It’s been a bit of a weird run-up to the Oscars this year, what with the shadow of The Slap still hanging over it and the deployment of a crisis team to deal decisively with any untoward events. Added to which an unseemly squabble over the best actress nominees, in which a high-powered “grassroots” campaign on behalf of Andrea Riseborough ran into the film industry’s attempts to promote diversity, has cast a sorry pall over a portion of the proceedings. Meanwhile, reports suggest that the Academy has (again) knocked back a request by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy to address the assembled throng.
With all that rumbling away in the background, what are the odds that an actual awards show might break out? The producers have played it safe by recalling Jimmy Kimmel as host, and are no doubt hoping to keep improving the TV ratings away from the calamitous pandemic-era trough in 2021. Lots of fancy names – Harrison Ford, Emily Blunt, Michael B Jordan – are filling out the presenters’ slots, but there’s no word on the return of #OscarsFanFavorite and #OscarsCheerMoment.
And, of course, they’ll be hoping to avoid the kind of post-show brouhaha that hit the Baftas. The sense is, though, that the 2023 Oscars will be striking a blow for diversity, with Everything Everywhere All at Once gunning for most of the big awards and leading the nominations count with 11. That doesn’t always convert into actual wins, as The Power of the Dog discovered last year, but such is the tide of enthusiasm for the Asian-American superhero comedy it’s going to be tough to beat. So strap in!
Timetable
In the US: The E! channel gets things under way with Brunch at the Oscars at 12:00 PT/15:00 ET, then moves to Live From the Red Carpet show at 14:00 PT/17:00 ET. ABC starts its live coverage with On the Red Carpet Live at 10:00 PT/13:00 ET, before Countdown to the Oscars at 15:30 PT/18:30 ET. Actual ceremony coverage gets under way at 17:00 PT/20:00 ET, and is due to finish at 20:00 PT/23:00 ET.
In the UK: Sky’s Oscar coverage starts at 11pm with Red Carpet Live, switching to the show at midnight.
In Australia: 7Bravo is carrying E!’s red carpet coverage from 08:00 AEDT. The full ceremony starts on Channel 7 and 7Plus at 11:00 AEDT, finishing at 14:00 AEDT.
Preparation
As Paul McCartney once said: “What you need is a serious programme of work. Not an aimless rambling among the canyons of your mind.” So, in that spirit, time to knuckle down and do some background reading.
• Here’s the full list of who’s up for what – and what our chief critic Peter Bradshaw thought about it.
• This is what Guardian writers had to say about the various best picture nominees.
• Someone may have mentioned that the Irish are coming.
• Why the Oscars needs our love.
• What’s inside those headline-grabbing gift bags.
• What went down at the nominees’ luncheon.
• The little movies that couldn’t.
• What those “brutally honest” Oscar voter interviews tell us.
• A primer on the row over the best actress nomination.
• How super-hip US mini-studio A24 became the big Oscar player.
• The greatest title in film history? Read about animated short nominee An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It.
• Over the past few months we’ve spoken to quite a few of the major contenders: Cate Blanchett, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Michelle Williams, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and Bill Nighy. A treat for the brain.
Predictions
Everyone’s sick of these by now, but you might want to glance over Peter Bradshaw’s thoughts. And can we just point to the frankly scary 11 out of 12 success rate this very page achieved last year. So here goes nothing.
Best picture Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best director Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best actor Brendan Fraser, The Whale
Best actress Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best supporting actor Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best supporting actress Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Best original screenplay Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best adapted screenplay All Quiet on the Western Front
Best documentary Navalny
Best original song Naatu Naatu, RRR
Best animated film Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Best international film All Quiet on the Western Front
That’s about it. Time to get the party started.
