For the first time in a long time, the Oscar race seems to be totally up in the air. And what a thrill! If the Academy is going to make the movie-loving masses wait until mid-March for the telecast (we’ve been talking ad nauseam about the same 10 films for nearly a year at this point), let’s not vote for the same exact winners as the Globe Globes or the Actor Awards.
This air of uncertainty should liven up the final stop on the eternal awards blitz. Other than “Hamnet” star Jessie Buckley, virtually a lock for best actress, every other major category could go any number of ways. That means all of this year’s nominees would be wise to prep a speech. (Though, please, feel free to leave out the boring laundry list of agents, execs and co-stars to “thank” — we get it, you didn’t get here alone!)
We will leave the predictions to the Oscar pundits. In the meantime, after months of screenings, precursor ceremonies, glitzy parties and social media scandals, we have our own burning questions for Hollywood’s biggest night.
1. Will Conan O’Brien avoid a sophomore slump?
After three years without a host, a trio who got overshadowed by the Slap and too many appearances by Jimmy Kimmel, O’Brien was a welcome presence on the 2025 stage. Through his brand of self-deprecating, inoffensive comedy, he tackled thorny topics ranging from Donald Trump’s return to office to the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. This time, O’Brien has another tricky line to walk. He has to celebrate the year in film while providing levity around all kinds of anxieties, from the war in the Middle East to terrifying ICE raids to the Epstein files (which may or may not implicate some people in the room). Then there’s the tragic murder of his friends Rob and Michele Reiner, who were guests at his holiday party the day before they were killed. But if anyone can win over a tough room, it’s Conan.
2. Will Sean Penn attend the ceremony?
Penn is no stranger to Oscar glory, with best actor trophies for “Mystic River” and “Milk.” But he’s no fan of the awards circuit. This year, he attended the Golden Globes (where he lost to Stellan Skarsgård for “Sentimental Value”) and then went missing — skipping the BAFTAs and the Actor Awards, with the presenters at both having to awkwardly accept on his behalf after he won best supporting actor. The Academy’s producers can’t be thrilled a potential winner isn’t confirmed to be sitting in the audience. Is someone on the phone with his publicist?
3. Will Amy Madigan score a victory for horror mavens?
Academy voters have a type, and it’s not the horror genre. It’s usually just an honor to be nominated (just ask Toni Collette and Haley Joel Osment from “The Sixth Sense”). Not since Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster’s chilling turns in 1991’s “The Silence of the Lambs” have actors been lauded at the Oscars for a mainstream horror film. That’s counter to the box office, where scary movies are drawing major crowds and pulling in big bucks. That makes Madigan’s predicted victory for “Weapons,” a supernatural thriller about missing children, an overdue acknowledgment.
4. Will Barbra Streisand bring the room to tears during her Robert Redford tribute?
Hello, tissues! The Oscar legend is expected to honor Redford, who died last September at age 89 and was her co-star in “The Way We Were,” with a mid-show performance. Streisand will presumably sing the film’s iconic title track, which won an Academy Award in 1974. The 83-year-old diva (who still battles stage fright) last performed during the 2013 ceremony, when she sang “The Way We Were” during the In Memoriam segment as an homage to the late composer Marvin Hamlisch. What Streisand will sing and whether it’ll be solo hasn’t been confirmed, but in a year that saw the losses of Reiner, Catherine O’Hara, Diane Keaton, Gene Hackman and Val Kilmer, it’s safe to assume there won’t be a dry eye in the house.
5. Will “KPop Demon Hunters” steal the show?
Wouldn’t it be wild if the biggest moment of the night revolved around a movie that debuted on streaming? Sure, “KPop Demon Hunters” eventually rocked the box office, but the animated musical fantasy became a phenomenon on Netflix, the platform that’s long been labeled the enemy of the big screen. You’d be hard-pressed to find a family with young ones that hasn’t obsessively watched the adventures of the girl group called Huntr/x. Not since “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen” has the anthemic song from a kids’ film so permeated the zeitgeist — and the awards race. Expect a showstopper when Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — the singers behind the fictional K-pop band — unite to belt out “Golden.”
6. WTF will happen with the best actor race?
Just a few weeks ago, it looked like Timothée Chalamet would finally (!) take home the best actor prize for “Marty Supreme” after three nominations in the category. But it’s a wide-open race after he lost the BAFTA to Robert Aramayo of “I Swear” (who isn’t nominated at the Oscars) and the Actor to Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners.” There’s also a small but vocal contingent that believes Ethan Hawke, a beloved performer who is nominated for playing Lorenz Hart in the biopic “Blue Moon,” could be the underdog winner. One thing is certain: Presenter Mikey Madison probably won’t match the energy of Viola Davis, who launched a thousand memes when she read Jordan’s name at the Actor Awards.
7. Will Jessie Buckley survive “The Bride!”?
Yes, she’s the frontrunner in the best actress race, but that comes with an asterisk. While Buckley will probably coast to an Oscar, the final days of voting coincided with press screenings of her next movie — “The Bride!” which has been saddled with some comically terrible reviews. (New York Post’s critic put it bluntly, writing that it’s “one of the worst movies I’ve seen in this job.”) That’s led some pundits to ask if Buckley might “Norbit” herself — a reference to the 2007 flop that cost Eddie Murphy the Oscar for “Dreamgirls.”
8. Will politics take center stage?
It’s an eternal debate: Should actors get political at awards shows? It’s come up over and over at the Oscars. Jane Fonda used her time onstage in 1972 to protest the Vietnam War. Marlon Brando skipped the ceremony in 1973 (and sent Sacheen Littlefeather in his place) to protest Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. Michael Moore shouted, “Shame on you, Mr. Bush,” in 2003 to denounce the Iraq War while accepting for “Bowling for Columbine” (and being roundly booed). Penn condemned the passage of California’s Proposition 8 against same-sex marriage when he won for “Milk” in 2009. There’s no shortage of hot-button topics this year’s winners could address … but will they?
9. Will PTA finally get his Oscar?
Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. Paul Thomas Anderson, one of the most respected filmmakers of his generation for films such as “Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood” and “Magnolia,” doesn’t have a single Oscar to his name. That’s despite 14 nominations across seven movies. Blasphemous!
10. Will “Sinners” or “One Battle After Another” emerge victorious?
Perhaps the biggest question is whether Anderson’s politically charged action comedy or Ryan Coogler’s musically driven vampire thriller will capture the top prize of best picture. For a while, it was “One Battle”’s race to lose. That is, until Oscar nominations morning, when “Sinners” landed 16 nods, breaking the record held by “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land.” Since then, it has scored a key victory at the Actor Awards for best ensemble. Whichever blockbuster wins, Warner Bros. is sure to go home happy.
11. Will the show be longer than the runtime of “One Battle After Another”?
It’s become customary to complain that the Oscars are too long. (Sorry, but it’s true!) For even the biggest cinephile, it’s impossible not to get a little sleepy as the evening drags on. Relentlessly monitoring the length of speeches isn’t the answer — winning an Oscar is a career high, and the emotion often contributes to memorable moments — but let’s hope the producers don’t overstuff the show. There’s been talk of surprise onstage cast reunions, but as Meryl Streep proved in “The Devil Wears Prada,” you can express a lot with a little. That’s all.
