On March 12th at 8 pm EST, everyone will be tuning in for one of the most anticipated but controversial events of the year, the 95th Academy Awards show: The Oscars. The event is held at the classic Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and will be hosted by late-night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, who is hosting alone unlike recent years which usually features trios. After last year, audiences at home expect to be entertained all night, whether by the amazing speeches from the winners or an unexpected moment like Will Smithâs at the last Oscars. Many canât forget the viral moment of Will Smith smacking Rock, but this wonât occur again because Smith is banned from the ceremony for 10 years. Now, before you sit down in front of your tv or computer to watch the 2023 Oscars, here are a few things you should know.Â
1. Tuning in for the big event
The Oscars will be live and is not only televised, but will also also found on multiple streaming services. It will be live on ABC but can also be found on Hulu Live TV, Youtube TV, and Fubo TV. If you are unable to watch during that time, there are always opportunities to keep up with the winners for each category and to watch the acceptance speeches later.Â
2. To Watch or not to watch? That is question
Even if you havenât had time to watch all of the nominated movies, this year is one for the books due to some new nominees and classics that should be celebrated. John Williams, who is greatly known for composing film scores for Star Wars and Jurassic Park, is the oldest nominee in Oscar history. His 53rd nomination will be featured in this year’s award show for scoring a nominated movie that is based on Steven Spielberg’s life titled The Fabelmans. Another highly anticipated moment is seeing Michelle Yeoh, the main character in the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, win Best Actress. She is the first Asian Best Actress Oscar Nominee and has been favored by many fans after the film was released. By tuning in, you not only get to possibly see history being made, but you can also enjoy the happiness shown all across the screen every time someone wins an Oscar.Â
3. Movies to look out for and even watch before March 12th
One of the most important categories, Best Picture, is filled with a variety of choices and it is recommended to watch them so you can not only predict which movie will win, but you can also understand why some movies were chosen and others were not. The ten movies nominated for Best Picture are:Â
- All Quiet on the Western FrontÂ
- Avatar: The Way of the Water
- âThe Banshees of InisherinâÂ
- Elvis
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- The Fabelmans
- âTĂĄr,
- Top Gun: Maverick
- Triangle of Sadness
- Women Talking
Everything Everywhere All at Once is a strong contender due to its incredible box office performance and has been noticed globally. It has been nominated for 11 different categories ranging from Best Actress to Best Original Song. Some other close competitors are The Fabelmans, The Banshees of Inisherin, and TĂR.Â
4. Draw your focus to some important nominees this year
Another important category for this year is Best Supporting Actors which features Ke Huy Quan, who is greatly known for starring in The Goonies as a child. After nearly 40 years, Quan has made a reappearance in Hollywood through his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. He has made a huge influence on audiences everywhere, especially after his beautiful speeches at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. His performance as Waymond Wang in this film was greatly recognized by audiences all around the world. The category for Best Director ranges from well-known directors such as Steven Spielberg for The Fabelmans to two Daniels, Daniel Kwan, and Daniel Schienhart, for Everything Everywhere All at Once. Despite these directors being very talented, there is no representation of women in this category. This is not the only controversy surrounding this award ceremony though. Actress Andrea Risborough was nominated for Best Actress, but it was later investigated that she had aggressive campaigning throughout Hollywood which could have helped her receive this privilege. There is lots of backlash regarding this situation because other women such as Viola Davis or Danielle Deadwyler were stripped of this nomination and many are relating it to the lack of diversity that the Oscars often face.
Even though there has always been controversy surrounding the results of the Oscars, it seems like there is hope for representation outside of the traditional groups mentioned during awards shows involving film and music. Whether you have a tradition of watching the Oscars every year or itâs your first time tuning in, after reading this article you will know exactly what to expect and might even be able to predict some winners.