long-lost relatives in Italy, one of the most beautiful countries in the world...that's the dream. Bonding with Great Aunt Lydia can happen more quickly when Rosetta Stone provides phrases that you'll actually use. With the Phrasebook, you'll be adding phrases to your vocabulary that will actually come up on your trip, so you can chime in to cousin Matteo's harrowing sailing story.

Rosetta Stone offers a simple way to invite new words and phrases into your vocabulary, so you can find where the chic locals shop in France or order your ramen extra spicy in Japan. Rosetta Stone will give you the confidence and tools you need to travel to a new country, even alone, and communicate in a native tongue

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My Secret For Making Lasting Friendships And Memories While Traveling The World

When I travel, the experience is about so much more than just seeing historical sights or eating international cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I certainly try to see as many tourist destinations as I can, but I'm more interested in soaking up the culture in a holistic way. I want to broaden my horizons by getting a taste of how other cultures see the world, how they interact with each other, what makes them tick. That's why I always try to make new friends when I travel, whether it's keeping in touch over social media or just finding a friendly face for the night to show me the off-the-beaten-path places where the locals really go to drink and dance. So having conversational command of the local language is important to me. I don't have to be fluent, but the more I'm able to speak and understand the language, the more I can have the kinds of adventures that really make travel worthwhile: finding hidden gem restaurants, or late-night talks about philosophy and love with fellow travelers under the Argentinian summer sky.

I've tried a lot of different language learning programs over the years to get ready for trips. The one I come back to over and over again is Rosetta Stone, because all of their features are easy to use, polished and modernized. At the end of the day, it's the only program that helps me actually speak confidently when I'm abroad. Their immersive technique lets you absorb a new language in brief lessons that I can fit in with my morning coffee or on my evening commute. Their lessons are never overwhelming, they're rewarding because you see clear, noticeable progress in your speech and pronunciation after each exercise. Plus, their exercises are never boring (looking at you college classes!) because they're always teaching you in a new and clever way. The app lets you learn on-the-go from your phone (no wifi needed!), which is the only way I can fit language learning into my busy schedule.

When I used other apps, I found that even if I technically knew the vocab, I would still shy away from the conversation if I didn't have confidence in how I was saying sentences. Once, I went fifty miles (which I learned is 80 km!) in the wrong direction on a bus in Italy because I was too nervous to ask for directions. I used to feel overwhelmed a lot when I traveled: too scared to speak to locals, too lost to know up from down, and no internet to save me. Rosetta Stone has changed my confidence problem for good. Phrasebook, a feature I wish I had on my Italy trip, tells you how to pronounce the most useful phrases such as "I'm lost" or "Excuse me, how do I get to the beach?". Their speech recognition technology hears how I'm pronouncing words and helps me fine tune my accent, which makes all the difference when I travel. Plus, they have a really cool Seek & Speak tool that leverages augmented reality. It challenges you to take pictures of objects like fruits or vegetables and the app teaches you how to say the word in the language you are learning. I tried it out a couple of months ago when I was at a farmer's market in Paris. I was able to collect photos of the most perfectly ripe strawberries and cherries I wanted to buy. All I had to do was point my iPhone camera at the fruit and the app taught me "des fraises" and "cerises", and then I had the best dessert ever.

Before I used Rosetta Stone, I imagined it was an old-school program that took up a lot of time. But once I put it to the test, I discovered their new app is truly amazing. Subscriptions start for as little as $6.99 a month, so I can afford to use Rosetta Stone every time I travel without dipping into my wanderlust savings. For travelers looking to make the most out of their trip, I can't recommend Rosetta Stoneenough. Their engaging app with short lessons is the reason I've learned to explore the world confidently. My improved language confidence has led to close friendships, discovering hidden sunset perches, eating one-of-a-kind delicacies, and memories that will last a lifetime.

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