NEW YORK – After a winter barrage of award shows — the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Grammys — the grandaddy of them all, the Academy Awards, are around the corner. The 96th Oscars may be a coronation for “Oppenheimer,” which comes in with a leading 13 nominations, though other films, including “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Poor Things” are in the mix.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year's show:
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WHEN ARE THE OSCARS?
The Oscars will be held Sunday, March 10, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin at 7 p.m. EDT — one hour earlier than usual — and will broadcast live on ABC. A preshow will begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT. This is your early reminder to set your clocks accordingly — it's the first day of daylight saving time in the U.S.
ARE THE OSCARS STREAMING?
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.
WHO’S HOSTING THE OSCARS?
Jimmy Kimmel, who hosted last year’s ceremony, will emcee for the fourth time. That ties him with fellow four-timers Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon, and leaves Kimmel trailing only Johnny Carson (five), Billy Crystal (nine) and Bob Hope (11) among repeat Oscar hosts. In an interview with The Associated Press, Kimmel said the upcoming presidential election could be a topic for him, he doesn’t plan to a strike a very political tone.
“It’s not really the focus of the Oscars,” said Kimmel. “It doesn’t mean I won’t have a joke or two about it. But it’s not really my goal to invoke the name of he-who-shall-not-be-named at the Oscars.”
WILL THERE BE ANY PERFORMANCES?
Yes, all the original song nominees will be performed on the show. That means Ryan Gosling will serenade everyone with Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt's “Barbie” power ballad “I'm Just Ken” and Billie Eilish will soulfully sing “What Was I Made For," which she co-wrote with Finneas O'Connell. The other nominated songs include Diane Warren’s “The Fire Inside,” from “Flamin’ Hot," to be performed by Becky G, ” Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson’s “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony,” and Scott George’s “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
WHO’S PRESENTING AT THE OSCARS?
Last year’s big acting winners are all coming back to present at the show (a tradition), including Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. Stars from all generations are expected to hand out awards, from Rita Moreno to Bad Bunny.
Steven Spielberg, Emily Blunt, Cynthia Erivo, Sally Field, Ariana Grande, Ben Kingsley, Melissa McCarthy, Issa Rae, Tim Robbins, Mary Steenburgen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlize Theron, Christoph Waltz and Forest Whitaker were the last batch of presenters announced.
Other celebrities set to grace the Dolby stage include “Scarface” co-stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino (likely not together), as well as Gosling, Zendaya, Matthew McConaughey, Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, John Mulaney, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Lange, Nicolas Cage, Mahershala Ali, Sam Rockwell, Lupita Nyong’o and Ramy Youssef.
There will be some fun cast reunions too: “Barbie's" America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon will take the stage together for a funny bit, as will “Beetlejuice” stars Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara.
WHAT'S NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE AT THE 2024 OSCARS?
The 10 nominees for best picture are: “American Fiction”; “Anatomy of a Fall”; “Barbie”; “The Holdovers”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Past Lives”; “Poor Things”; and “The Zone of Interest."
HOW CAN I WATCH THE OSCAR-NOMINATED FILMS?
Many of this year's Oscar nominees are streaming on various platforms. The AP has this handy guide to help with Oscar cramming.
WHO ARE THE FAVORITES?
Christopher Nolan's “Oppenheimer” is the frontrunner. Nolan, the best director favorite, is also poised to win his first Oscar. The best actress category could be a nail-biter between Lily Gladstone ("Killers of the Flower Moon") and Emma Stone ("Poor Things"). If Gladstone were to win, she would be the first Native American to win an Oscar. Best actor, too, could be a close contest between Cillian Murphy ("Oppenheimer") and Paul Giamatti ("The Holdovers"). Both would be first-time winners. Giamatti's co-star Da’Vine Joy Randolph is favored to win best supporting actress, while Robert Downey Jr. ("Oppenheimer") is expected to win best supporting actor. His closest competition is considered to be Ryan Gosling for “Barbie.” You can check out predictions from AP's film writers.
WHAT'S UP WITH THE ‘BARBIE’ SNUBS?
While “Barbie," 2023's biggest box-office hit, comes in with eight nominations, much discussion has revolved around the nominations the film didn't receive. Greta Gerwig was left out of the directing category and Margot Robbie missed out on best actress. In those omissions, some have seen reflections of the misogyny parodied in “Barbie," while others have noted the tough reception comedies have historically had at the Oscars. The nominations for “Barbie” include best adapted screenplay (by Gerwig and Noah Baumbach), best supporting actress for America Ferrera and two best song nominees in “What Was I Made For” and “I'm Just Ken.”
ARE THERE ANY CHANGES TO THE OSCARS THIS YEAR?
Though recent Oscars have been marked by everything from slaps,envelope snafus and controversies over which awards are presented live during the telecast, this year's show comes in with no big changes (besides starting an hour earlier). All of the awards are to be broadcast live (though honorary prizes remain separated in the earlier, untelevised Governors Awards ). The academy is adding a new award for best casting, but that trophy won't be presented until the 2026 Oscars.
WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO LOOK FOR?
Composer John Williams earned his record 49th nomination for a best score Oscar, for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," his 54th nod overall. Godzilla is going to the Oscars for the first time, with “Godzilla Minus One” notching a nomination for best visual effects. And also for the first time, two non-English language films are up for best picture: the German-language Auschwitz drama “The Zone of Interest” and the French courtroom drama “Anatomy of a Fall.”
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For more on this year’s Oscars, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/academy-awards