Hi, “Oppenheimer.”
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hi, “Oppenheimer.”
Still, much is circling around this year’s show. Demonstrators are expected to protest the Israel-Hamas war near the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Police have beefed up their already extensive presence. The war in Ukraine will be on some attendees’ minds, particularly those of the journalist filmmakers behind the documentary favorite, “20 Days in Mariupol.” And with the presidential election in full swing, politics could be an unavoidable topic despite an awards season that’s played out largely in a vacuum.
Hollywood also has plenty of its own storm clouds to concern itself with.
HOW TO WATCH
Ahead of the broadcast on ABC, a red carpet preshow will begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT. E! will kick off its red-carpet coverage at 4 p.m. EDT and arrivals are being streamed on YouTube by The Associated Press.
The show will be available to stream via ABC.com and the ABC app with a cable subscription. You can also watch through services including Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.
WHAT’S IN STORE FOR THE TELECAST
Five past winners in each acting category will together announce winners for the first time since 2009. Among the many announced presenters are: Zendaya, Al Pacino, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Yeoh, Steven Spielberg, Dwayne Johnson, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o, Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage and Bad Bunny.
All of the best original song nominees will be performed, including the most likely winner, “What Was I Made For” from “Barbie,” to be performed by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell. The others are: “I’m Just Ken,” with Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson; “The Fire Inside,” from “Flamin’ Hot,” to be performed by Becky G; Jon Batiste’s “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony”; and “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People),” from “Killers of the Flower Moon,” to be performed by Scott George and the Osage Singers.
WHO ARE THE FAVORITES?
“Oppenheimer” comes in having won at the producers, directors and actors guilds, making it the clear front-runner for best picture. The film is widely expected to win in a number of other categories, too. Nolan is tipped to win his first best director Oscar, while Robert Downey Jr. (best supporting actor) and Cillian Murphy (best actor) are also predicted to win their first Academy Award. Paul Giamatti ("The Holdovers") could challenge Murphy.
With the forecasted “Oppenheimer” romp, the night’s biggest drama is in the best actress category. Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) are nearly even-odds to win. While an Oscar for Stone, who won for her performance “La La Land,” would be her second statuette, an win for Gladstone would make Academy Awards history. No Native American has ever won a competitive Oscar.
WHAT ELSE TO LOOK FOR
Historically, having big movies in the mix for the Oscars’ top awards has been good for broadcast ratings. The Academy Awards’ largest audience ever came when James Cameron’s “Titanic” swept the 1998 Oscars.
Last year’s ceremony, where a very different best-picture contender in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” triumphed, was watched by 18.7 million people, up 12% from the year prior. ABC and the academy are hoping to continue the upward trend after a nadir in 2021, when 9.85 million watched a pandemic-diminished telecast relocated to Los Angeles’ Union Station.