Awards season is, thankfully, nearly over as the 96th Academy Awards are set to take place on Sunday in Los Angeles.
There are a few things we expect to happen during Hollywood’s most coveted award ceremony — mostly because of the nature of this highly produced and formal event, but also due to the redundancy of this awards season.
We predict “Oppenheimer,” which leads the pack with 13 nominations, will have the most wins of the night, if not sweep. Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who’s been on a roll, will win Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Mary in “The Holdovers.” “American Fiction” will most likely win Best Adapted Screenplay. And “The Color Purple” will likely be overlooked, yet again.
But it’s the unscripted moments that will make Oscars night worth watching, HuffPost senior culture reporter Candice Frederick said on the latest “I Know That’s Right.”
“My lack of enthusiasm is because a lot of them have already won things and this is just going to be another one for your trophy board,” Frederick said. She noted that though critics have predicted who they believe will be winning on Sunday, she’s hoping for some chaotic wins, including Ryan Gosling for “Barbie.”
She noted that some unscripted moments we can bank on will most likely come from acceptance speeches. Frederick also noted that audiences are longing for “something that reminds us that we have a pulse” outside of the navel-gazing of Hollywood.
“Are people going to mention the war in Gaza? Are people going to mention the strikes, and how are they going to be mentioned? Are there going to be protesters?” she asked.
And though viewers can anticipate a historic moment if Lily Gladstone becomes the first Native American to win an Oscar for acting, it’s no accomplishment for the Academy for this to happen in 2024.
Frederick said that though she thought there would be more change when the Academy diversified, the stagnation is par for the Oscars course, unfortunately.
“There’s more people of color who are being nominated, and there are also more movies that feature people of color that are being nominated but I do feel like the pattern, the types of movies are still the same,” she said. “They still sit within their comfort level ... and don’t show the full experiences of Black people and people of color.”
The 96th annual Academy Awards airs on ABC at 7 p.m. EST on Sunday.
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