With an average run time of three hours or more, the Academy Awards ceremony usually has slow stretches that allow time for short naps.
This year, however, the show could be fairly exciting. Several categories seem too close to call. The host is totally new to the job. The musical guests are popular contemporary artists. And there could be a moving moment when the Oscars pay tribute to Los Angeles in the aftermath of the city’s devastating fires.
What are some of the possible twists and turns with this year’s live broadcast? Will top nominees “Emilia Perez” (13 nods), “The Brutalist” and “Wicked” (each with 10) dominate? Does the biggest box office hit, “Wicked,” stand a chance of nabbing best picture? Could the night feature an envelope flub, inflammatory acceptance speech or gown-with-a-long-train pratfall that will go down in the history books?
Here are nine key questions to help keep you wide awake Sunday night.
Can Timothee Chalamet pull off an upset?
So far this awards season, Adrien Brody’s performance in the lead role in “The Brutalist” has earned him wins at the Golden Globes, British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, Critics Choice Awards and more. Can you say Oscar favorite?
However, at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last weekend, the momentum shifted with a victory for Chalamet as Bob Dylan in the biopic “A Complete Unknown.” Not wanting to waste the moment, the young actor unleashed what was either an inspiring or a grandiose speech, depending on whether you’re a Timothee devotee.
Noting that he is in “pursuit of greatness,” Chalamet said, “I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats. I’m inspired by the greats. I’m inspired by the greats here tonight. I’m as inspired by Daniel Day-Lewis, Marlon Brando, and Viola Davis as I am by Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, and I want to be up there.”
Since his fellow SAG members honored him, maybe Chalamet does have a chance at an upset — and greatness.
If Kieran Culkin wins, will he be funny or sincere?
Benji (Kieran Culkin) takes an eye-opening trip to Poland with his cousin in the comedy “A Real Pain.”
The best supporting actor nominee, who was so excellent as Jesse Eisenberg’s charismatic, troubled cousin in “A Real Pain,” is known for his spontaneously funny, rarely serious acceptance speeches.
At the 2024 Golden Globes, where he won best actor for HBO’s “Succession,” he teased fellow nominee Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) by saying: “Suck it, Pedro. Sorry. Mine.” At this year’s National Board of Review Awards, Culkin, who won there for “A Real Pain,” shared a meandering anecdote about being worried he had bad breath and buying chewing gum from a bathroom attendant.
Last weekend at the SAG Awards, Culkin took a playful jab at Adrien Brody after yet another victory. Joking about how heavy the SAG statuette was, he said, “I don’t think there’s any way anyone can hold this for 45 seconds … which is the allotted time, Adrien Brody.” As a camera spotted Brody laughing in the audience, Culkin continued: “There was no reason to take that shot. I love you. Take your time.”
Still, there is something about the Oscars that makes even delightfully sarcastic people exude sincere gratitude. This just might be an opportunity for Culkin to reveal as much about himself as he does about his on-screen characters.
What will be the reception for Karla Sofia Gascon?
Karla Sofía Gascon in “Emilia Perez.”
The star of “Emilia Perez,” who is the first openly trans actress to receive an Academy Award nomination, has been immersed in controversy ever since the resurfacing of past controversial tweets sent by her.
Gascon, who has apologized for the comments and skipped several award shows, is expected to attend the Oscars, even though she skipped several other awards shows. This week, she told the Hollywood Reporter: “I’m not sure how I feel, but I’m grateful to be back. I’m grateful to all those who’ve believed in me — to Netflix, the production company and my colleagues. We can close this beautiful and difficult path that began three years ago.”
But her Oscar ceremony experience may be awkward, to say the least. As Variety reported, “Details about her plans are still being finalized, including whether she will walk the carpet, stop for interviews or sit near her co-stars Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez and director Jacques Audiard.”
Does ‘Wicked’ have any chance of winning best picture?
Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Ariana Grande is Glinda in “Wicked,” directed by Jon M. Chu
Fans of the screen adaptation of the Broadway classic (the first half, at least) are dreaming of a golden prize for those green and pink witches. Such a prediction, however, does not fly with the experts.
The movies leading the pack are “Anora,” which won the Producers Guild Awards and Directors Guild Awards, and “Conclave,” which scored top honors at the BAFTAs and the SAG Awards. And, yes, it’s difficult to find two films less similar than the story about a stripper whose marriage to the son of a Russian oligarch leads to mayhem and the behind-the-scenes drama about the intrigue-laden process for choosing a new pope.
Speaking of best picture, it’s clear that expanding the category from five nominees to 10 in 2009 hasn’t allowed in that many crowd pleasers. “Wicked” and “Dune: Part Two” are the only titles with a best picture nod that also are among the Top 10 global box office hits of 2024. This, of course, doesn’t mean that films like “Kung Fu Panda 4” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” were slighted. But it would have been nice to see box-office sensation “Inside Out 2,” the best-grossing worldwide movie, included.
Can Conan O’Brien find the comedy magic?
Conan O’Brien at the Los Angeles premiere of Max series”Conan O’Brien Must Go” in April 2024.
The first-time host promises to bring his inventive, unpredictable comic style to the job. As he told ABC’s “Good Morning America,” “I’m just going to keep popping in and just yell “host.” Like during someone’s emotional speech when they’ve just won and they’re saying a beautiful thing about their grandmother who believed in them, and I lean in, ‘host!’ Jarring. Upsetting. Probably a bad idea.”
He also claimed he is going to shave best supporting actor nominee Stanley Tucci’s chest and cautioned viewers to be ready for anything. “”I can sing, I can dance, I can do close-up magic. I’m a contortionist. You don’t know what I’m going to do.”
The more likely scenario is that O’Brien will offer some offbeat pretaped bits and spontaneous reactions to the night’s occurrences. Although he is no longer among the late-night talk show elite, O’Brien continues to be a comedy icon with his podcast, “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” and his fish-out-of-water travel series for Max, “Conan O’Brien Must Go.” In March, he is set to receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
In short, O’Brien seems like a solid pick. But will he give Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog a cameo? Stay tuned.
Can Demi Moore win best actress for a horror film?
That’s a big question, considering only Kathy Bates (“Misery”), Jodie Foster (“The Silence of the Lambs”) and Natalie Portman (“Black Swan”) have won that category for being in a horror movie — and none of their films was a body horror film on the gory level of Moore’s “The Substance.”
Still, Moore has a few things in her favor. First, “The Substance” isn’t meaninglessly gross. It wields grotesque satire as a statement on women and Hollywood. Moore’s character is an actress who loses her TV hosting gig when she is 50 and tries illegal injections in a bid to regain her youth. The shock value lies in how far someone might go to escape society’s callous ageism.
Second, Moore is a real-world example of a veteran actress who has endured the unfair aspects of her industry. In her Golden Globes speech after winning best actress for “The Substance,” Moore said, “Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a ‘popcorn actress. And at that time, I made that mean … that I could do movies that were successful that made a lot of money, but that I couldn’t be acknowledged. And I bought in and I believed that.”
The star of 1990s hits like “Ghost” and “Indecent Proposal” then talked about getting her role in “The Substance” at a low point and finding unexpected validation. Said Moore: “I had a woman say to me, ‘Just know, you will never be enough. But you can know the value of your worth if you just put down the measuring stick.’ And so today, I celebrate this as a marker of my wholeness and of the love that is driving me and for the gift of doing something I love and being reminded that I do belong.”
There ought to be an Oscar for acceptance speeches like that.
What will the singers be singing?
Raye posing on the red carpet at the Met Gala in New York on May 6, 2024.
Usually, it’s the five original songs nominated for an Oscar. But it has already been confirmed that those contenders won’t be performed this year. Still, the lineup for the evening sounds amazing, with Doja Cat, Queen Latifah, Raye and Lisa of Blackpink announced as musical guests. Some or all of them could be part of an expected tribute to the late Quincy Jones.
There also will be a performance by “Wicked” stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, who will be singing songs from their movie, right? Apparently, that information is being guarded as closely as Marvel movie secrets. When the ceremony’s music director, Michael Bearden, was asked in a “Good Morning America” interview whetherf there would be a “Wicked” duet on Sunday night, he said: “Any time you see those two together, you have to expect something. So that’s what I’ll say.”
Well, a “Wicked” medley certainly would be, like Glinda herself, pop-u-u-lar.
Will Colman Domingo’s red carpet outing be the most fabulous?
Colman Domingo at the 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 22 in Santa Monica, California.
Oh, the raging debate over who’ll rule the red carpet. Leading contenders include the stylishly bold Cynthia Erivo, chic emerging star Mikey Madison, the elegant Zoe Saldana, formalwear envelope-pushers Timothee Chalamet and Jeremy Strong, and the icon of strapless glam Demi Moore.
But they will be vying for second place, given that Colman Domingo is nominated for best actor for “Sing Sing.” The acclaimed actor and co-chair of the 2025 Met Gala is the rare male celebrity who never plays it safe yet never looks anything other than superb, in his ensembles.
A Vogue headline has praised Domingo for “ setting the bar for men’s fashion.” Buzzfeed has declared “Colman Domingo is the best dressed man in Hollywood. Period.” For a story on his sartorial excellence, Domingo told GQ last month: “I don’t just wear clothes. I wear stories. Every time I step out I want to be clear in the story I’m telling and what I’m representing in each moment.”
Whatever ensemble he opts for Sunday night, the cameras will be flashing. It won’t be an Oscar fashion story on Monday morning without a photo of Domingo in it.
Where to watch the Oscars?
Finished mounted Oscar statuettes are seen at the Polich Tallix foundry in Walden, New York on January 25, 2018.
Streaming trends, you will not be denied. The answer to this essential — and frequently asked online — question is as follows: The 2025 Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC starting at 7 p.m. The ceremony also will stream live on Hulu.
Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds at [email protected].
97th Academy Awards
7 p.m. Sun.
Broadcast live on ABC and streaming live on Hulu
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2025 Oscars: Where, when to watch and burning questions to ponder
