It’s almost Oscars time
NEW YORK, USA (AP) — Hollywood is gearing up for the 95th Academy Awards, where Everything Everywhere All at Once comes in the lead nominee with 11 nods and the film industry will hope to move past “the slap” of last year’s ceremony.
The Oscars will be held Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin at 8:00 pm EST and be broadcast live on ABC. The broadcast can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV.
Jimmy Kimmel hosts for the third time and his first time since 2018. That was also the last Oscars to feature a solo host. The show went hostless for several years after Kimmel’s last outing. Last year, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosted as a trio. In an ad for this year’s show styled after Top Gun: Maverick, Kimmel made his case for being the right person for the job while noting that he can’t get slapped because “I cry a lot.”
Presenters will include Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Nicole Kidman, and Samuel L Jackson.
All signs point to a full slate of musical performances, with Rihanna performing Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Lenny Kravitz will deliver the ‘In Memoriam’ performance.
The 10 movies competing for best picture are All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick, Triangle of Sadness, and Women Talking.
Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) may have a slight edge on Cate Blanchett (Tár) for best actress. Best actor is harder to call, with Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Austin Butler (Elvis) in the mix. In the supporting categories, Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) are the frontrunners, though Jamie Lee Curtis’s Screen Actors Guild Awards win may have thrown a wrench into the supporting actress category.
Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) may win his third best director Oscar, though the Daniels may have emerged as the frontrunners.
Aside from the usual snubs and surprises, this year’s biggest to-do has been the debate surrounding Andrea Riseborough’s unexpected nomination for best actress. Two thought as best-actress contenders — Danielle Deadwyler (Till) and Viola Davis (Woman King) — were snubbed, some saw that as a reflection of racial bias in the film industry. The academy launched an inquiry into the star-studded, grass roots campaign for Riseborough but found no reason to rescind her nomination.
— AP