The Oscars are this Sunday—finally! It has been an awfully strange few months leading up to the ceremony, as the Academy has engaged in a prolonged series of “take backs.” First there was going to be a “popular film” category; then there wasn’t. Kevin Hart was going to be the host; then he wasn’t. Just two songs from the best-original-song category were going to be performed; then all five; now, just four. Last year’s acting winners were pushed aside as presenters at first; now they’ll be pairing up for the best actor and best-actress award presentations. Four categories were going to presented during commercial breaks; that was undone. It has all felt a bit like a Hollywood version of a Veep episode.
What we’re left with is a hostless ceremony that lacks some of the buzz and fizz of prior years. That of course does not necessarily mean there will be a dearth of pop-culture “watercooler” moments, though! Let’s examine what’s worth keeping an eye on. . . .
Lady Gaga’s look. The pop star promises to provide the most exciting fashion moment of any attendee. She has channeled an “Old Hollywood with a Gaga Twist” vibe for the major ceremonies this awards season (veering back to a sleeker, modern look at the Grammys), but one presumes the best-actress nominee has been saving her most surprising, showstopping look for last.
Lady Gaga’s performance. We got to see Gaga perform “Shallow” at the Grammys earlier this month, but she did so without Bradley Cooper, which is like Ashanti performing “Always on Time” without Ja Rule—it’s still great but not ideal. (What, not the analogy you were expecting?) Cooper has said he will not be performing the song “as Jackson Maine,” which has us intrigued—how will he signify that he is in no way embodying Jackson onstage? And does this mean Gaga will correspondingly not be performing it “as Ally”? Also, we know the Oscars have already asked Queen to open the show with a performance, but we wish they’d let Gaga start with “Why Did You Do That?” (a.k.a. “the S.N.L. song”), which we believe would set the right jubilant tone for the evening.
Lady Gaga’s date. (We promise not all of these will be about Gaga.) The nominee recently split from fiancé Christian Carino, who was her date to the Golden Globes. Will she bring a family member to the Oscars? Will she walk the red carpet with co-star Cooper? Attend solo? Or, maybe, throw a curve ball and bring a shocking, out-of-left-field plus-one, like Madonna or Tom Cruise? (Imagine!)
Comedy!?! It’s unclear whether or not we’ll get much in the way of jokes—traditionally the job of the host. A scan of the presenter list indicates there are many candidates to provide some levity and perhaps riffing on the nominees: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Awkwafina, John Mulaney, and Paul Rudd will all be presenting. (You can be sure that there will be a whole lot of “Why didn’t they let them host?!”–style tweets throughout the ceremony, but particularly when those presenters are onstage.)
Serena! The Academy announced an . . . eclectic group of 11 notable individuals will be introducing the various best-picture nominees this year, including Serena Williams, Barbra Streisand, Dana Carvey, and Queen Latifah. Producers have confirmed that Williams will be introducing A Star Is Born, which either means she’ll be doing so with Streisand (which would be pretty amazing) or there is some sort of fake out going on and Streisand will be presenting a different film. Either way, the “notable” pairings will at least provide some level of intrigue throughout the night. (Hey, since the acting winners seem pretty obvious this year, we need suspense where we can get it!) Also, this is beyond a long shot, but Serena’s involvement has us wondering . . . could a taped presentation of some kind from Meghan Markle be a possibility?!
The speeches. Generally, acceptance speeches are where we get our zaniest, off-the-cuff, and particularly memorable Oscar-night moments. Favorites-to-win Glenn Close, Regina King, Mahershala Ali, and Rami Malek have all given strong, moving speeches at prior ceremonies. If Close wins, in particular, representing her first Academy Award at age 71, it will possibility be the emotional high point of the evening.
This story was originally published by Vanity Fair
via USAHint.com
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