It’s finally here. Following the customary parade of large and minor, national and international award shows, the megalodon of trophy-fueled Hollywood events is upon us.
This year’s Oscars promise to be a traditional star glam-fest as well as another prime-time chance to leave a lasting cultural impression. And we’re not referring to the subsequent Will Smith-Chris Rock slap that went viral.
The 10 best picture nominations include mainstream blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” in addition to unusual jewels like “The Banshees of Inisherin,” which tells the story of a strained friendship, and “All Quiet on the Western Front,” a stinging indictment of war.
The idea of awarding Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, who just won the Screen Actors Guild Award, with the best actress Oscar for her explosive performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” is by far the most thrilling possibility of the evening. For an Asian actress, winning in the lead actress category would be a first.
What you need to know to tune in is listed below.
What time are the Oscars?
The Dolby Theatre in the heart of Hollywood will host the 95th Academy Awards ceremony on March 12.
Where can I watch the 2023 Oscars?
At 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT, ABC will air a live broadcast of the Academy Awards.
Several platforms, including ABC.com and the ABC app, which both require cable subscriptions to access, will also stream the ceremony live. Hulu, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV are additional streaming services.
Starting at 5 p.m. EDT/2 p.m. PDT, E! will begin streaming live from the red carpet.
Who will host the Academy Awards in 2023?
Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night host, and comedian will return as host. Kimmel was previously hosted in 2017 and 2018.
He now joins Jerry Lewis, Steve Martin, Conrad Nagel, and David Niven as three-time Oscar hosts. Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon (4), Johnny Carson (5), Billy Crystal (9), and Bob Hope (4) are among those who have hosted more than once (19).
Will Will Smith attend the Academy Awards?
Will Smith has been barred from attending Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences events for the next ten years after slapping Oscar presenter Chris Rock for making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Traditionally, performers that appear at the Oscars are either nominated for an award or have been requested to present one. Smith, who won best actor for his work in “King Richard” last year, would normally give the award for best actress this year.
The academy has yet to announce who will accept Smith’s award in his stead. His successor might theoretically be a previous best actor winner or one of the other 2022 best actor nominees: Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, Denzel Washington, or Javier Bardem.
Which films have been nominated for Academy Awards?
The film “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has received the most nominations (11), followed by “Elvis” with eight, “The Fabelmans” with seven, “The Banshees of Inisherin” with nine, and “Tár” with six.
Here is the complete list of this year’s Oscar contenders. Moreover, you can learn how to watch these films here.
Who will win the Oscar for best actor?
For a moment, it appeared like Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic “Elvis,” which won best actor awards at both the British Academy Film Awards and the Golden Globes, would win the Oscar for best actor.
Brendan Fraser, however, shocked bookmakers by taking home the best actor prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, putting Butler’s chances of being nominated on Oscar night into question. Colin Farrell, a fellow nominee, is most likely out of the running at this stage after failing to maintain his Globes momentum. Farrell’s performance in “The Banshees of Inisherin” helped that film achieve popularity. The other nominees in the category are William Nighy (“Living”) and Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”).
Who else could take home an Oscar?
The experts at the awards website GoldDerby predict that “Everything Everywhere Everything at Once” will sweep the board. If the pattern continues from 2022 when SAG winner Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) and supporting actors Troy Kotsur (“CODA”) and Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) all went on to win Oscars, Michelle Yeoh, the winner of the SAG award for best actress, and her “Everything” supporting actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Ke Huy Quan should win awards.
The overwhelming favorite in the best picture category is “Everything,” while “All Quiet,” a German production, has a better chance of winning the award for best foreign language film.
The film is a finalist for best picture and best foreign language film. At the BAFTAs, “All Quiet” won best motion picture, and Edward Berger won best director.
Who presents at the Oscars?
Ariana DeBose, Questlove, Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Deepika Padukone, Troy Kotsur, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Zoe Saldaa, and Donnie Yen are among the first stars who have committed to presenting the Oscars.
More recently, Oscars producers also announced the addition of Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh, Sigourney Weaver, Halle Berry, Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Harrison Ford, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, Eva Longoria, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Olsen, Pedro Pascal, and John Travolta.
Who will be performing at the Academy Awards?
Talking Heads founder David Byrne will sing “This Is A Life,” the film’s Oscar-nominated song, alongside “Everything Everywhere All at Once” supporting actress candidate Stephanie Hsu and music trio Son Lux.
Sofia Carson and Diane Warren will perform “Applause” from “Tell It Like A Woman,” Rihanna will sing “Lift Me” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will sing “Naatu Naatu” from the action movie “RRR,” and Rihanna will also sing “Lift Me” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
Hold My Hand, Lady Gaga’s nominated song from “Top Gun: Maverick,” won’t be performed.
Glenn Weiss, the executive producer of the Oscars, stated during a news conference on Wednesday, “We have a terrific relationship with Lady Gaga, but she is in the middle of shooting a movie. She and Joaquin Phoenix are filming “Joker: Folie à Deux” at the moment. The singer decided not to perform because she believed she could not “achieve a performance to the standard that she is used to,” Weiss continued.
No information has yet been released regarding who will perform “Hold My Hand” in Gaga’s place.
Lenny Kravitz will serve as the show’s “In Memoriam” portion’s host. This segment normally features musical performances over images of business figures who have passed away in the previous year.
Who is the academy honoring this year?
Several other Hollywood legends are honored this year for their efforts in addition to the winners.
The Australian director Peter Weir, whose works range from “Master and Commander” to “The Way Back,” the songwriter Diane Warren, whose 14 Oscar nominations include a collaboration with Lady Gaga, and Euzhan Palcy, the first Black woman to direct a major studio release (the 1989 film “A Dry White Season,” starring Marlon Brando), have all received honorary Oscars.
Film and television star Michael J. Fox will also receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his diligent fundraising efforts for Parkinson’s research in recent years.
