We’re just hours away from the 97th Academy Awards, which will take place Sunday evening at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Keep it here for live updates on all the winners and drama from the highly anticipated ceremony.
How can I watch the Oscars?
In Canada, the Oscars ceremony will be broadcast live on CTV, starting at 7 p.m. ET. Red carpet coverage will begin at 6:30 p.m. The ceremony can also be streamed on CTV’s website or app.
The live broadcast is expected to last three-and-a-half hours.
Who is hosting the Oscars this year?
Comedian and former late night television host Conan O’Brien will host this year’s Oscars for the first time.
In a press conference, O’Brien said hosting the Oscars is like “getting to drive a Ferrari” for the first time. He also said he would not hesitate to talk about the nation’s fraught political situation.
“I cannot ignore the moment we’re in,” he said. “But I also have to remember it’s threading a needle. I also have to remember what we’re here to celebrate and infuse the show with positivity.”
The last two ceremonies were hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel, who has hosted the Oscars a total of four times.
Which movies are nominated?
“Emilia Pérez,” the controversial Spanish-language musical crime film leads all film with 13 nominations. The American postwar epic “The Brutalist” and the musical fantasy “Wicked” both received ten nominations.
All three films are up for best picture, a category rounded out by “Anora,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave,” “Dune: Part Two,” “I’m Still Here,” “Nickel Boys” and “The Substance.”
It’s the most open best picture field in recent memory, with a lot of mixed signals to parse from various awards bodies and plenty of controversy clouding the chances of potential contenders.
Here are our critic’s predictions for all the major categories.
What are the major storylines to watch?
It’s been a wild lead-up to this year’s ceremony. Over the past several weeks, a number of films nominated for best picture have found themselves embroiled in scandals big and small, creating a volatile race for the evening’s top prize.
All eyes will be on “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón, who plans to attend the ceremony despite being embroiled in a scandal after a trove of her offensive social media posts were discovered. Other storylines to watch will be the best actor race, where Timothée Chalamet hopes to upset Adrien Brody to become the youngest actor to win in the category. Plus, can “No Other Land,” an acclaimed documentary about Israel’s systemic demolition of Palestinian villages in the West Bank, take home the Oscar for best documentary despite being unable to find a North American distributor?
Here are five key narratives to watch for tonight.
This year’s ceremony will break with the tradition of featuring performances of the Best Original Song nominees. Instead, organizers have promised a number of “show stopping performances” from “Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo — the duo is expected to open the show — Lisa of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, Raye and Doja Cat.
Who will present the awards?
The academy has shared an extensive list of presenters, including Dave Bautista, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey, Scarlett Johansson, Bowen Yang and Lily-Rose Depp.
Last year’s acting winners — Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph — will also take part in the ceremony. Earlier this year, the Oscars said it was planning to include the “Fab 5” segment, in which previous winners introduce this year’s nominees in their respective categories. However, Variety reports that the segment will not be used for acting categories this year, but may happen in the best directors category.
Nick Offerman will serve as the show’s announcer.
The biggest snubs and misses from Oscars past
No matter who or what wins on Oscar night on Sunday, there are sure to be dissenters. Not everyone was thrilled last year, for instance, when Emma Stone beat out favourite Lily Gladstone for best actress.
In that spirit, here are some Academy Awards snubs that our staffers still can’t shake and one — maybe — still to come.
With files from the Associated Press.
