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Five Things to Watch for at the Oscars

Michelle Yeoh attends the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California, US, February 26, 2023. (Reuters)
Michelle Yeoh attends the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California, US, February 26, 2023. (Reuters)
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Five Things to Watch for at the Oscars

Michelle Yeoh attends the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California, US, February 26, 2023. (Reuters)
Michelle Yeoh attends the 29th Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California, US, February 26, 2023. (Reuters)

The 95th Academy Awards take place Sunday, with wacky multiverse movie "Everything Everywhere All at Once" leading the nominations with 11.

Late night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel returns to host the Oscars for a third time. His first stint ended with the infamous mix-up that saw "La La Land" accidentally named best picture in 2017.

Assuming the correct envelopes are handed out this year, here are five other things to watch out for on Hollywood's biggest night:

Rihanna and 'RRR' but no Gaga

All five best song nominees are invited to perform live at the Oscars.

That means pop superstar Rihanna will grace the stage, just weeks after her long-awaited Super Bowl halftime show, at which she revealed she is pregnant.

She will sing "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," while Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and "Everything Everywhere" star Stephanie Hsu will perform "This Is A Life."

Perhaps the biggest spectacle will be "Naatu Naatu," the infectious showstopper from India's "RRR," which has recently had audiences dancing in their seats in Hollywood movie theaters.

Sadly, there will be no Lady Gaga. Nominated for "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick," she is unavailable as she is "in the middle of shooting a movie," Oscars producers say.

Lenny Kravitz will bring further stardust to the gala, performing music to accompany the annual "In Memoriam" tribute.

Best actress history?

This closely fought category is likely to buck tradition and break records.

If Michelle Yeoh ("Everything Everywhere") beats Cate Blanchett ("Tar"), she will become the first Asian woman to claim the best actress prize.

Should Blanchett win, she will become just the eighth actor in history to win three Oscars.

Meanwhile, Andrea Riseborough would surely be the most unlikely ever winner, having earned her nomination for obscure indie film "To Leslie" thanks to a controversial campaign by celebrity pals of the film's cast and crew.

Finally, there is the question of who presents the award.

Traditionally, it is the previous year's best actor winner.

Given Will Smith is serving a decade-long Oscar ban (see below), that doesn't seem very likely.

Slap chat

Just as it is impossible to write an Oscars preview this year without mentioning "The Slap," expect the ceremony to address the incident.

For those living under a rock, Will Smith assaulted Chris Rock on stage during last year's Oscars for cracking a joke about his wife.

Rock himself got the ball rolling last weekend, joking in a live Netflix special that he recently rooted for the slave master who beats Smith's character in his latest movie "Emancipation."

Oscars organizers say the plan is to "acknowledge it" -- presumably in Kimmel's opening monologue -- and then swiftly "move on."

But will the various presenters and winners be able to keep Smith's name out of their mouths?

Marvel-ous Bassett

Will Angela Bassett "do the thing?"

Before she became the subject of a viral meme -- courtesy of Ariana DeBose's cringeworthy rap lyrics at the BAFTAs -- Bassett was best known for her enviable acting CV.

With acclaimed films like "What's Love Got to Do with It" and "Boyz n the Hood," to name a few, it is surprising she has never won an Oscar.

It would be even more surprising if her first win came for a superhero movie.

But that appears a likely outcome, after her role as Queen Ramonda in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" earned the first-ever Oscar acting nomination for a Marvel film.

She will have to see off Jamie Lee Curtis ("Everything Everywhere") and Kerry Condon ("The Banshees of Inisherin") to pull off the win.

'All Quiet' makes noise

Karl Marx said history repeats itself -- the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.

He probably wasn't talking about the Oscars, but if "All Quiet on the Western Front" wins best picture, it will be the first film to essentially win Hollywood's biggest prize twice.

The original, English-language screen adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel won top honors way back in 1930, at just the third-ever Oscars.

Should this year's German-language version win, it will be Netflix's first best picture win -- just a year after Apple pipped it to become the first streamer to collect Hollywood's biggest prize.

If there is any film that can stop the "Everything Everywhere" juggernaut on Sunday, it's probably this one.

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Entertainment

Nicolas Cage Film Stopped Amid Nazi Flag Concerns

Nicolas Cage is set to star in WWII espionage thriller Operation Fortitude (Getty Images) 
Nicolas Cage is set to star in WWII espionage thriller Operation Fortitude (Getty Images) 
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Nicolas Cage Film Stopped Amid Nazi Flag Concerns

Nicolas Cage is set to star in WWII espionage thriller Operation Fortitude (Getty Images) 
Nicolas Cage is set to star in WWII espionage thriller Operation Fortitude (Getty Images) 

The East London council shut down the production of an upcoming war film starring Nicolas Cage due to concerns over Nazi iconography, according to British METRO website.

The American Oscar-winning actor, 62, is due to star in Fortitude, a historical spy action-adventure film directed by Simon West.

Set during the Second World War, the film tells the true story of Operation Fortitude, which was undertaken by the Allied Forces in 1944 to deceive Nazi Germany leaders and mislead Nazi Intelligence.

British Intelligence operatives utilized unprecedented strategic operations such as double agents, fake armies, and military equipment to mislead the Nazis about the nature and timing of D-Day, the storming of Normandy.

Filming began in London on September 8, 2025, with other cast members including Matthew Goode, Ed Skrein, Alice Eve, Michael Sheen, and Ben Kingsley.

However, the crew encountered a hurdle when plans to shoot at Waltham Forest Town Hall fell through.

Set dressing would have included draping flags emblazoned with the swastika over the building.

While a filming permit was not formally granted and the council did not collect a fee for such, Waltham Forest Council initially signed off on the project under the conditions that residents would be consulted and “Nazi-era flags and symbols were not publicly visible.”

But production was “abruptly” brought forward to September, having originally been planned for October, meaning there was not enough time for consultation with locals.

 

 

Entertainment

Paramount Skydance Sues Warner Bros for Details on Netflix Deal

Paramount and Warner Bros logos are seen in this illustration taken December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Paramount and Warner Bros logos are seen in this illustration taken December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
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Paramount Skydance Sues Warner Bros for Details on Netflix Deal

Paramount and Warner Bros logos are seen in this illustration taken December 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Paramount and Warner Bros logos are seen in this illustration taken December 8, 2025. (Reuters)

Paramount Skydance on Monday sued Warner Bros Discovery for more information on a rival $82.7 billion deal with Netflix, escalating a battle to take control of one of the most storied Hollywood studios.

The David Ellison-led company also said it plans to nominate directors to Warner Bros Discovery's board, in one of its most aggressive steps yet to convince shareholders that its hostile $30-per-share cash bid is superior to the $27.75-per-share cash-and-stock offer from Netflix.

The CBS parent and Netflix have been in a heated battle for Warner Bros, its prized film and television studios, and its extensive content library that ‌includes "Harry Potter" and ‌the DC Comics universe.

In a letter to ‌shareholders, ⁠Paramount also ‌said it would propose an amendment to Warner Bros' bylaws that would require shareholder approval for any separation of the media giant's cable TV business - which is key to the Netflix deal.

Paramount said last week the value of the cable spinoff was virtually worthless and reiterated its amended $108.4 billion bid after another rejection from the Warner Bros board.

The amended offer ⁠had included $40 billion in equity personally guaranteed by Oracle's co-founder Larry Ellison, the father of ‌Paramount CEO David Ellison, and $54 billion in ‍debt.

"WBD has provided increasingly novel ‍reasons for avoiding a transaction with Paramount, but what it has ‍never said, because it cannot, is that the Netflix transaction is financially superior to our actual offer," Paramount wrote in a letter to Warner Bros shareholders.

"Unless the WBD board of directors decides to exercise its right to engage with us under the Netflix merger agreement, this will likely come down to your vote at a shareholder meeting."

Netflix ⁠and Warner Bros did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Shares of Warner Bros were down 1.5% in early trading, while Netflix ticked up 0.8% and Paramount 0.3%.

Paramount's argument - one it is using to sway investors - is that its all-cash offer for the whole of Warner Bros offers more certainty than the deal with Netflix for the studios and streaming assets and will more easily clear regulatory hurdles.

The sour performance of Versant, the Comcast cable spinoff, has also given fresh ammunition to Paramount's campaign to convince Warner Bros shareholders its offer is better.

Paramount's tender ‌offer will expire on January 21, but the company can extend it.

Entertainment

‘Hamnet’ and ‘One Battle After Another’ Take Top Honors at Golden Globes

(L-R) British actors Joe Alwyn, Noah Jupe, Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, Irish actors Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, and British actor Jacobi Jupe pose in the press room with the award for best motion picture - drama for "Hamnet" during the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, USA, 11 January 2026. (EPA)
(L-R) British actors Joe Alwyn, Noah Jupe, Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, Irish actors Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, and British actor Jacobi Jupe pose in the press room with the award for best motion picture - drama for "Hamnet" during the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, USA, 11 January 2026. (EPA)
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‘Hamnet’ and ‘One Battle After Another’ Take Top Honors at Golden Globes

(L-R) British actors Joe Alwyn, Noah Jupe, Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, Irish actors Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, and British actor Jacobi Jupe pose in the press room with the award for best motion picture - drama for "Hamnet" during the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, USA, 11 January 2026. (EPA)
(L-R) British actors Joe Alwyn, Noah Jupe, Chinese filmmaker Chloe Zhao, Irish actors Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, and British actor Jacobi Jupe pose in the press room with the award for best motion picture - drama for "Hamnet" during the 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, USA, 11 January 2026. (EPA)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ragtag revolutionary saga “One Battle After Another” took top honors at Sunday’s 83rd Golden Globes in the comedy category, while Chloé Zhao's Shakespeare drama “Hamnet” pulled off an upset over “Sinners” to win best film, drama.

“One Battle After Another” won best film, comedy, supporting female actor for Teyana Taylor and best director and best screenplay for Anderson. He became just the second filmmaker to sweep director, screenplay and film, as a producer, at the Globes. Only Oliver Stone, for “Born on the Fourth of July,” managed the same feat.

In an awards ceremony that went almost entirely as expected, the night's final award was the most surprising. While “One Battle After Another” has been the clear front-runner this awards season, most have pegged Ryan Coogler's Jim Crow-era vampire thriller as its closest competition.

But “Hamnet,” a speculative drama about William and Agnes Shakespeare based on Maggie O’Farrell's bestseller, won in the dramatic category shortly after its star, Jessie Buckley, won best female actor in a drama.

It was a banner night for Warner Bros., the studio behind “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.” Warner Bros. Discovery has agreed to be sold to Netflix in an $83 billion deal. Paramount Skydance has appealed to shareholders with its own rival offer.

In his speech after winning best director, Anderson praised Warner co-chief Michael DeLuca. “He said he wanted to run a studio one day and let filmmakers make whatever they want,” said Anderson. “That’s how you get ‘Sinners.’ That’s how you get a ‘Weapons.' That’s how you get ‘One Battle After Another.’”

The final awards brought to, or near, the stage a handful of the most talented filmmakers together in Anderson, Zhao and Coogler — plus Steven Spielberg, a producer of “Hamnet.” Regardless of who won what, it was a heartening moment of solidarity between them, with a shared sense of purpose. Zhao fondly recalled being at Sundance Labs with Coogler when they were each starting out.

“As students, let’s keep our hearts open and let’s keep seeing each other and allowing each other to be seen,” said Zhao, while Coogler smiled from the front row.

“Sinners” won for best score and cinematic and box-office achievement. The win for box office and cinematic achievement, over franchise films like “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” was notable for Coogler's film, a movie that some reports labeled a qualified success on its release.

Yet “Sinners” ultimately grossed $278 million domestically and $368 million worldwide, making it highest grossing original film in 15 years.

“I just want to thank the audience for showing up,” said Coogler. “It’s means the world.”

Coming off years of scandal and subsequent rehabilitation, the Globes and host Nikki Glaser put on a star-studded ceremony that saw wins for the streaming sensation “KPop Demon Hunters” (best animated film, song), a meta triumph for Seth Rogen’s “The Studio” and an inaugural award for podcasting that went to Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang.”

Many of the Oscar favorites won. Timothee Chalamet won his first Golden Globe, for “Marty Supreme,” after four previous nominations. The 30-year-old is poised to win his first Oscar. Fellow nominees like Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney stood to applaud his win.

“My dad instilled in me a spirit of gratitude growing up: Always be grateful for what you have,” said Chalamet. “It’s allowed me to leave this ceremony in the past empty handed, my head held high, grateful just to be here. I’d be lying if I didn’t say those moments didn’t make this moment that much sweeter.”

Glaser comes out swinging

The Globes, held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, got underway with a pointedly political opening from host Nikki Glaser and an early award for the night’s favorite, “One Battle After Another.” Emceeing the show for the second straight year, Glaser kicked off the show with self-aware satire.

“Yes, the Golden Globes, without a doubt the most important thing happening in the world right now,” she said.

In a winning, rapid-fire opening monologue that landed some punch lines on the usual subjects — the age of Leonardo DiCaprio’s dates, Kevin Hart’s height — Glaser also dove right into some of her most topical material.

For the on-the-block Warner Bros., Glaser started the bidding at $5. Referencing the Epstein files, she suggested best editing should go to the Justice Dept. The “most editing,” however, she suggested deserved to go to Bari Weiss’ new CBS News — a dig at the Paramount Skydance-owned network airing the Globes.

Political tension and industrywide uncertainty were the prevailing moods heading into Sunday’s awards. Hollywood is coming off a disappointing box-office year and now anxiously awaits the fate of one of its most storied studios, Warner Bros.

The Globes, formerly presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have no overlap or direct correlation with the Academy Awards. After being sold in 2023 to Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions, a part of Penske Media, the Globes are voted on by around 400 people. The Oscars are voted on by more than 10,500 professionals.

But in the fluctuating undulations of awards season, a good speech at the Globes can boost an Oscar campaign. Winners Sunday included Rose Byrne (“If I Had Legs I'd Kick You”) for best female actor in a comedy or musical, and Wagner Moura, the Brazilian star of “The Secret Agent,” for best male actor in a drama. Kleber Mendonça Filho's period political thriller also won best international film.

“I think if trauma can be passed along generations, values can do,” Moura said. “So this to the ones who are sticking with their values in difficult moments.”

Other winners Sunday included the supporting actor front-runner, Stellan Skarsgård who won for the Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value.” It was the first major Hollywood movie award for the 74-year-old, a respected veteran actor who drew a standing ovation.

“I was not prepared for this because I, of course, thought I was too old,” said Skarsgård.

‘The Studio' and 'Adolesence' win

In the television awards, “The Pitt” took best drama series, while Noah Wyle won, too, brushing past his former “ER”-star Clooney on the way to the stage. Netflix’s “Adolescence” won four awards: best limited series, and acting awards for Erin Doherty, Stephen Graham and 16-year-old Owen Cooper.

Other winners included Rhea Seehorn for “Pluribus” and Jean Smart for “Hacks.”

But the most comically poignant award of the night went to “The Studio,” the best comedy series winner. Seth Rogen’s Hollywood satire memorably included an episode devoted to drama around a night at the Globes. (Sample line: “I remember when the red carpet of the Golden Globes actually stood for something.”)

Rogen also won best male actor in a comedy. “This is so weird,” Rogen said, chuckling. “We just pretended to do this. And now it’s happening.”