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Topsy-Turvy Oscar Season Concludes

Topsy-Turvy Oscar Season Concludes

After a topsy-turvy Oscar season, the 97th Academy Awards are set to conclude on Sunday. The ceremony, hosted by Conan O'Brien for the first time, will kick off at 7 p.m. EST and be broadcast by ABC and streamed on Hulu.

The official red carpet preshow on ABC and Hulu starts at 6:30 p.m., while Unofficial E! red carpet coverage begins at 4 p.m. EST and The Associated Press will livestream arrivals starting at 3 p.m. In the forecast for Sunday morning in Los Angeles is light rain, which may be a concern given that the city is still recovering from wildfires.

O'Brien himself has been living out of a hotel for the past two months, having lost his Pacific Palisades house to the same wildfires. Oscar producers have said the show will celebrate the city's resilience in the face of adversity.

Is there an Oscar favorite?

The lead nominee is Netflix's "Emilia Pérez" with 13 nominations, but its chances have been affected by uproar over years-old offensive tweets by its star. The actual favorite appears to be Sean Baker's "Anora," a film about a sex worker who weds the son of a Russian oligarch, which has won several awards already.

The only movie with the same resume to not win best picture is "Brokeback Mountain." Its closest competition is "Conclave," the papal thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, which has also won several awards. Also in the mix are "The Brutalist" and the musical hit "Wicked."

Will politics play a starring role?

This year's ceremony could be volatile, with an actor nominated for playing the sitting U.S. president. Sebastian Stan is nominated for best actor for his performance as young Donald Trump in "The Apprentice," as is Jeremy Strong for playing Roy Cohn.

O'Brien has said he'll strive to strike a delicate balance between acknowledging the moment and celebrating positivity, saying: "I cannot ignore the moment we're in, but I also have to remember what we're here to celebrate and infuse the show with positivity."

While the supporting acting categories feature overwhelming favorites, both best actor and best actress are close contests. In best actress, Demi Moore is most likely to win, but Mikey Madison or Fernanda Torres could pull off the upset.Adrien Brody is favored in best actor for his performance in "The Brutalist." But Timothée Chalamet stands a decent chance of beating him, for his performance as Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown." The 29-year-old Chalamet would become the youngest best actor winner ever, edging Brody's record.This year's Oscars are unspooling after a turbulent year for the film industry. Ticket sales were down 3% from the previous year and more significantly from pre-pandemic times. The strikes of 2023 played havoc with release schedules in 2024. Many studios pulled back on production, leaving many out of work.Last year's telecast, propelled by the twin blockbusters of "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie," led the Oscars to a four-year viewership high, with 19.5 million viewers. This year, with smaller independent films favored in the most prominent awards, the academy will be tested to draw as large of an audience.With a not particularly starry array of best song nominees, the academy has done away with performances of original songs this year. But there will be music, including a performance by "Wicked" stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and a tribute to the late Quincy Jones, with Queen Latifah.Last year's acting winners — Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, Da'Vine Joy Randolph — will also take part in the ceremony. The ceremony will be taking place days following the death of Gene Hackman, who was found dead at his New Mexico home along with his wife, Betsy Arakawa.
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