Oscars Primer: What You Need to Know Before Tonight’s Ceremony
The 89th Academy Awards will take place tonight in Hollywood, bringing a close to six months of cut-throat competition. What sort of an evening should we expect? Who are the likely Oscar winners? And could history be made?
Ratings for the show have been on the decline in recent years, so ABC, which just extended its deal to broadcast the Oscars through 2028, leaned on the Academy to invite their own Jimmy Kimmel to host for the first time. But with only a couple of big box office hits among the major nominees — Hidden Figures and La La Land, specifically — it may be a challenge to attract viewership regardless of how well the late-night star performs early in the show. Another wild-card factor: will statements condemning President Donald Trump, which are widely expected, cause more people to tune in (as word of them hits social media) or tune out (since some prefer a politics-free zone)?
If you want to play a drinking game tonight that will quickly get you drunk, take a shot every time someone says “Trump,” “La La Land” or “diversity.”
La La Land, the original musical that garnered a record-tying 14 nominations last month (only All About Eve and Titanic have had as many), is the heavy favorite to win best picture and a haul of other awards. The most it could take home is 13 (since two of its original songs are competing against each other), but I think 9 or 10 is more realistic (since it’s also vulnerable in the lead actor, original screenplay, costume design and sound editing categories). Ben-Hur, Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King share the record for most wins, with 11. (Here are my picks for what/who will win in all categories, alongside THR chief film critic Todd McCarthy’s picks for what/who should win in most of them.)
Diversity — or the Academy’s preferred word, “inclusion” — surely will come up, as well. In the run-up to the last two Oscars ceremonies, the Academy was dogged by…
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