The 96th Academy Awards are here, and we bet you’ve seen at least two of the movies nominated for best picture — “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” — and, quite possibly, a good many more because this might just be the best group of nominated films since the Oscars expanded the category in 2009.
So, there’s much to celebrate, and The Times will have you covered throughout the night with our Oscars live blog. Join columnists Mary McNamara and Glenn Whipp as they watch the show, which, hopefully, will feature some exciting moments — but, appropriately exciting moments, like, say, a historic first and not someone striding onstage and slapping a presenter. Staff writer Tracy Brown will also chime in from time to time, adding on-the-ground reporting from inside the Dolby Theatre, and columnist Amy Kaufman will provide a preview of what to expect tonight.
The telecast on ABC begins at 4 p.m. Pacific, an hour earlier than usual. Also, remember we’re back on daylight saving time. Adjust your clocks accordingly and keep it here for live updates.
Nominees List | Red Carpet Photos | Final predictions in all 23 categories | What should win at the Oscars
Artists call for ceasefire with red buttons | Protesters rally in Hollywood
The pros and cons of a casting Oscar | Commentary: The Academy puts Black women in a box
3 p.m. If you’re wondering how so many of the stars you’ll see on today’s telecast are managing not to topple over in their sky-high stilettos, fear not — they’ve had practice.
Some of them, anyway. Twenty-four hours before the Oscars, dozens of celebrities arrived at the Dolby Theatre to rehearse their musical numbers and practice handing out gold statuettes. The Academy Awards is the only award ceremony that actually requires presenters to attend a run-through prior to the live show. Some of them use the opportunity to run through their wardrobe choices as well, including Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera, who had on strappy heels that were far fancier than the rest of their casual attire. Presumably, the “Barbie” co-stars wanted to test-drive their shoes to make sure they were reliable — even if that meant being uncomfortable at 9 a.m. on a Saturday.
Not everyone went that route, including Zendaya, who opted for loafers, and Steven Spielberg, who had on sneakers. The latter immediately walked to the front of the stage, whipped out his cellphone and took a photograph of the audience, where seat placards with headshots noted who would sit where in the crowd.
If the director shared that photo with anyone, he passed on more private information than I’m able to reveal here. Press who witnessed roughly one hour of rehearsal on Saturday were forbidden from revealing, well, basically everything: The seating plans, who is presenting what categories, what the script entails, how the stage looks. During his practice round, Spielberg had a funny bit where he named a deceased Hollywood luminary as the pretend winner. But even naming who that person was would give away too much about the category he’s associated with.
For the record, Spielberg was scolded for not sticking to the script — presenters are supposed to open an envelope and read the name of a potential real winner, noting it’s “for rehearsal only.” When he went his own way, a stagehand gently requested he use an actual nominee’s name instead.
“No,” the filmmaker replied, “that’s bad luck.” —Amy Kaufman
The 96th Academy Awards are here, and we bet you’ve seen at least two of the movies nominated for best picture — “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” — and, quite possibly, a good many more because this might just be the best group of nominated films since the Oscars expanded the category in 2009.
So, there’s much to celebrate, and The Times will have you covered throughout the night with our Oscars live blog. Join columnists Mary McNamara and Glenn Whipp as they watch the show, which, hopefully, will feature some exciting moments — but, appropriately exciting moments, like, say, a historic first and not someone striding onstage and slapping a presenter. Staff writer Tracy Brown will also chime in from time to time, adding on-the-ground reporting from inside the Dolby Theatre, and columnist Amy Kaufman will provide a preview of what to expect tonight.
The telecast on ABC begins at 4 p.m. Pacific, an hour earlier than usual. Also, remember we’re back on daylight saving time. Adjust your clocks accordingly and keep it here for live updates.
Nominees List | Red Carpet Photos | Final predictions in all 23 categories | What should win at the Oscars
Artists call for ceasefire with red buttons | Protesters rally in Hollywood
The pros and cons of a casting Oscar | Commentary: The Academy puts Black women in a box
3 p.m. If you’re wondering how so many of the stars you’ll see on today’s telecast are managing not to topple over in their sky-high stilettos, fear not — they’ve had practice.
Some of them, anyway. Twenty-four hours before the Oscars, dozens of celebrities arrived at the Dolby Theatre to rehearse their musical numbers and practice handing out gold statuettes. The Academy Awards is the only award ceremony that actually requires presenters to attend a run-through prior to the live show. Some of them use the opportunity to run through their wardrobe choices as well, including Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera, who had on strappy heels that were far fancier than the rest of their casual attire. Presumably, the “Barbie” co-stars wanted to test-drive their shoes to make sure they were reliable — even if that meant being uncomfortable at 9 a.m. on a Saturday.
Not everyone went that route, including Zendaya, who opted for loafers, and Steven Spielberg, who had on sneakers. The latter immediately walked to the front of the stage, whipped out his cellphone and took a photograph of the audience, where seat placards with headshots noted who would sit where in the crowd.
If the director shared that photo with anyone, he passed on more private information than I’m able to reveal here. Press who witnessed roughly one hour of rehearsal on Saturday were forbidden from revealing, well, basically everything: The seating plans, who is presenting what categories, what the script entails, how the stage looks. During his practice round, Spielberg had a funny bit where he named a deceased Hollywood luminary as the pretend winner. But even naming who that person was would give away too much about the category he’s associated with.
For the record, Spielberg was scolded for not sticking to the script — presenters are supposed to open an envelope and read the name of a potential real winner, noting it’s “for rehearsal only.” When he went his own way, a stagehand gently requested he use an actual nominee’s name instead.
“No,” the filmmaker replied, “that’s bad luck.” —Amy Kaufman
The 96th Academy Awards are here, and we bet you’ve seen at least two of the movies nominated for best picture — “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” — and, quite possibly, a good many more because this might just be the best group of nominated films since the Oscars expanded the category in 2009.
So, there’s much to celebrate, and The Times will have you covered throughout the night with our Oscars live blog. Join columnists Mary McNamara and Glenn Whipp as they watch the show, which, hopefully, will feature some exciting moments — but, appropriately exciting moments, like, say, a historic first and not someone striding onstage and slapping a presenter. Staff writer Tracy Brown will also chime in from time to time, adding on-the-ground reporting from inside the Dolby Theatre, and columnist Amy Kaufman will provide a preview of what to expect tonight.
The telecast on ABC begins at 4 p.m. Pacific, an hour earlier than usual. Also, remember we’re back on daylight saving time. Adjust your clocks accordingly and keep it here for live updates.
Nominees List | Red Carpet Photos | Final predictions in all 23 categories | What should win at the Oscars
Artists call for ceasefire with red buttons | Protesters rally in Hollywood
The pros and cons of a casting Oscar | Commentary: The Academy puts Black women in a box
3 p.m. If you’re wondering how so many of the stars you’ll see on today’s telecast are managing not to topple over in their sky-high stilettos, fear not — they’ve had practice.
Some of them, anyway. Twenty-four hours before the Oscars, dozens of celebrities arrived at the Dolby Theatre to rehearse their musical numbers and practice handing out gold statuettes. The Academy Awards is the only award ceremony that actually requires presenters to attend a run-through prior to the live show. Some of them use the opportunity to run through their wardrobe choices as well, including Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera, who had on strappy heels that were far fancier than the rest of their casual attire. Presumably, the “Barbie” co-stars wanted to test-drive their shoes to make sure they were reliable — even if that meant being uncomfortable at 9 a.m. on a Saturday.
Not everyone went that route, including Zendaya, who opted for loafers, and Steven Spielberg, who had on sneakers. The latter immediately walked to the front of the stage, whipped out his cellphone and took a photograph of the audience, where seat placards with headshots noted who would sit where in the crowd.
If the director shared that photo with anyone, he passed on more private information than I’m able to reveal here. Press who witnessed roughly one hour of rehearsal on Saturday were forbidden from revealing, well, basically everything: The seating plans, who is presenting what categories, what the script entails, how the stage looks. During his practice round, Spielberg had a funny bit where he named a deceased Hollywood luminary as the pretend winner. But even naming who that person was would give away too much about the category he’s associated with.
For the record, Spielberg was scolded for not sticking to the script — presenters are supposed to open an envelope and read the name of a potential real winner, noting it’s “for rehearsal only.” When he went his own way, a stagehand gently requested he use an actual nominee’s name instead.
“No,” the filmmaker replied, “that’s bad luck.” —Amy Kaufman
The 96th Academy Awards are here, and we bet you’ve seen at least two of the movies nominated for best picture — “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” — and, quite possibly, a good many more because this might just be the best group of nominated films since the Oscars expanded the category in 2009.
So, there’s much to celebrate, and The Times will have you covered throughout the night with our Oscars live blog. Join columnists Mary McNamara and Glenn Whipp as they watch the show, which, hopefully, will feature some exciting moments — but, appropriately exciting moments, like, say, a historic first and not someone striding onstage and slapping a presenter. Staff writer Tracy Brown will also chime in from time to time, adding on-the-ground reporting from inside the Dolby Theatre, and columnist Amy Kaufman will provide a preview of what to expect tonight.
The telecast on ABC begins at 4 p.m. Pacific, an hour earlier than usual. Also, remember we’re back on daylight saving time. Adjust your clocks accordingly and keep it here for live updates.
Nominees List | Red Carpet Photos | Final predictions in all 23 categories | What should win at the Oscars
Artists call for ceasefire with red buttons | Protesters rally in Hollywood
The pros and cons of a casting Oscar | Commentary: The Academy puts Black women in a box
3 p.m. If you’re wondering how so many of the stars you’ll see on today’s telecast are managing not to topple over in their sky-high stilettos, fear not — they’ve had practice.
Some of them, anyway. Twenty-four hours before the Oscars, dozens of celebrities arrived at the Dolby Theatre to rehearse their musical numbers and practice handing out gold statuettes. The Academy Awards is the only award ceremony that actually requires presenters to attend a run-through prior to the live show. Some of them use the opportunity to run through their wardrobe choices as well, including Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera, who had on strappy heels that were far fancier than the rest of their casual attire. Presumably, the “Barbie” co-stars wanted to test-drive their shoes to make sure they were reliable — even if that meant being uncomfortable at 9 a.m. on a Saturday.
Not everyone went that route, including Zendaya, who opted for loafers, and Steven Spielberg, who had on sneakers. The latter immediately walked to the front of the stage, whipped out his cellphone and took a photograph of the audience, where seat placards with headshots noted who would sit where in the crowd.
If the director shared that photo with anyone, he passed on more private information than I’m able to reveal here. Press who witnessed roughly one hour of rehearsal on Saturday were forbidden from revealing, well, basically everything: The seating plans, who is presenting what categories, what the script entails, how the stage looks. During his practice round, Spielberg had a funny bit where he named a deceased Hollywood luminary as the pretend winner. But even naming who that person was would give away too much about the category he’s associated with.
For the record, Spielberg was scolded for not sticking to the script — presenters are supposed to open an envelope and read the name of a potential real winner, noting it’s “for rehearsal only.” When he went his own way, a stagehand gently requested he use an actual nominee’s name instead.
“No,” the filmmaker replied, “that’s bad luck.” —Amy Kaufman
