LOS ANGELES — It’s time to present the Academy Awards.
Okay, maybe we should rephrase that.
A year after Will Smith took the stage at the Dolby Theater and punched Chris Rock in the face, Sunday’s Academy Awards will attempt to move past one of the most infamous moments in Oscar history.
Telecast from Dolby Los Angeles begins at 8pm EDT on ABC. The broadcast can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV. You can also stream the show on ABC.com and the ABC app by authenticating with your ISP.
Jimmy Kimmel, the show’s first solo host in five years, will host for the third time. The late-night comedian promised to make a joke about Slap; it would be “ridiculous” not to, he said.
Bill Cramer, the Academy’s executive director, said that given what happened last year, it was important to have “a host who can really turn around and drive these moments.”
“Nobody got punched when I hosted the show,” Kimmel boasted Thursday on “Good Morning America.” “Everyone was well behaved at my Oscars.”
Kimmel will preside over the ceremony, which could bring big wins to the Best Picture favorite. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s indie hit comedy leads the way with 11 nominations, including Michelle Yeoh and Ke Hui Kwan.
Jimmy Kimmel is up for anything as host of the 95th Academy Awards Sunday night on ABC
Producers are changing some aspects of the Oscars. The carpet is not red, but the color of champagne. The broadcast is planned to be more interactive than ever.
But the academy, which is still trying to find its footing after several years of the pandemic and ratings struggle, is also hoping for a smoother ride than last year. To better respond to the unexpected, a crisis management team was created. The academy called its response to Smith’s actions last year “inadequate.” Neither Rock, who recently issued the strongest statement about the live incident, nor Smith, who has been banned by the academy for 10 years, is expected to.
Instead, the Academy Awards will try to recapture some of its former glory. One thing works in its favor: This year, the best picture field is littered with blockbusters. Ratings tend to rise as nominees become more popular, which is certainly the case for Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water and, to a lesser extent, Elvis and Everything At Once.
But a final contender that might fare well in technical categories often dominated by bigger films is Netflix’s top nominee this year: German World War I epic All Quiet on the Western Front . It claims nine awards, tied with Irish dark comedy Banshee of Inisherin. Netflix’s “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” also looks like a contender for Best Animated Feature.
Chris Rock talks about getting slapped at the Oscars in a comedy special
The awards will also have star power in musical performances. Rihanna will perform her Oscar-nominated song “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, fresh off her performance at the Super Bowl. “This Is Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is performed by David Byrne and supporting actress nominee Stephanie Hsu with Son Lux. Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will perform the song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from the Indian action film ‘RRR’. Lenny Kravitz will perform during the In Memoriam tribute. (Lady Gaga, who is currently producing the film, will not perform the nominated song “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick.”)
Last year, Apple TV’s CODA became the first streaming film to win Best Picture. But this year, nine out of 10 nominees for the best pictures were shown in cinemas. After the downturn in the movie business during the pandemic, movie viewing has recovered to about 67% of pre-pandemic levels. But it’s been a year of ups and downs, full of blockbusters and alarming lulls at the box office.
At the same time, the rush to streaming has faced new setbacks, as studios have questioned long-term profitability and reconsidered their release strategies. This year, ticket sales were high thanks to releases like Creed III and Cocaine Bear. But storm clouds remain on the horizon. The Screenwriters Guild and the major studios are set to begin contract talks on March 20, a battle looming that has much of the industry on edge over the possibility of a shutdown in film and television.
Meanwhile, the Oscars are trying to regain their position as the main prize. Last year’s telecast drew 16.6 million viewers, up 58% from the shortened 2021 edition and a record low of 10.5 million viewers.
Usually, the Best Actor and Best Actress awards are presented by the previous year’s acting winners. But this time it won’t be like that. Who will replace Smith in the recognition of the best female role – this is only one of the questions of the ceremony.
