Hollywood prepares the preparations for the 95th edition of the Oscars with a ceremony that seeks to attract new audiences and in which the films “Everything everywhere all at once” and “All the quiet on the western front” start as favorites.
Glamor invades the streets of Los Angeles (California, USA) this Saturday as they prepare to receive the most popular movie stars of the moment at the gala on Sunday night.
The storm that covers the city has not prevented the production work of the organizers and the press, who prepare their equipment at the doors of the Dolby Theater.
The carpet where the stars will parade has already been rolled out there, which for the first time is champagne instead of red.
“We’re here for my birthday, we didn’t know it was going to be the Oscars,” French tourist Chloe told EFE. “It’s a shame, but we hope that we can at least see some artist,” added her friend Manon, who said that she has been affected by the mobility problems that the event entails.
Other visitors have been a little disappointed in Los Angeles, considering that the glamor of the movies does not correspond to the reality of the Californian city.
“It’s a multicolored city, there’s also a lot of decadence, these streets are very glamorous now but you get out of here a bit and everything is different,” said Mapi, a Spanish tourist.
OSCAR FAVORITES
The 11 nominations for the film “Everything everywhere all at once”, by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, as well as the number of awards it has won this season, place it as a favorite for the gala on the night of March 12 .
The low-budget film starring actors of Asian origin could take the title for best film and unseat living legends in film history such as Steven Spielberg, who competes with “The Fabelmans”, and James Cameron, with the second part of “Avatar”.
The fight will be difficult, as the anti-war film “All quiet on the western front” by Edward Berger and “The banshees of Inisherin” by Martin McDonagh, both winners of prestigious industry awards, close on his heels with nine nominations. .
However, the specialized media pools in Hollywood suggest that the second part of the film starring and produced by Tom Cruise “Top Gun: Maverick” could be the true rival of “The Daniels”.
In Spielberg’s words, Cruise’s film “saved Hollywood’s ass” by bringing back to theaters an audience that had been withdrawn at home watching streaming movies due to the covid-19 pandemic, so it is believed that this gratitude could be reflected in the voting of its members.
This year’s competition is also a chance for Hollywood underdogs to do justice, including Brendan Fraser, who is up for best actor for “The Whale,” and Ke Huy Quan, who is up for best supporting actor with “Everything everywhere all at once”.
In 2022 both revived their careers after years of not getting any major acting opportunities.
Colin Farrell (“The banshees of Inisherin”), Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”) and Austin Butler (“Elvis”) are also fighting for their first statuette.
DIRTY CAMPAIGNS AND LACK OF REPRESENTATION
Every year the awards have had to deal with a new controversy and for this edition two contenders for best actress starred in the strongest scandals.
Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”) was the surprise of the nominations. Contestants for her considered her mention “suspicious” and suggested that her selection had been achieved thanks to the actress’s influences in the industry.
The commotion was such that the Academy announced that it would change the rules of the promotional campaigns of the films in the next edition to guarantee a “fair and ethical” competition.
Likewise, the actress Michelle Yeoh (“Everything everywhere all at once”) set fire to social networks by posting on her Instagram a fragment of an article published by Vogue magazine that questioned the tactics used by the organization in choosing its winners. .
The act was perceived by Internet users as a “dirty campaign” against her strongest rival, Cate Blanchett, as the writing suggested that the protagonist of “Tár” had already been too well recognized by the Academy and that she would have a greater social impact on Malaysian actress triumph.
If she wins the award, Yeoh would make history as the first Asian person to receive a best actress Oscar.
EXPAND AUDIENCES
This year the efforts of the Hollywood Academy to embrace a greater diversity of public have been evident.
The presenters of this year’s awards range from established actors such as Glenn Close and Samuel L. Jackson, to the most popular and viral celebrities of the moment such as the Chilean Pedro Pascal, the British Florence Pugh and the American Halle Bailey.
In addition, the musical performance of the super pop star Rihanna is expected, who has resumed her musical career with force since her appearance at the Super Bowl, after years away from the industry.