What entertainment is planned?
The eclectic lineup includes Shaun White, Tony Hawk, and Serena and Venus Williams as presenters, as well as the first live performance of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the earworm from Disney’s animated musical “Encanto.” There will also be tributes to “The Godfather,” which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the James Bond franchise.
Our Reviews of the 10 Best-Picture Oscar Nominees
Will the Russian invasion in Ukraine be mentioned?
Yes. The hosts told The Times there will be a segment devoted to it.
Who else will be presenting?
About 50 people are lined up to hand out awards, including Lady Gaga, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tiffany Haddish, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Hopkins, Samuel L. Jackson, Lily James, Daniel Kaluuya, Zoë Kravitz, Mila Kunis, Rami Malek, Shawn Mendes, Jason Momoa, Bill Murray, Lupita Nyong’o, Tyler Perry, Chris Rock, J.K. Simmons, Uma Thurman, John Travolta and Yuh-Jung Youn.
Who else will be performing?
Four of the five best original song nominees will be sung live, with performances by Beyoncé (“Be Alive” from “King Richard,” written with Dixson), Billie Eilish and Finneas (“No Time to Die,” from the James Bond film of the same name), Sebastián Yatra (“Dos Oruguitas,” the “Encanto” song written by Lin-Manuel Miranda) and Reba McEntire (“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days,” written by Diane Warren). Van Morrison, who wrote and sang “Down to Joy” in “Belfast,” was unable to attend because of his touring schedule.
What else is new this year?
The academy has introduced two categories with fans voting to determine the winner, which could be the path for a film with broad appeal like “Spider-Man: No Way Home” to take home an award. The #OscarsFanFavorite category asked Twitter users to vote on their favorite movie of 2021 (“Spider-Man” and “Cinderella” were among the 10 finalists in the last week before voting closed on March 3), and the#OscarsCheerMoment category asked film lovers to nominate their favorite scenes that made audiences burst into cheers in theaters. The winning ones will be shown during the ceremony.
Who could make history?
There are multiple potential milestones: If “CODA,” an Apple TV+ offering, or “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) wins best picture, it would be the first time a streaming service won the top award. Lin-Manuel Miranda could become just the 17th EGOT — winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award — at age 42 if he wins best original song for “Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto” (Disney didn’t submit “Bruno” for consideration), or Beyoncé could get her first Oscar if “Be Alive” from “King Richard” wins instead. Ariana DeBose, the supporting actress favorite for her performance as Anita in “West Side Story,” or Kristen Stewart, who is nominated for best actress for her performance as Princess Diana in “Spencer,” could become the first openly L.G.B.T.Q. performer to win an acting Oscar. Kotsur, from “CODA,” could also become the first deaf man to win an acting Oscar.
Who do we think will win?
“The Power of the Dog” is still the front-runner for best picture, but just barely — it’ll have to fend off a surging “CODA” that’s taken the top honor at the actors, writers and producers guild awards. (Though it lacks directing and editing nominations, our awards expert, Kyle Buchanan, is predicting that voters are desperate to crown a crowd-pleaser.) Campion is a safe bet for best director — Sian Heder, the director of “CODA,” wasn’t nominated — and Will Smith is the favorite to win his first Oscar for best actor, for “King Richard.” Kotsur and Ariana DeBose of “West Side Story” are the clear favorites in the supporting actor and actress categories, but best actress could be a wild card — Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) has momentum after wins at the Critics Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards (she’s our expert’s pick), but Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”) or Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”) could play spoiler.