The 2023 Oscars ceremony is upon us and it’s looking for a comeback.
Viewerships continue to be a struggle for the ceremony broadcast: last year it was the second lowest in the show’s history (15.4 million viewers vs. 23.6 million in 2020 just before the COVID pandemic). -19).
And the specter of lead actor Will Smith’s eventual winner’s onstage slap to host Chris Rock, which botched the show’s return to post-pandemic normalcy, continues to haunt this year’s ceremony.
However, the film academy seems prepared to keep Hollywood’s biggest night in line with its new “crisis team” in case anything untoward happens during the ceremony.
The nomination of several blockbusters for best picture is intended to generate some excitement. The academy has even gotten Rihanna to perform her Oscar-nominated song “Lift Me Up” from the movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” After all, the pop star gave Super Bowl 2023 its own ratings boost with more fans tuning in to see the pop star. instead of watching the game itself.
But make no mistake, the academy is still trying to keep its own version of the big game at the center, bringing all 23 prize categories back to streaming live.
What time is the show? and how can i see it
The 95th Academy Awards will air Sunday at 5 pm Pacific on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, DirecTV Stream and FuboTV, all of which have free trials for new customers.
The show will take place in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre, where every ceremony has been held since 2002, with the exception of a stop at Union Station in 2021 for an intimate event due to pandemic gathering restrictions.
Who is the host?
Jimmy Kimmel, left, and Warren Beatty at the 2017 Oscars after Beatty mistakenly announced “La La Land” for best picture. Kimmel will host for the third time on Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the Oscars for the third time. He previously hosted 2018 and 2017, in which “La La Land” was mistakenly named best picture instead of the actual winner, “Moonlight.” Immediately afterwards, Kimmel ushered in the awkward handoff between the two film productions and joked to add levity to the unprecedented mishap.
A familiar face and poise amid the unexpected is what show producers want in a post-slapstick world.
“That’s why you want someone like Jimmy on stage, who’s used to dealing with live television — things don’t always go as planned,” said Bill Kramer, executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. said the time. “So you have a host that can really pivot and manage those moments.”
Kimmel joked about his return to the Oscars on Thursday in “Good morning america“, saying: “Nobody got hit when I hosted the show, everyone was good at my Oscars.”
The late-night talk show host also teased that he’ll “have some nice things to say about” the slap as part of his comedic routine.
“I think it will be on everyone’s mind, everyone will be waiting for that moment,” Kimmel said, referring to his jokes that will address the slap. “That will be part of the show, but it certainly won’t be the focus of the show.”
Who and what are nominated?
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” leads with 11, followed by Netflix’s German war movie “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Irish black comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin” each with nine, and “Elvis” with eight.
Box office triumphs “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” earned six, five and four nominations, respectively. The best picture nominations for “Top Gun” and “Avatar” marked the first time more than one nominee has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Academy leaders hope that the inclusion of more popular films in the awards show will attract more viewers.
Below are the projects and performances that have been nominated in a few top categories, taken from the full list of nominees for 2023:
best image
lead actor
Principal actress
Secondary actor
Supporting Actress
Who is acting?
Lady Gaga will not perform her nominated song, the power ballad “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick.” But there will be no shortage of stars, as Rihanna will top this year’s list of artists.
The “Anti” singer was first announced and will perform “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
“Descendants” star Sofia Carson, accompanied by composer Diane Warren, will perform “Applause” from the anthology film “Tell It Like a Woman.” That song marks Warren’s 14th Oscar nomination. Her most recent nomination came in 2022 for “Somehow You Do” from the drama “Four Good Days,” and she received an honorary award at the Academy’s Governors Awards in November.
Former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, also an Oscar winner, will sing “This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” with Hsu and musical trio Son Lux. Indie musician Mitski, who co-wrote the song, will not perform.
Telugu-language singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will make their Oscar debut performing their song, “Naatu Naatu,” from the Indian action epic “RRR.”
Rock superstar Lenny Kravitz will perform during the In Memoriam segment.
Who is presenting?
The academy announced the latest of its presenters on Thursday, with Oscar winner Halle Berry the first and only black woman to win for lead actress. Other presenters include Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Harrison Ford, Kate Hudson, Mindy Kaling, Eva Longoria, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Elizabeth Olsen, John Travolta, and Pedro Pascal.
Previously announced Oscar presenters include Riz Ahmed, Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Nicole Kidman, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Florence Pugh, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver, and Donnie Yen.
The jury is still out on who will present the Oscar to the lead actress. Usually the previous year’s winner for lead actor does the honors, but Smith, who won in 2022, is banned from the show for the next decade.
Times staff writers Josh Rottenberg and Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
