The Oscars are back a year after Slap; Gaga added

LOS ANGELES — It’s time to pay tribute to the Academy Awards.

Okay, maybe we should rephrase that.

The broadcast from Dolby in Los Angeles starts at 8:00 pm EST on ABC. The broadcast will be streamable with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, and Fubo TV. You can also stream shows on ABC.com and the ABC app by authenticating with your provider.

Jimmy Kimmel, the show’s first solo host in five years, will host for the third time. The late-night comedian promised to joke about “Slap”; it would be “ridiculous” not to, he said.

Bill Kramer, executive director of the film academy, said given what happened last year, it was important to have “a host who can really make a difference and manage these moments.”

“No one got hit when I hosted the show,” Kimmel boasted Thursday on Good Morning America. “Everyone was good at my Oscars.”

Kimmel will preside over the award ceremony, which will win the best film “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.” Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s indie action comedy hit received 11 leading nominations, including Michelle Yeoh and Ke Hai Kuan.

The producers are changing some aspects of the Oscars. The carpet is champagne, not red. The broadcast is planned to be more interactive than ever.

There were surprises even before the show started. Just days after the producers announced that Lady Gaga would not be performing her nominated song “Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”, a person close to the production and with knowledge of the performance confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the pop – the superstar will perform. after all.

And host Glenn Close told The Associated Press that she would no longer attend the show because she tested positive for COVID-19.

But the academy, still struggling to get back on its feet after years of battling the pandemic and ratings, is also hoping for a smoother game than last year. The Crisis Management team was created to help respond better to the unexpected. The Academy called its response to Smith’s actions last year “inadequate.” Neither The Rock, who recently made his most scathing statement about the incident on live television, nor Smith, who was banned by the academy for 10 years, are expected to attend.

The Oscars will instead try to regain some of its former luster. One thing is working in his favor: the field of best pictures this year is filled with blockbusters. Ratings tend to go up when the nominees are more popular, which is certainly the case for Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of the Water, and, to a lesser extent, Elvis and Everyone Everywhere.

But the latest contender that can do well in the tech categories – where bigger films often reign supreme – is this year’s top Netflix nominee: All Quiet on the Western Front, the German World War I epic. It won nine awards, tying for second place with the Irish dark comedy The Banshee of Inisherin. Netflix’s Pinocchio Guillermo del Toro also looks like a contender for best animated film.

The awards will also have stellar power in musical performances. Right after her Super Bowl performance, Rihanna will perform the Oscar-nominated song “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The composition “This Is Life” from “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once” will be performed by David Byrne and the nominated actress Stephanie Hsu with Son Lux. Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will perform “Naatu Naatu” from the Indian action movie “RRR”. Lenny Kravitz to perform at In Memoriam tribute.

Last year, Apple TV’s CODA became the first streaming movie to win Best Picture. But this year, nine out of 10 Best Picture nominees went to the box office. After the movie business collapsed during the pandemic, theater attendance has recovered to around 67% of pre-pandemic levels. But it was a year of ups and downs, full of hits and unsettling lulls in theaters.

At the same time, the streaming drive was facing new setbacks as studios questioned long-term profitability and revised their release strategies. Ticket sales have been strong this year thanks to releases such as “Creed III” and “Cocaine Bear”. But there are storm clouds on the horizon. The Writers Guild and major studios are set to begin contract negotiations on March 20, a looming battle in which much of the industry is battling to stop film and TV work.

Oscar, meanwhile, is trying to reclaim its position as the main show. Last year’s telecast was watched by 16.6 million viewers, up 58% from the 2021 shortened version, which was watched by a record low 10.5 million people.

Usually, last year’s acting winners present awards for Best Actor and Best Actress. But this time it won’t be like that. Who will replace Smith for Best Actress is just one of the questions facing the ceremony.