Six things to look for at the Oscars

Hollywood (USA) (AFP) – Will Hollywood be political about Ukraine at the Oscars on Sunday? Will director Jane Campion leave with a gold statue? Will the record be broken?

And will millions of viewers ever get “we don’t talk about Bruno” out of their heads?

Here are six things to look for when selecting yours:

Rewarding each other with millionaires during the heat of the war in Ukraine is a subtle issue for management of optics producers.

Host Amy Schumer asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak at the event via video.

At a press conference, the show’s producer Will Packer refused to “specifically say one way or another”, while co-host Wanda Sykes said: “Isn’t he busy now?”

Nevertheless, the show will address Ukraine in an “organic” and “thoughtful” way, Sykes added – and Oscar winners are almost certain to mention Russia’s invasion throughout the night in their acceptable speeches.

The producers have introduced two awards selected by popular vote for the show – a “Fan Favorite” film of the year and a “Moment of Oscar Joy” from any film in history.

Although the winners will not receive actual Academy Awards, disgruntled critics complain that the “real” awards are being forced to pave the way for the “Twitter Oscars”, as a few awards will be presented before the main broadcast.

“It’s like we’re going to give an Oscar to a random Twitter user, Meryl Streep!” It’s not happening, “said Packer.

“Sometimes the show felt like ‘it’s just us, just Hollywood, no one else is invited,'” he added.

“This year, we want it to be a little more open to the public.”

It remains to be seen how the prizes will be handed out – and how the test will be taken.

The gala will honor not only the films nominated this year, but also timeless classics like “The Godfather”, which turned 50 this week.

“We’re going to get the Francis Ford Coppola Classic, we’re going to honor it. We got some surprises around that, blink blink, ”Packer said.

Packer further hinted that “60 years of bond” would be “on the show”. The first 007 outing, “Dr. No.” was released in 1962.

Billy Ilish is already ready to serve his theme song from the latest Bond flick “No Time to Die”. What else is in the store?

Jane Campion, director of “Power of the Dog”, recently suggested that “breaking the Hollywood glass ceiling” for women is “a time to demand a sense of victory”.

Sunday’s Oscars could take that claim further.

The champion is expected to be the third female best director in Oscar history – just one year after Chloe Zhao became second (“Nomadland”). Katherine Bigelow was the first for “The Heart Locker”.

More surprisingly, her cinematographer Ari Wegner is the second woman nominated in her male-dominated category, 94 years after the Oscar history. Could he be the first winner?

At first glance, there’s not much in common between Batman’s Nemesis Joker, Don Corleone in “The Godfather” and Anita in “West Side Story.”

But if Ariana Debos wins for Best Supporting Actress – as widely expected – it would be a rare example of two actors winning Oscars for the same fictional character.

Robert De Niro won his first Academy Award for his performance in a short version of Marlon Brando’s Mafia Boss in “The Godfather: Part Two,” followed by Heath Ledger’s posthumous award for “The Dark Knight” by Joaquin Phoenix in The Joker.

Can Debos imitate the great Rita Moreno?

“Hamilton” creator Lynn-Manuel Miranda is looking forward to the best song with “Dos Oruguitas” which will be served on Sunday – but a different tune from Disney’s “Encanto” is more likely to interest the audience.

The viral sensation “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” will be performed live by its cast for the first time.

The intriguing Latin pop song about the mysterious, troubled uncle has garnered more than a million tick-tock videos, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and is Disney’s most popular song for years.

“If there’s one song that brings people together this year, it’s a portrait of what movies can do to me,” Packer said.

“We are going to help them sing a little more. We apologize to the parents, “he added.