The Oscars are Tonight
Here's what I'm hoping for...
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I know, I know, awards shows are in essence, popularity contests, and the winners are usually the result of strong campaigns. Still, I love to see who picks up the shiny trophies, and the idealistic part of me still wants to believe the winners are chosen based on their amazing work, not how many talk shows and podcasts they visited, or how loved they are by other industry professionals.
The Academy Awards, a.k.a. The Oscars are tonight, and my favourite late-night talk show host/comedian/writer/podcaster, Conan O’Brien is hosting! I’ve been watching and listening to Conan since I was a tween, so I’m a very biased fan, but I’m confident he’ll bring his trademark self-deprecating, silly, wacky, intelligent, sweet, physical, hilarious comedic stylings to the Oscars stage. I look forward to seeing what surprises he has in store for the Hollywood elite and the viewers at home.
And for the Conan fans, I hope if Adam Sandler is there, he yells “Coneeeeyyy!”, and if Paul Rudd is there, he finds a way to sneak in that clip from Mac ‘n Me. I also hope Conan gives a shout-out to his podcasting chill chums: Matt and Sona.
Once the show is underway, here’s what I’m hoping to see, combined with who I think will win — even though I still haven’t found a way to stream the show in Canada, and I haven’t seen everything (yet) that’s nominated:
I’d love to see Sebastian Stan win the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The Apprentice, but it will probably go to Adrien Brody for his stunning performance in The Brutalist. However, fresh off of his Screen Actors’ Guild Award win, Timothée Chalamet could surprise us all and pick up the award for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown (which I haven’t seen yet, unfortunately!) Sidenote: It’s not nominated here, but I would give the award to Sebastian Stan for his performance in A Different Man.
I hope Jeremy Strong wins Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Roy Cohn in The Apprentice, but it’ll likely go to his former Succession castmate Kieran Culkin, who has been sweeping this category in awards shows — who also deserves it. Culkin’s performance in A Real Pain is deep, funny, heartbreaking, and full of life.
Although The Substance is the only film I’ve seen of those featured in the Best Actress category, Demi Moore certainly gave a powerful performance and will likely win, but something tells me Fernanda Torres also deserves this honour for her performance in I’m Still Here — an opinion I’m merely basing on the trailer.
It would be so amazing to see Sugarcane win the Oscar for Documentary Feature Film — this film is so important and equally beautiful and heartbreaking. You must see it. (Sugarcane is now streaming on Disney+).
Hey! — I made you an Oscars ballot that you can download and refer to as you watch:
I also made you a printable version:
I’d love to see Like a Bird by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada win for Best Original Song — written specifically for the movie Sing Sing (which is one of the best things I watched last year), Like A Bird is such an uplifting song, and it has a nice groove to it as well. Sing Sing isn’t streaming yet (although you can rent it online), but if you missed it in theatres, please stream it when it becomes available. It’s such a powerful movie, and its lead actor, Colman Domingo is an absolute star. Not only is he unbelievably compelling to watch as an actor, but he’s also a writer and will soon be directing two films, one about Sammy Davis Jr. and one about Nat King Cole. And — he’ll likely be wearing something stunningly creative on the red carpet tonight!
Lastly, I’d love to see Jesse Eisenberg pick up the Original Screenplay Oscar for his movie A Real Pain. Most of us know him as an actor, but he’s also a playwright who more recently transitioned into screenwriting, with A Real Pain being his second film. Eisenberg’s screenplay excels at telling a story about the depth of human pain while also making us laugh, which is quite a feat to achieve. His clever writing and travel-based plot keep the story moving, and there are thoughtful scenes throughout that create space for pause, reflection, and exceptional acting, particularly by Kieran Culkin.
Who do you think will win tonight — or — who do you want to win?
Tell me in the comments or join me in the chat or on my Instagram or Threads account!
P.S. — In case you missed it, here are the best things I watched in 2024:
Loved the energy in this one—your excitement for the Oscars is totally contagious. It’s always fun seeing predictions and personal picks laid out like this!