Oscars Night: Five Things to Watch

 Oscars statue cutouts rest on a table along the red carpet ahead of the 96th Academy Awards Friday, March 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP)
Oscars statue cutouts rest on a table along the red carpet ahead of the 96th Academy Awards Friday, March 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP)
TT

Oscars Night: Five Things to Watch

 Oscars statue cutouts rest on a table along the red carpet ahead of the 96th Academy Awards Friday, March 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP)
Oscars statue cutouts rest on a table along the red carpet ahead of the 96th Academy Awards Friday, March 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP)

Will "Oppenheimer" make Oscars history? Who will win the closely contested best actress race? And could Martin Scorsese go home empty-handed again?

Variety awards editor Clayton Davis suggests five things to watch out for this Sunday at the 96th Academy Awards:

'Oppenheimer' record-breaker?

There is no doubt Christopher Nolan's atomic blockbuster "Oppenheimer" will win multiple Oscars. But how many?

Even a "really conservative" eight would be the most for a film since "Slumdog Millionaire" in 2009, explained Davis.

The record of 11 is probably just out of reach. But 10 -- achievable if it wins close races like best actor and best adapted screenplay -- would put it tied with "West Side Story" (1961).

After years of small, indie hits taking best picture, "Oppenheimer" would be the highest-grossing winner since "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in 2004, and the third-highest of all time (also behind "Titanic").

It seems certain to be the top grossing film in history to win Oscars for its actors, in Robert Downey Jr and -- potentially -- Cillian Murphy.

And it would be only the second film to win best picture produced by a married couple -- Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas -- after "Driving Miss Daisy."

'Barbie' avalanche

While not likely to win more than a couple of Oscars, "Barbie" will be omnipresent throughout Sunday's gala.

Both Billie Eilish and Ryan Gosling are set to perform Oscar-nominated songs from the movie, and host Jimmy Kimmel is certain to pepper his opening monologue with jokes about the smash hit comedy.

"I can't imagine an entire evening that doesn't reference 'Barbie' multiple, if not hundreds of times," joked Davis.

Expect quips about the so-called "snubs" for Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, who were not nominated for directing and starring in the year's highest-grossing film, and many references to all things pink.

"It's going to be an avalanche of Barbie content. That might annoy a couple people," said Davis.

Best actress nail-biter

No major race is harder to predict than best actress, where Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone are neck-and-neck among the pundits' picks.

Davis is calling it for "Killers of the Flower Moon" star Gladstone, but admits his answer changes "at different moments."

As the first Native American actor to win, Gladstone would provide the gala with a historic moment, though some voters don't see her as the true "lead" of a film in which Leonardo DiCaprio dominates the three-and-a-half hours of screen time.

Stone's performance in Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos's "Poor Things" is popular among the Academy's "international vote" -- but could suffer if some of that bloc splinters off for Sandra Hueller, of French courtroom drama "Anatomy of a Fall."

"This is where it comes down to math," said Davis.

Scorsese's losses

Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest living directors, is hardly short of accolades.

But if Gladstone loses, "Killers" will likely become the third of Scorsese's movies to enter an Oscars with a whopping 10 nominations, and yet leave empty-handed.

Scorsese suffered the same with "The Irishman" and "Gangs of New York."

"It's like 'first world problems,' to have 30 Oscar nominations and you didn't win any of them," joked Davis. "But that is a lot."

America, America

As usual, the list of Oscars presenters is a who's who of Hollywood.

At a press conference this week, organizers revealed that five previous winners of each acting category will take to the stage to introduce the five nominees this year.

That could mean Jennifer Lawrence introducing Emma Stone, Matthew McConaughey announcing Paul Giamatti, and Tim Robbins praising Robert Downey Jr.

It is an approach borrowed from the 2009 Oscars, and brings a "lovely connection and that human interaction," said this year's showrunner Raj Kapoor.

The combination Davis is most hoping for?

"Rita Moreno is a presenter. And putting two and two together, there's no reason why she doesn't introduce America Ferrera's nomination for 'Barbie' and say 'America, America!'"

"I'm gonna cry. I'm gonna be in tears. And I can't wait."



Kendrick Lamar Surprises with New Album 'GNX'

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
TT

Kendrick Lamar Surprises with New Album 'GNX'

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present Friday with the surprise drop of a new album.

The Grammy winner's 12-track “GNX” is his first release since 2022's “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” and his sixth studio album overall. It also comes just months after his rap battle with Drake.

Lamar first teased the album with a cover art and video snippet of “GNX,” which features multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff as a co-producer on every track except for “Peekaboo.” Other notable producers include Sounwave and DJ Mustard, who both contributed production on the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous diss track emanating from the Drake feud.

Lamar's former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine."
On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car with listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting Drake's AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss track on social media and Nas congratulating Lamar for being selected to headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.
Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his hurt feelings after being passed over as the headliner in his hometown.
Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.”
The surprise release caps a big year for Lamar, who was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin — a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.
Lamar is up for seven Grammys, fueled by “Not Like Us,” which earned nods for record and song of the year, rap song, music video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a career first: “Like That” is up for best rap performance and best rap song, too.