Will Timothée Chalamet and Demi Moore win Oscars? USA TODAY weighs in.
USA TODAY film critic Brian Truitt gives his Oscar predictions for best picture, actress and actor. The Academy Awards air Sunday on ABC and Hulu.
When it comes to covering the Academy Awards as an entertainment journalist, I’ve done it all.
Oscars red carpet? Check. The sprawling press room where Oscar historians answer the media’s most random questions? Of course. I’ve been seated inside the Dolby Theatre and reported from the theater wings during four Oscar broadcasts, a spot that’s pure nirvana for an entertainment obsessive like myself.
Even if the viewing position is the living room couch (been there, with popcorn), the Oscars reign as the biggest night of the year for movie, fashion and pop culture fans. Here’s what you won’t see at Sunday’s 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien (ABC and Hulu, 7 p.m. ET/4 PT).
The stars practice everything for the Oscars, but we live for the surprises
Most every stage moment of the Oscars telecast is planned and rehearsed, from O’Brien’s opening monologue (which will feature some politics) to the song performances. Even the stage walks are carefully choreographed, with stand-ins striding like real A-listers during first rehearsals. At Saturday’s run-through, the casually dressed stars put down their Starbucks cups to practice walking across the stage and reading their teleprompted moments, some changing into the heels they’ll wear on the big night.
Still, the best parts are unscripted, from soaring acceptance speeches to live TV goofs. O’Brien has said it’s his responsibility as host to react to spontaneous moments that make Oscar history − even the 2017 Envelopegate disaster when the best picture Oscar was given to the wrong film.
The Oscars red carpet is dazzling and choreographed, but accidents happen
In an industry town with more red carpets than days of the week, the Oscar red carpet is special. It’s red again (not champagne as it was in 2023) and tented for rain. At 900 feet long, it sweeps down Hollywood Boulevard and veers right directly into the Dolby Theatre.
There’s a Hollywood pecking order to the march. The biggest stars arrive the latest, flashing smiles before a battery of clamoring tuxedo-clad photographers. The not-famous attendees walk a far less noticeable carpet path and are urged (often) to move into the theater and stop gawking. But the flash-lit spectacle is a great show.
The best-prepared celebs have plans for any kind of mishap, from gown-trodding stains to tears. Veteran publicist BeBe Lerner says she carries a discreet “Just in case” bag for her clients that includes double-stick tape, a Tide pen, Band-Aids, a mini-sewing kit and more.
Nerves, sweat and tears are on display backstage at the Oscars
When the show is underway, the Dolby Theatre wings are packed with stars exiting or entering the stage and essential backstage crew. Everyone is so famous that when presenter Dwayne Johnson recognized me one year, he asked in genuine surprise, “What are you doing here?”
During massive stage production changes, it gets so crowded that Daniel Day-Lewis once backed up and stood gloriously and poetically on my left foot.
It’s intoxicating drama as stars walk on and off the stage for major moments of their lives in front of a worldwide TV audience totaling hundreds of millions. I stood next to Stedman Graham calming a nervous Oprah Winfrey before she went on. “You’ll be fine,” a concerned Tom Hanks told her. Brad Pitt noticeably fretted next to me watching as then-wife Angelina Jolie presented at the 2012 Oscars.
That same year, Meryl Streep was so blown away by her surprise third Oscar for “The Iron Lady” that she collapsed onto a metal folding chair just off stage and stagehands called for bottled water. “I’m just so shocked,” she said in between sips.
But there’s always room for Jack Nicholson, who ambled backstage just to check out the scene in 2013. “I’m just wandering,” he declared with that smile to one surprised backstage minder.
The most star-filled bars in the world are at Oscars
There are bars everywhere in the Dolby Theatre, all serving wine, champagne and cocktails. But the best scene is the lowest level bar, where near-the-stage stars step out for some refreshments.
Last year, Emma Stone was left stranded in the lobby bar when her film went on an awards-winning streak − taking three major awards without the star applauding from her front-row auditorium seat.
“Oh my God, Oh my God, we won, and I was not sitting down,” Stone bemoaned at the lobby monitor, her eyes tearful and her hand on her head. “Sorry, we went to the bathroom and missed this. We can’t go in right now.” Obviously, there was a happy ending to this unforgettable moment.
The best bar in the place − and possibly in the world on Oscar night − is backstage in the Rolex Green Room. Officially only for presenters and performers going onstage and winners coming off, a famous smile can go a long way for entry. The joint gets rocking with Champagne Lallier, especially just before the show. The stars can watch the telecast on large TVs as they nosh Wolfgang Puck pizzas and mini Wagu cheeseburgers.
There’s no food served at the Oscars show, so the stars are starving
The Oscars show is long, always longer than the scheduled 3½ hours. Host Ellen DeGeneres ordered pizza for the audience in 2014, and host Jimmy Kimmel made sure there were snack boxes under every seat.
Smart guests bring power bars. But the best bet is to hold tight for the post-party Governors Ball, where Puck serves his trademark smoked salmon Oscar statuettes with caviar and chicken pot pies topped with fresh-shaved truffles (Barbra Streisand’s favorite dish).