As Hollywood gets back on track after big strikes from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) that put things on pause for almost a year, the 96th Academy Oscars 2024 Awards are set to be super exciting. There’s tough competition ahead, with amazing movies from talented directors all vying for the top honors.
But from what we’ve seen in the trailer that just came out, this year’s Oscars might be a bit… unusual. The trailer, which runs for about five minutes, stars Jimmy Kimmel as the host for the fourth time. He finds himself in Barbieland, where he encounters a quirky Barbie played by Kate McKinnon. She helps him navigate through the top contenders before they hop into the Barbiemobile and take a tour of the Best Picture nominees.
When can I watch the Oscars 2024 ?
This year, the Oscars are starting earlier than usual — by one hour, to be precise. The 96th Academy Awards on March 10 will kick off, for the first time ever, at 7 p.m. The pre-show celebrations will now start at 6:30, as stated in an official press release from the Academy.
So Jimmy Kimmel’s hosting again?
Yep, it’s Jimmy Kimmel’s fourth time hosting the Oscars. He’s become a regular fixture at the Academy Awards, and with this announcement, he’s now tied with Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon for the most hosting gigs. It’s no surprise considering his knack for pranks, like the famous “I Told My Kids I Ate Their Halloween Candy” bit. It’s a bit like teasing Glenn Close about finally winning an Oscar, only to award it to Olivia Colman on her first nomination instead. As for how many jokes about Barbenheimer Kimmel will fit into the ceremony, our guess is somewhere between 60 and 75.
Who is nominated?
The 2024 Oscars have three movies leading the pack with the most nominations. “Oppenheimer” takes the lead with 13 nods, followed closely by Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Poor Things” with 11 nominations and Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” with 10. Despite Barbie’s absence in the Best Director and Best Actress categories making headlines, it still managed to snag eight nominations, including one for Best Picture.
But the real excitement might be found in categories that usually don’t get as much attention. In the race for Best Sound, “The Zone of Interest” stands out. Its sound team, honored with a Bafta, dedicated over a year to craft an intricate library of sounds for the film, which delves into the daily life of Rudolf Höss, the mastermind behind Auschwitz. On the other hand, the team behind the unexpected hit “Godzilla: Minus One” was caught on camera celebrating wildly when they received a nomination for Best Visual Effects. This nomination made history as the first time a Japanese-language film has been nominated in this category. They’ll be competing against big-budget blockbusters like “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.”
Emma Stone looks like a sure bet for Best Actress for her role in Poor Things having taken home the Bafta for her performance. But if Killers of the Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone takes the top spot. She will make history as the first Native American to win the award.
Who will perform?
The full line-up of performances has yet to be announced. But it’s been confirmed that Ryan Gosling will perform I’m Just Ken. With this in the bag, it’s surely only a matter of time before we get the news that Billie Eilish will sing her beautiful existential ballad What Was I Made For (from Barbie) in her bid to win a second Oscar. Other Original Song contenders come from John Baptiste for American Symphony, Scott George for Killers of the Flower Moon, and Diane Warren for Flamin’ Hot.