The road to the 97th Academy Awards has been filled with twists and turns.
“Emilia Pérez,” a seriocomic musical about transgender identity, started Hollywood’s awards season as a top contender. But controversial tweets from the film’s lead actress hurt its Oscar chances, providing an opening for a trio of acclaimed titles all vying for front-runner status: “Anora,” “The Brutalist,” “Conclave.” The ultimate best picture victor is anyone’s guess.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles is still reeling from devastating wildfires that decimated whole neighborhoods, including areas where entertainment professionals live and work. The long economic fallout from the pandemic, the 2023 writers strike and growing competition from nontraditional media have also put the industry on rockier footing.
But the film academy is hoping to lighten the mood — at least for one night. Here’s your one-stop guide to the show.
How to watch
The telecast will air live on ABC starting at 7 p.m. ET — and in a big first, the ceremony will stream in real time on Hulu. Expect to see stars begin to arrive on the red carpet around 3:30 p.m. ET, around when much on-air coverage will also begin.
Follow live updates on NBCNews.com starting at noon ET.
Who is hosting?
Conan O’Brien is set for his first outing as Oscars emcee. But he’s no stranger to the world of awards, having previously hosted the Emmy Awards in 2002 and 2006. He also helmed the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in 1995 and 2013.
In an interview with The New York Times, O’Brien said he relished the opportunity to celebrate the year in cinema.
“I still think the Oscars has meaning. Really good cinema — especially when it’s from different countries, different points of view — has an incredible amount of resonance and importance right now, and this is the night that celebrates that,” O’Brien said.
“To be a part of it is meaningful to me. I don’t think of it as a thankless task — even if I just do it once, and no one’s interested in me doing it again, it will have been a meaningful experience for me,” he added.
Any best picture predictions?
The race for best picture was scrambled after “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón drew intense scrutiny for old social media posts. The scandal created new momentum for the madcap romantic dramedy “Anora,” the postwar immigration epic “The Brutalist” and the papal thriller “Conclave.”
All three of those movies have done well on the pre-Oscars awards circuit. “The Brutalist” nabbed best drama film at the Globes. “Conclave” snagged top honors at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) and the best ensemble trophy at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.
Meanwhile, “Anora” won marquee prizes from Hollywood’s producers, directors and writers guilds, plus the Critics Choice Awards. Gold Derby, an awards prediction website, gives “Anora” 5-to-1 odds of claiming best picture when all is said and done.
In the days leading up to the ceremony, “Anora” appears to be the slight favorite, but it could easily be edged out by “The Brutalist” or “Conclave” — not to mention dark horse candidates such as the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown” or the splashy musical “Wicked.”
The four other best picture nominees are the sci-fi saga “Dune: Part Two,” the historical drama “I’m Still Here,” the literary adaptation “Nickel Boys” and the body-horror satire “The Substance.”
Who are this year’s acting front-runners?
In the best actress category, Demi Moore (“The Substance”) seems to have momentum after winning best comedy actress at the Golden Globe Awards and equivalent honors at the SAG Awards and the Critics Choice Awards.
But don’t count out Mikey Madison (“Anora”), who triumphed at the BAFTAs and the Independent Spirit Awards, or Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here”), who won best drama actress at the Globes.
In the best actor race, Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”) is well positioned after taking home prizes from the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and the Critics Choice Awards. Brody’s closest competition comes from Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”), whose portrayal of Bob Dylan earned him a SAG statuette earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”) and Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”) appear to be locks for best supporting actor and best supporting actress, respectively.
Who is presenting?
The list of screen talents lined up to present awards includes a handful of Oscar winners from previous years, including Halle Berry (“Monster’s Ball”), Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”), Whoopi Goldberg (“Ghost”), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), and two-time victor Emma Stone (“La La Land,” “Poor Things”).
The ceremony will also feature presenters who appeared in some of last year’s notable releases, including Joe Alwyn (“The Brutalist”), Lily-Rose Depp (“Nosferatu”), Elle Fanning (“A Complete Unknown”), Selena Gomez (“Emilia Pérez”), John Lithgow (“Conclave”), Connie Nielsen (“Gladiator II”), June Squibb (“Thelma”) and Bowen Yang (“Wicked”).
Also on the lineup: Dave Bautista, Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Alba Rohrwacher, Zoe Saldaña and Rachel Zegler.
Will there be performances?
In a departure from recent ceremonies, this year’s telecast won’t feature live performances of the five tunes nominated for best original song.
However, the producers have invited “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to perform a medley of numbers from the hit musical. (“Wicked” was distributed by Universal Pictures, a unit of NBC News’ parent company, NBCUniversal.)
In addition, Queen Latifah will be on hand to pay tribute to the late music industry maestro Quincy Jones, who died in November. Plus, viewers can expect performances from hip-hop stars Lisa and Doja Cat as well as British singer-songwriter Raye.
