LOS ANGELES (AP) – The election-year Academy Awards ceremony began Sunday with an escalation of Gaza protests outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and some vitriolic remarks from host Jimmy Kimmel. Da'Vine Joy Randolph won an Oscar for her performance in “. Holdover. ”
Kimmel, who is hosting the show for the fourth time on ABC, was the 96th star with an opening monologue that drew cold stares from Robert Downey Jr., Sandra Hüller and the dog Messi from Best Picture nominee “Anatomy of the Fall.” The Academy Awards have begun. But Kimmel emphasized Hollywood as a “union city” in the wake of the 2023 actors and writers strike, bringing out the Teamsters and backstage workers (who are currently engaged in their own labor negotiations). This earned him a standing ovation.
An emotional Randolph received his first award of the night and was accompanied on stage by his “Holdovers” co-star Paul Giamatti.
“For a long time, I always wanted to be different,” Randolph said. “And now I realize I need to be myself.”
Protests over Israel's war in Gaza caused traffic jams around the Academy Awards on Sunday, delaying stars' arrival on the red carpet and turning the Oscars' attention to the ongoing conflict.
Scattered demonstrations took place around the Oscar ceremony venue on Sunday. Anticipating protests, the Los Angeles Police Department increased its already extensive police presence. The Dolby Theater and the red carpet that leads to it are cordoned off for several blocks in all directions.
However, protesters carrying placards and chanting for a ceasefire blocked traffic near a security checkpoint on Sunset Boulevard. Some people arrived about an hour late. Some demonstrators shouted, “Shame on you!” For those aiming for an Oscar. Police, wearing helmets and brandishing batons, declared an unlawful assembly and threatened arrest.
Several attendees, including Best Song nominee Billie Eilish and Finneas for “What Was I Made For?” From “Barbie,'' I was wearing a pin for Gaza. Ava DuVernay and Ramy Youssef were also among those wearing pins.
Due to daylight saving time, the Oscars kicked off an hour early. But time-shifting aside, this year's show followed a tried-and-true Academy Awards tradition. Kimmel is back as host. Past award winners reunited as presenters. And the studio's blockbuster was poised to win major awards.
Blockbuster biopic “Oppenheimer'' is widely expected to crush all competition at the election-year Oscars, which could be Christopher Nolan's coronation, including sidekick “Barbie,'' which has a release date. .
Still, there's a lot going on at this year's show. Apart from the Israel-Hamas war, the war in Ukraine will be of interest to some participants, especially journalists who are the creators of the popular documentary “20 Days in Mariupol.''
“Our hearts are in Ukraine,” said Mstislav Chernov, a Ukrainian filmmaker and Associated Press reporter who directed “20 Days in Mariupol.”
And with the presidential election in full swing, politics may become an unavoidable topic of conversation, despite an awards season that takes place in a near vacuum.
Kimmel did not mention either candidate in his opening monologue, but he did take one jab at Republican Sen. Katie Britt, who responded to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. Kimmel mentioned “Poor Things,” a story about a grown woman with the brain of a child, which had received a lot of nominations.
“Like the woman who spoke out against the union State of the Union,” Kimmel said.
Hollywood has plenty of its own storm clouds to worry about, too.
The year of movies 2023 is defined by an extended strike over the future of the industry in light of streaming, artificial intelligence and changing moviegoer tastes, testing even the most profitable brands. While the Academy widely nominated films such as “Killers of the Flower Moon'' and “Poor Things,'' it awarded “Oppenheimer,'' the top contender with 13 nominations, and $140. Greta Gerwig's “Barbie,'' which became the year's biggest hit. Ticket sales were $1 billion and there were eight nominations.
Amid the expected uproar over “Oppenheimer,” the biggest drama of the night will be in the Best Actress category. Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) have almost even odds of winning. It was Stone's second Oscar win, having won for her performance in La La Land, but Gladstone's win will go down in Academy Awards history. No Native American has ever won a competitive Oscar.
Although “Barbie” surpassed (and helped push) “Oppenheimer” at the box office, it seems likely that it will fall behind Nolan's film at the Oscars. Gerwig was notably overlooked in the director's category, sparking backlash from some, including Hillary Clinton, who said the film mimicked the patriarchy parodied.
Historically, the inclusion of a blockbuster film in the Oscar's top prize has been a positive for broadcast ratings. When James Cameron's “Titanic” swept his 1998 Oscars, it drew the largest audience in Academy Awards history.
Last year's ceremony saw a very different Best Picture nominee win, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,'' which was watched by 18.7 million people, up 12% from the previous year. ABC and the Academy are hopeful the upward trend will continue after the low point in 2021, when the pandemic-reduced telecast moved to Los Angeles' Union Station and drew 9.85 million viewers.
Associated Press Ryan Pearson and Krysta Fauria contributed to this report
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