On March 12th, 2023, the 95th annual Academy Awards ceremony will take place.
As March is now among us, we are fully thrusted into a season that is one of my favorites; award season. So far we’ve been graced with The Grammys, The BAFTA Awards, The SAG Awards and others, but on March 12th, the 95th annual Academy Awards Ceremony, also known as the Oscars, will be put on.
Last year’s awards ceremony was one that is deemed historic for its list of winners. CODA became the first film released by a streaming service to win Best Picture, and it also was the first film to have a predominantly deaf cast, to win the category. Also, one of the film’s leads, Troy Kotsur, became the first deaf man to receive an acting Oscar. Actress Ariana DeBose, of the West Side Story remake, became the first openly queer woman of color to win Best Supporting Actress.
The event will take place in the Ovation Hollywood Venue, which was recently renamed from the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. This year the show will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, who priorly hosted in 2017 and 2018.
There are some uncertainties as to who will entertain at the Oscars stage for the upcoming show. Rumors have included a hope that Lady Gaga will perform her song “Hold my Hand”, from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack. There are hopes that other artists who are nominated in the song categories will also perform. CNN has confirmed that Rihanna is set to sing her single, “Lift Me Up,” which was featured on the soundtrack for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
The popular frontrunners for the Oscars and essentially every show during this season has been Everything, Everywhere All at Once, which is directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. In my opinion, this film has been one of the most big-budget experimental films that have been released in recent years, and I am so glad that it is getting the accolades it deserves. It also has a dominant Asian cast, which has been such a historic part of representation that is needed in Hollywood. Speeches by Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan have brought audiences to tears, as they explained the challenges being seen in Hollywood. I wish luck to their ensemble at this show, and each one following during this season.
Another favorite I am rooting for is possible underdog, Paul Mescal, for Best Actor. Paul Mescal was a strong lead in the film Aftersun that came out this past year. His performance as always was raw, and this movie had such a woeful and real tone. I felt the nostalgia through my bones and as depressing as it was at times, I never wanted it to end. It is unlikely that Paul will pull out a win as he is very much new to this scene and he is in a very tough category, but his performance was truly stunning.
This season is tense and exciting for many as it feels like Oscar winners can never be properly guessed on. Obviously, there are those who feel as though the whole evening is rigged, but regardless it is a night of fun and appreciation for the art we all so greatly admire. I personally am excited to watch again for another year.