Here’s what to know about the Oscars, from presenters to performers
(From left) Demi Moore, Zoe Saldana, and Cynthia Erivo arrive at the Oscars Nominees Dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Image: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
After devastating wildfires tore through Los Angeles, the 97th Academy Awards, or the Oscars, are going forward.
Like the Grammys and other awards shows this year, the ceremony will be transformed by the fires and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has pledged to help its members and the broader film community recover.
Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s show:
When are the Oscars?
The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The show, to be broadcast live by ABC, is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific.
Are the Oscars streaming?
In a first, the Oscars will be streamed live on Hulu. You can also watch via Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV. With authentication from your provider, you can watch on ABC.com and the ABC app.
Who’s hosting the Oscars?
Conan O’Brien is hosting the Academy Awards for the first time.
“I never have been invited to the Oscars,” the late-night host-turned-podcaster and occasional movie star said at a news conference Wednesday. “I only hosted so that I could be invited.”
Conan O’Brien attends the premiere of “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” during the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, at Library Theatre in Park City, Utah. Image: AP/Chris Pizzello
O’Brien said he would not hesitate to talk about the nation’s fraught political situation.
“I cannot ignore the moment we’re in,” he said. “But I also have to remember it’s threading a needle. I also have to remember what we’re here to celebrate and infuse the show with positivity.”
He said compared to all the other things he’s done, hosting the Oscars is like “for the first time getting to drive a Ferrari. “I’d like to keep the tuxedo,” he said. “They made me an absolutely beautiful tuxedo. It’s the nicest thing I’ve ever put on in my life.”
How have the wildfires altered the show?
The wildfires that consumed large parts of Los Angeles in early January led some to call for the cancellation of the Academy Awards. The academy twice postponed the announcement of nominations but never pushed the March 2 date of the ceremony. Academy leaders have argued the show must go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience.
The fires will be addressed during the show both directly and in its themes, and viewers will be able to make donations.
“There’s been so many people that have been touched by this devastation,” Raj Kapoor, the show’s executive producer and showrunner, said Wednesday. “There’s been so much outreach, and we really wanted to create some really beautiful moments on stage that celebrate this amazing city that we live in.”
For many involved in the Oscars, the fires have been felt acutely. O’Brien’s Pacific Palisades home survived but his family has been unable to go back to it. O’Brien’s assistant and podcast co-host Sona Movsesian lost her home.
“I know so many people who lost their homes and I’m just, was ridiculously lucky,” O’Brien told The Associated Press. “So we want to make sure that that show reflects what’s happening and that we put a light on the right people in the right way.”
Who’s presenting at the Oscars?
The academy on Wednesday added to its extensive lineup of presenters. Dave Bautista, Harrison Ford, Gal Gadot, Andrew Garfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Margaret Qualley, Alba Rohrwacher, Zoe Saldaña, and Rachel Zegler will allbe present.
They join a roster of previously announced presenters including Selena Gomez, Oprah Winfrey, Joe Alwyn, Ana de Armas, Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson, Bowen Yang, Lily-Rose Depp, and Sterling K. Brown.
Last year’s acting winners — Emma Stone, Robert Downey Jr., Cillian Murphy, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph — will also take part in the ceremony. Though the academy initially said it would bring back the “fab five” style of presenting the acting awards, with five previous winners per category, organizers have reportedly abandoned those plans for Sunday’s ceremony. Nick Offerman will serve as the show’s announcer.
Oscar winners, from left, Robert Downey Jr., supporting actor for “Oppenheimer,” Da’Vine Joy Randolph, supporting actress for “The Holdovers,” Emma Stone, lead actress for “Poor Things,” and Cillian Murphy, lead actor for “Oppenheimer,” pose in the press room at the Oscars in Los Angeles on March 10, 2024. Image: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File
Will there be any performances?
The academy has announced that, unlike previous years, the original song nominees will not be performed this time. That doesn’t mean there won’t be music, though.
Producers said Wednesday that Queen Latifah will be part of a musical tribute to the late Quincy Jones, who was honored in November with one of the academy’s Governor’s Awards just weeks after his death.
Doja Cat, LISA of Blackpink, Queen Latifah, and RAYE will also perform, as will “Wicked’s” Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. (The songs from “Wicked” weren’t eligible for best song since, hailing from the Broadway musical, they aren’t original to the movie.) The Los Angeles Master Chorale will also appear.
What’s nominated for Best Picture?
The 10 nominees for best picture are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part 2”; “Emilia Pérez”; “I’m Still Here”; “Nickel Boys”; “The Substance”; “Wicked.”
How can I watch the Oscar-nominated films?
Some of the nominees are still in theaters, but many of this year’s Oscar nominees are streaming on various platforms. The AP has this handy guide to help with Oscar cramming.
Who are the favorites?
More than most years, that’s a tricky question, but a front-runner had emerged after “Anora” took the top awards at the Producers Guild, Directors Guild, and Independent Spirit Awards. The best picture race had been seen as unusually wide open, with “Anora,” “Conclave,” “The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown” and “Emilia Pérez” all having legitimate hopes of winning — the hopes of “Conclave” further boosted by its Screen Actors Guild ensemble win.
In the acting categories, Demi Moore (“The Substance”) is favored for best actress, although Mikey Madison’s BAFTA and Independent Spirit wins for “Anora” make it more of a race. Adrien Brody (“The Brutalist”) is most likely in best actor — though SAG winner Timothée Chalamet could threaten — while Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”) is the supporting actress front-runner and Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”) is the favorite for best supporting actor.
What’s the deal with ‘Emilia Pérez’?
Spanish actress Karla Sofia Gascon arrives for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 15th Annual Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles on Nov. 17, 2024. Image: Valerie Macon/AFP
Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” a narco-musical about a Mexican drug lord who undergoes gender-affirming surgery, comes in with a leading 13 nominations. The film, at one point, seemed like Netflix’s best chance yet to land the streamer its first Best Picture win. Its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, made history by becoming the first openly trans actor nominated for an Oscar.
But no nominee has had a rockier post-nominations Oscar campaign. After old offensive tweets by Gascón were uncovered, the actress issued an apology. The fallout, though, has badly damaged a movie that was already a divisive contender and led Netflix to radically refocus its flagging campaign.
