Oscars 2024: Updates on winners, red carpet and highlights | AP News

John Cena pointed out the importance of costumes — by not wearing one.

The wrestler-turned-actor was brought onstage by host Jimmy Kimmel for a bit where Cena was supposed to be nude, a nod to how the Oscars in 1974 was interrupted by a male streaker. Cena told Kimmel he decided at the last minute to not go ahead with the bit, as the audience kept laughing.

“The male body is not a joke,” Cena told Kimmel.

Responded the host: “Mine is.”

Cena — with an oversized envelope strategically placed over his midsection — eventually moved onto center stage, then realized he, uh, couldn’t open the envelope.

“Costumes, they are so important,” Cena said. “Maybe the most important thing there is.”

It’s Iron Man vs. the Hulk as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo are up for best supporting actor.

Sterling K. Brown also played a small but important part in Marvel’s “Black Panther” as N’Jobu, Killmonger’s father.

Five past winners are presenting this category:

• Sam Rockwell
• Tim Robbins
• Ke Huy Quan
• Christoph Waltz
• Mahershala Ali

Of the 23 categories awarded tonight, several are “below-the-line” or technical awards. Here’s what voters are looking for:

Production design: Awards the creator of the overall look of a film, from the sets to the locations to the props.

Sound: Awards the work of the range of people who design, record, mix and edit the sound for a film.

Cinematography: Awards the film’s photographer for its lighting and camera work.

Best original score: Awards the writer of a movie’s background music.

Hair and makeup: Awards makeup artists and hairstylists, naturally, but with an emphasis on prosthetics and character transformations.

Robert Downey Jr. could soon win his first Oscar, coming more than 30 years after his first nomination, for “Chaplin.”

Downey has had a triumphant awards season for playing Lewis Strauss in “Oppenheimer,” and he’s expected to top it off with an Oscar.

Also nominated is Ryan Gosling in his epic turn as Ken in “Barbie.”

The others in the category are Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” who has won two acting Oscars and been nominated eight times, along with Sterling K. Brown for “American Fiction” Mark Ruffalo for “Poor Things.”

Jonathan Glazer’s hands shook as he accepted the Oscar for best international feature for “The Zone of Interest.”

“Our film shows where dehumanization leads, at its worst,” Glazer said.

“Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people, whether the victims of October the 7th in Israel, or the the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims, this humanization, how do we resist?”

Glazer said he hopes the film will draw attention to current conflicts in the world.

“All our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present. Not to say, Look what they did then, rather look what we do now, Glazer said. “Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present.”

The woman behind the fabulous, fantastic costumes in “Poor Things” says the staff of Hungarians and Brits hadn’t even met each other when they teamed up in Budapest for the movie.

They were wearing masks and communicating through translators but that didn’t seem to slow down the amazing look of the film.

“Somehow we all managed to make it work,” said Holly Waddington during her acceptance speech as she won the Oscar for costume design.

“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have been blanked at the Oscars so far.

Five of the 13 categories “Oppenheimer” is up for have come up and so have four of the eight for “Barbie.”

Both have taken a back seat to “Poor Things,” which has already taken three awards.

Scott George, who wrote “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon,” performed the song alongside Osage performers. A camera panned above them, showing a group of musicians hitting the same drum, and dancers circling them in front of red and yellow lights.

George is the first Osage writer to be nominated for an Oscar — he is up for best original song.

When Gustavo Zerbino watched “La Sociedad de la Nieve,” the 1972 plane crash survivor felt as if he was being submerged “into boiling water,” reliving the roughly 70 days he and his teammates were stranded in the snow-covered Andes mountains.

Zerbino praised J.A. Bayona’s raw and unfiltered film, which was released as “Society of the Snow” on Netflix in the U.S. Bayona’s movie is based on Pablo Vierci’s book of the same title, and follows the story of the Uruguayan Air Force plane disaster.

▶ Read more from AP’s feature on “Society of the Snow,” nominated for best international feature.

Vanessa Hudgens opened the Oscars red carpet pre-show with news of her own: She’s expecting.

The 35-year-old actor-singer turned to the side, revealing a baby bump.

Toshiko Suzuki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli and close collaborator of Hayao Miyazaki, told reporters at the small animation studio in Tokyo that they both watched the award ceremony on TV.

Miyazaki, who did not attend the Los Angeles ceremony, had vowed earlier he wasn’t going to show joy too much “as a Japanese man,” but he was moved to tears, Suzuki said.

“These things are just luck. I am happy from the bottom of my heart. That’s the only way to put it,” Suzuki said.

Movies always reflect the times, Suzuki said.

“Miyazaki has not forgotten a film’s relations with the times,” he said.

When asked for plans on another film, Suzuki said they want to complete the global screenings and other work for the current film before tackling the next project.

“Poor Things” became the first multiple Oscar winner of the night with back-to-back-to-back wins for hair and makeup, production design and costumes.

The three victories have made it already a big night for Yorgos Lanthimos’ film with many big nominations to come, including best director for him and best actress for Emma Stone.

Not daylight savings time!

This is the second year in a row, for the record, in which the Oscars have fallen on the same day the clocks have sprung forward.

▶ Read more about daylight saving time.

‎

What is a film without an all-star hair and beauty team? What would be “Poor Things” without Willem Dafoe’s prosthetics? Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston, the team behind “Poor Things,” won for makeup and hair.

Catherine O’Hara and Michael Keaton presented the award, joking that without those behind the scenes, the public would know what actors really look like. Shudder at the thought!

“Poor Things” is a Frankenstein-esque fantasia about a young woman (Emma Stone) reanimated by a demented surgeon (Willem Dafoe), but the behind-the-scenes work that went into crafting the movie’s wildly warped world may be the film’s greatest act of mad science.

Though Yorgos Lanthimos’ earlier films — at least leading up to “The Favourite” — were more spare productions, “Poor Things” fuses all the tools of classic Hollywood filmmaking — grand sets, miniatures, sumptuous costumes — with subtler touches of modern technology. The movie is, itself, a Frankenstein.

Only the scars (not counting the ones on Dafoe’s elongated face) don’t show in the magpie design of “Poor Things.” The film’s style is rooted in an 1890s Victorian setting, but it expands surreally from there.

▶ Read more about the work that went into the film.

Cord Jefferson implored the movie industry to take more risks during his acceptance speech for his Oscar for adapted screenplay for “American Fiction.”

“I understand that this is a risk adverse industry, I get it, but $200 million movies are also a risk,” he said.

Appearing to be doing some very quick math in his head, Jefferson called on the industry to try “making 20 $10 million dollar movies” or “50 $4 million dollar movies.”

He said the next Martin Scorsese or Greta Gerwig is out there and called on industry leaders to take a chance on them.

In this category, countries select their film of choice. France selected “The Taste of Things” as its Oscar submission over “Anatomy of a Fall,” provoking surprise.

“The Taste of Things” ended up falling short of a nomination.

In accepting the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, “Anatomy of a Fall” director Justine Triet spoke passionately about the protests that have roiled France this year over reforms to pension plans and the retirement age. Several protests were held during Cannes this year, but demonstrations were — as they have been in many high-profile locations throughout France — banned from the area around the Palais des Festivals. Protesters were largely relegated to the outskirts of Cannes.

“The protests were denied and repressed in a shocking way,” said Triet, who linked that governmental influence to that in cinema. “The merchandizing of culture, defended by a liberal government, is breaking the French cultural exception.”

Some speculated that was the reason for the country’s snub.

Director Celine Song’s acclaimed feature film debut “Past Lives” is a modern-day love story about two childhood friends who are reunited as adults years after one moves away from South Korea. In this extended interview, Song speaks with The Associated Press about her inspirations, building chemistry between her actors, and why it was essential to portray variations of Korean family dynamics.

Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell performed their “Barbie” ballad “What Was I Made For?” on a rotating neon pink stage. They were the first of five scheduled performances — every song nominated in the best original song category will receive the same treatment, which will include another “Barbie” cut: the Ryan Gosling-performed ‘80s power balled “I’m Just Ken.”

If Eilish wins in the category, she will become the youngest person to ever win two career Oscars at age 22.

A few moments into the performance, the curtains behind the sibling duo lifted to reveal a string orchestra — taking the soft, saccharine song and blowing it up to enormous size. Break out the tissues.

Justine Triet and Arthur Harari became the first of a half-dozen nominated couples to win an Oscar with their original screenplay victory for “Anatomy of a Fall.”

The longtime partners with two kids together co-wrote the movie during the coronavirus pandemic.

Triet, who is also nominated for best director for the film, said from the stage that in order to write the movie, “we hooked them up to cartoons for peace. There was no line between work and diapers.”

“Barbie” is the first film since “La La Land” in 2017 to have two nominees for best original song: “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?” Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” was left out after the final cut.

Four films in the past have had three songs nominated: “Enchanted,” “Dreamgirls,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King,” but a rule installed in 2008 now allows for only two per movie.

“American Fiction” is the fifth movie to earn Black writers an Oscar for adapted screenplay. The first Black winner in the category was Geoffrey S. Fletcher, in 2009. Fletcher adapted the novel “Push” by “Sapphire” into “Precious.”

Jefferson adapted Percival Everett’s “Erasure,” a satire of urban literature. In it, the lead character is inspired to adopt a pseudonym and alter ego to release a novel that has some parallels to “Push,” an acclaimed and controversial novel about a pregnant teen from Harlem that begins in broken English, but becomes more traditional as the girl learns to read and write.

At the time, Sapphire (a pen name for Ramona Lofton) was a little-known poet who received a large advance and attracted the interest of Hollywood.

▶ Read more about urban lit authors’ reaction to the movie.

‎

From a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography to the annals of Mattel, here are the sources of this year’s Oscar nominees for best adapted screenplay:

“American Fiction”
Filmmaker Cord Jefferson worked from Percival Everett’s 2001 satire “Erasure,” about a Black literary author who unexpectedly gets rich writing a parody of “urban fiction,” a hot genre at the time Everett’s book came out.
▶ Read more about urban lit authors’ reaction to the movie.

“Barbie”
The source for “Barbie,” co-written by director Greta Gerwig and husband Noah Baumbach was … Barbie — the doll, the icon, the product and, in the eyes of the academy, a preexisting character that made the film ineligible for the original screenplay category.

“Oppenheimer”
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” distills the 700-page “American Prometheus,” a biography of atomic bomb “father” J. Robert Oppenheimer that was written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin and won the Pulitzer in 2006.

“Poor Things”
“Poor Things,” written by Tony McNamara, is based on a 1992 novel by the late Alasdair Gray that sets a “Frankenstein”-like story in the author’s native Glasgow.

“The Zone of Interest”
Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” reworks Martin Amis’ Holocaust novel of the same name, which the late British author had structured around infidelity among Nazis stationed at Auschwitz.

The two Oscars given to writers for screenplays are coming up. Here’s a look at the nominees.

For best original screenplay: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari for “Anatomy of a Fall,” Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik for “May December,” David Hemingson for “The Holdovers,” Celine Song for “Past Lives” and Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer for “Maestro.”

For adapted screenplay: Cord Jefferson for “American Fiction,” Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach for “Barbie,” Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer,” Tony McNamara for “Poor Things” and Jonathan Glazer for “The Zone of Interest.”

“The Boy and the Heron” is only the second hand-drawn animation winner in this category. The first was another Miyazaki film, “Spirited Away,” 21 years ago.

Miyazaki was not at the Oscars to receive his award. Presenters Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy accepted on his behalf.

“I could see maybe the boy not showing up, but the heron should be here,” Jimmy Kimmel said.

Miyazaki is also the oldest director to win in the category.

▶ Read more from our feature on the renaissance of older filmmakers.

The Oscar for best animated feature is coming up.The nominees include “The Boy and the Heron,” directed by legendary 83-year-old animator Hayao Miyazaki for his Studio Ghibli. He has said the World War II-era fantasy may be his last film.

Also up for the award is “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” the trippy, web-slinging sequel to the film that won this Oscar in 2018.

Other nominees include Pixar’s fire-and-water tale “Elemental,” Netflix’s medieval-style sci-fi fantasy “Nimona,” and “Robot Dreams,” a wordless Spanish-French tale of the friendship between a dog and a robot. It hasn’t been widely distributed in the U.S. yet.

It’s Mother’s Day in the U.K., and Sean Ono Lennon asked the audience to shout: “Happy Mother’s Day!”

Lennon was brought up by the filmmakers behind the winning animated short, “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko.”

Listeners of Howard Stern’s show on Sirius XM know that he and Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel have a long friendship.

And Stern had to enjoy Kimmel dropping a reference to his longtime producer Gary Dell’Abate.

“Baba Booey to you sir,” Kimmel said coming out a commercial break. Baba Booey, as Stern fans know, is Dell’Abate’s nickname.

Spike Lee already had several big moments with the Oscars by the time he finally won a competitive statuette in 2019.

His first came almost 40 years earlier, in 1983, when he was a film student at New York University. Lee submitted his master’s thesis film “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads,” starring Monty Ross, to the Student Academy Awards. And it won.

The Student Academy Awards may not be as glitzy or high profile as the Oscars, but in its 50 years it has proven to be a vital launching ground for emerging filmmakers. Inclusion and access may sound like recent buzzwords, but the film academy has been striving to break down barriers to entry for decades.

▶ Read more about the Student Academy Awards from November.

After years of smaller movies like “Nomadland” and “Coda” winning best picture, a blockbuster movie looks likely to win the top award.

“Oppenheimer,” the Christopher Nolan movie about the man who guided the creation of the nuclear weapons dropped on Japan in World War II, took in close to $1 billion at the box office. The pink-themed, box-office powerhouse “Barbie” movie is also in the mix.

▶ Read more about how movies that are more popular with the general public often translate into more people watching the Oscars show.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph wept as she accepted the night’s first Oscar — and hers.

“God is so good,” she said through tears as she accepted best supporting actor for “The Holdovers” for her first Academy Award nomination.

“I’ve always wanted to be different,” she said, “now I realize I just have to be myself.”

In a format expected to be repeated all night in the acting categories, the Oscar was presented by five past winners: Mary Steenburgen, Regina King, Lupita Nyong’o, Jamie Lee Curtis and Rita Moreno. Each introduced one nominee they have a connection to with a long personal tribute.

The 148-day strike that shut down production in Hollywood last year was part of Jimmy Kimmel’s Oscars monologue.

“For five months, this group of writers, actors, directors, the people who actually make the films said ‘We will not accept a deal‘ … well, not the directors, you guys folded immediately,” Kimmel said. “But the rest of us said we will not accept a deal without protections against artificial intelligence.”

He quickly pointed out that actors can now stop worrying about being replaced by AI, and instead go back to fearing being replaced by more attractive actors.

Kimmel also thanked the behind-the-scenes workers in Hollywood who now have a labor fight going on of their own, bringing dozens of truck drivers, lighting workers, gaffers, grips and more onto the stage as a thank-you.

“Thank you for standing with us,” Kimmel said. “And also, we want you to know that in your upcoming negotiations, we will stand with you too. And I’m going to make sure this show goes really long tonight so you get a ton of overtime.”

‎

First-time nominees could easily win three of the four acting categories, but the full field of actors is an even mix of Oscar vets and newbies.

Ten of the 20 nominated actors are first timers.

Four of this year’s first-time nominees are up for best supporting actress, alongside the very veteran Jodie Foster, who got the first of her five nominations at age 14 and has won twice.

The 10 men have a staggering 33 nominations collectively, but only one of them, Robert De Niro, has an Oscar (two, actually).

Last year, 16 out of the 20 acting nominees were first-timers.

Margot Robbie walks the Oscars red carpet

Five past winners in the category:

• Mary Steenburgen
• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Lupita Nyong’o
• Rita Moreno
• Regina King

• Kimmel pointed out that Robert DeNiro and Jodie Foster were both nominated 48 years ago for “Taxi Driver” and how they’re both nominated again this year. “In 1976 Jodie Foster was young enough to be Robert DeNiro’s daughter. Now she’s 20 years too old to be his girlfriend,” Kimmel said, as Foster nodded.
• Of course, Messi made the show. The border collie has an enormous fan base for playing Snoop in the Oscar-nominated film “Anatomy of a Fall.” He had a seat in the audience for the monologue. “I haven’t seen a French actor eat vomit like that since Gerard Depardieu,” Kimmel said.
• Bradley Cooper brought his mother Gloria Campano to the Oscars. She’s his regular date for such events, and co-star from T-Mobile commercials. Kimmel, however, couldn’t resist a jab about dating one’s mother. “Are you working on a movie about Freud right now and not telling us?” Kimmel asked.

That would be Emily Blunt and America Ferrera, of course.

Blunt played a beleaguered high-fashion magazine assistant in “The Devil Wears Prada,” while Ferrera played a … beleaguered high-fashion magazine assistant in “Ugly Betty,” a TV show.

They’re nominated for “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” respectively. Both are first-time nominees.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph has swept through the supporting actress awards in recent months and she’s expected to do the same and become one of the first big winners at the Oscars for her role as a boys’ school cook who lost her son in Vietnam in “The Holdovers.”

The category is expected to be up first.

It would be her first Oscar, as it would be for three of her competitors, Emily Blunt for “Oppenheimer,” and Danielle Brooks for “The Color Purple.”

Rounding out the category is two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster for “Nyad.”

Despite reports that Messi, the dog who plays Snoop in “Anatomy of a Fall,” was not invited to the Oscars after a scene-stealing performance at the Oscars luncheon, the star of awards season appeared to be in the Dolby Theatre.

His owner did not respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment on his attendance.

Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue started late. Welcome to the Academy Awards.

“Thank you for that partial standing ovation,” Kimmel said to begin his monologue, and in a nod to how the show tends to run long, the veteran emcee pointed out two facts.

One, the show was starting an hour earlier than usual. And two, he took the stage several minutes behind schedule.

As usual, his jokes didn’t miss. He pointed to “Barbie” stars Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie, complimented them on winning the genetic lottery and then asked Gosling to go camping with him.

“Look kids, it’s Barbie and Ken, sitting near each other,” Kimmel said.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph: The supporting actress favorite’s first name is pronounced DAY-vine.

Cillian Murphy: It’s KILL-ian, not Silly-ian.

Sandra Hüller: It’s HUEL-er, not HULL-er

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor and senior vice president, is attending the Oscars for the first time in support of the nominated “20 Days in Mariupol.” She will be providing occasional updates from a guest’s perspective:

The snack boxes under guests’ seat include pretzels and Sno-Caps.

Michelle Yeoh had a simple answer when asked to describe what attending these Oscars was like compared what she felt last year.

“Relaxed,” last year’s best actress winner said. “Very relaxed.”

The Malaysia-born Yeoh made history last year as the first Asian woman to win best actress in the Academy Awards’ 95-year history for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

No pressure this year. She’s going to enjoy this show.

“None of that craziness of being terrified and happy all at the same time,” she said.

Ariana Grande arrived at the 96th Academy Awards wearing a soft pink gown.

Sterling K. Brown said he wanted to walk to the Oscars ceremony but when he found out that wasn’t possible he and his wife, actress Ryan Michelle Bathe, spent 45 minutes in traffic getting to the Dolby Theatre.

He sounded pretty determined about walking home at the end of the night. So if anyone sees Brown on the streets of Los Angeles later, he’s just “saving time.”

Brown may or may not have a gold Oscar in his hands as he takes to the street. He’s up for best supporting actor for his role in “American Fiction.”

Cillian Murphy, nominated for his role in “Oppenheimer,” arrives at the 96th Academy Awards.

Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel is back for his fourth time hosting the Oscars. In an interview with the AP he joked about he usually steals an Oscar statue from the animated short winners: “I tell them I need to take it and I’ll get it back to them, and I just never do.”

He also riffed on his faux feud with Matt Damon, who’s in “Oppenheimer.” And don’t expect much in the way of pre-taped comedy bits in the show. Kimmel says viewers often blame them for the show running long.

▶ Read more from our Q&A with Kimmel.

The red carpet is wrapping up as showtime is just around the corner.

Still looking for a way to watch? The show will be available to stream via ABC.com and the ABC app with a cable subscription. You can also watch through Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.

The Oscars are starting an hour early this year, at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. PDT. That D is important — it’s the first day of daylight saving time in the United States.

ABC is available with an antenna or through cable and satellite providers. For cord cutters, the show can be streamed with a subscription to Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV and Fubo TV.

The Oscars are widely broadcast beyond the U.S. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has a handy guide to the more than 200 international territories that have Oscar telecasts.

“The Zone of Interest” and “Anatomy of a Fall,” each nominated for five Oscars, are the first two films primarily in non-English languages to be nominated for best picture in the same year. Both films also star Sandra Hüller.

After receiving a nomination for best original song for “The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot” — a reggaeton number performed by Becky G — will Diane Warren finally win her first Academy Award, after 15 career nods?

Maybe.

And technically, she already has one? In 2022, Warren received an honorary Oscar at the annual Governors Awards, alongside fellow recipients Euzhan Palcy, Peter Weir and Michael J. Fox, who received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Warren was the first songwriter to ever get the award.

Becky G, nominated for her song “The Fire Inside,” talks about Latino representation at the Academy Awards.

“Barbie” director Greta Gerwig and her husband, “Marriage Story” director Noah Baumbach, are nominated for best screenplay.

“Barbie” star Margot Robbie is nominated for best picture as producer with husband and co-producer Tom Ackerley. Naturally, they’re opposite “Oppenheimer” co-producers and spouses Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas.

Samy Burch and husband Alex Mechanik are nominated for best original screenplay for “May December.” So are “Anatomy of a Fall” writers Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, who are longtime partners and co-parents.

“Napoleon Dynamite” director Jared Hess and wife Jerusha Hess are nominated for co-directing the animated short, “Ninety-Five Senses.”

In addition to starting an hour earlier than usual, here’s what else to expect from tonight’s telecast:

• A focus on jokes over big, highly produced comedy bits
• Live performances of all five Oscar-nominated songs, including Ryan Gosling singing “I’m Just Ken”
• A redesigned stage to show off the live orchestra
• An in memoriam sequence that promises to tug at heartstrings

▶ Read more about what producers have in store.

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor and senior vice president, is attending the Oscars for the first time in support of the nominated “20 Days in Mariupol.” She will be providing occasional updates from a guest’s perspective:

As a first-time Oscar attendee, one of the striking things is just how early everything starts. Our group, a nominee for best documentary, arrived around 1 p.m. local time — three hours before the show begins. We were funneled into a multi-floor reception, with drinks, passed canapés and snack bags to tuck into a pocket or purse for the main event.

With just under an hour to go until showtime, an announcement blared overhead encouraging guests to take their seats. Most appeared inclined to keep enjoying the reception, prompting increasingly urgent appeals from the announcer.

Actors Emily Blunt and John Krasinski both dazzled in white as they arrived at the 96th Academy Awards together.

Lily Gladstone is the anguished heart and compassionate conscience of “Killers of the Flower Moon.” She embodies not just Mollie Burkhart but generations of Native joy, grace and pain. The Associated Press named the 37-year-old actor one of its five Breakthrough Entertainers of 2023 for an indelible performance that deftly digs into one of American history’s darkest chapters. She sat down with AP to talk about carrying her family’s legacy, her heroes and collaborating with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese.

There are more than 10,000 members of the Academy, who each have a role in picking the winners.

Generally, people who work in a particular category decided the nominees in that category. Directors nominate directors, for example — but all voting members can nominate movies for best picture.

This year, the nominations were announced Jan. 23. Once the nominees are decided, everyone can vote for all categories in the final round of voting. Final voting started Feb. 22 and ended Feb. 27. All the voting happens online.

For most categories, the nominee with the most votes simply wins. But best picture employs ranked choice voting.

Only two people — partners of the accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers — know the winners before they’re announced Sunday.

Protesters blocked Sunset Blvd. and then Highland Ave. as Oscars attendees sat in black SUVs at a standstill for more than an hour. The LAPD cleared Highland by around 3:30 p.m. Pacific.

Protesters shouted “Shame!” as some attendees walked up Highland and through nearby streets, with some pushing and shoving as protesters tried to block them.

Police in helmets and wielding batons declared an unlawful assembly and threatened arrest.

Ryan Gosling, nominated for his role of Ken in “Barbie,” arrived in all-black on the Oscars red carpet.

Forgive Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for stumbling a little bit over the pronunciation of the designer of his Oscars attire.

He eventually got it right: He’s wearing Dolce and Gabbana. It took the wrestler-turned-actor a couple of tries to get the wording out, but he got there.

And he had a good reason: “I’ve had a lot of tequila,” he said.

BEST ACTUALLY SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE: Cory Michael Smith, ‘May December’

BEST FACE: Willem Dafoe, ‘Poor Things’

BEST USE OF EARTH WIND AND FIRE’S ‘SEPTEMBER’: ‘Robot Dreams’

BEST FIGHT: Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tobias Menzies, ‘You Hurt My Feelings’

BEST HAT: Michael Fassbender’s bucket hat, ‘The Killer’

BEST DOG NOT NAMED SNOOP: Chaplin, ‘Fallen Leaves’

▶ See more of our awards and rationales.

Trying to submit your last-minute Oscars ballot?

▶ Read more about AP’s predictions for tonight’s winners.

AP photographer Chris Pizzello is usually on the other side of a red carpet step-and-repeat. But recently, he got to experience being in front of the camera. Here’s his take on the “surreal” experience of having the tables turned:

That was a first for me. My wife, Veronica, and I really got dressed to the nines for that event, which was the Hollywood Beauty Awards. What made it funny was that when we arrived for the red carpet, the photographers were the same people I work elbow-to-elbow with two or three nights a week. So I got razzed a bit, but it was all in good fun. I joked to my colleagues that I was going to require approvals on everyone’s pictures of us.

One thing I noticed was that it’s hard to see with the bright lights shining right in your face and you get a little confused by the simultaneous directives of all the photographers. Everyone is yelling at once, so you do naturally gravitate to the people with the loudest voices.

I also acquired a newfound respect for celebrities who can go onstage and deliver a great impromptu acceptance speech. The award I was up for, Photographer of the Year, was one of the final categories and I felt an increasing knot in my stomach as the night went on. When my category was finally announced by the presenters, my heart leapt into my throat. I had a speech ready in my tux pocket, but other winners were going up there sans notes and just killing it. But I didn’t ultimately win, and I have to admit I felt great relief that I didn’t have to speak in front of 300 people.

Billie Eilish, Ramy Youssef, Ava DuVernay and others donned red pins in support for a cease-fire in Gaza. The bold design features a single hand holding a heart and was organized by the group Artists for Ceasefire.

About a mile from the red carpet, protesters shut down a section of Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard calling for an end to the violence in Rafah, a dense city on Gaza’s border with Egypt. The 2024 award season has so far been a relatively quiet one for political statements.

In past years, celebrities and other marquee figures have worn pins to speak out against the war in Ukraine — and decades prior, in Iraq, and still before that, Vietnam.

One thing you might not hear much during the show: Netflix wins. Though the streamer has been a perennial awards force and comes in with 19 nominations, there’s a chance it will come up empty for the first time since 2016.

Its best shot might be in best makeup and hairstyling for Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro,” or best live-action short for Wes Anderson’s “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.”

After criticism of quantity over quality, Netflix is retooling its film operations. The streaming service is still seeking its first best picture win.

Best actress nominee Emma Stone went straight for the Dolby Theatre as a voice of god implored the red carpet stragglers to please take their seats. She paused to greet Netflix exec Scott Stuber who gave her a kiss on the cheek and his wife Molly Sims who made a bowing gesture to Stone.

Emily Blunt found her way over to give her “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan and producer Emma Thomas a hug on the red carpet. Blunt’s husband John Krasinski chimed in that Nolan looked dapper. They posed for a photograph and laughed together for a long chat. “Oppenheimer” is widely expected to have a near sweep of the awards.

For her first Oscars, Danielle Brooks went with a classic designer. She walked the red carpet in a custom Dolce and Gabbana.

“The story is this is my first Oscars dress,” Brooks said. “That’s the story. I hope to come back again and again and again. But this will forever be special to me.”

She’s a nominee for best supporting actress for her work in “The Color Purple.”

It’s not just the men playing it safe in black this year — the classic color choice is popular among the women, including a custom Schiaparelli for Sandra Hüller with extended shoulders and the perfect fit.

Among the risk-takers? Charlotte Kemp Muhl, who walked with Sean Ono Lennon in a backless and near sideless fit.

Sony Pictures Chair Tom Rothman and “American Fiction” star Jeffrey Wright had other things to chat about than awards on the Oscars red carpet: Their days playing college sports.

Rothman said he’d read an interview in which the best actor nominee talked about the importance of exercise to his acting.

“I’m trying to get back there,” Wright said and gestures to his kids nearby. “Now that these guys are a little older I can focus on myself a little more.”

Dwyane Wade has won gold trophies before. He’s now chasing a gold statuette.

Wade is a three-time NBA champion, a Basketball Hall of Famer and now could be part of an Oscar winner. He was executive producer of “The Barber of Little Rock,” an Oscar nominee in the best documentary short film category. It tells the story of local barber Arlo Washington, who set out to try to combat the racial wealth gap and how it still seems to be widening in America.

“We’ve been systematically, financially shut out of the system,” Wade said. “What Arlo is doing trying to create the opportunities for our community to succeed. Without financial freedom, you have nothing.”
Wade walked the red carpet accompanied by his wife, Gabrielle Union-Wade.

Kris Bowers grew up in Los Angeles, just a few minutes away from The World Stage performance space, and immersed in jazz. Music, he knew, was always his path.

“I told them (my parents) when I was 12, I want to go to school for jazz and tour as a jazz artist and then transition into film scoring,” the pianist-turned-composer says. “I never had a moment where I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I’ll do something else.’ I was always like, ‘Oh, that’s the path. And like, yeah, I’ll try to figure out how to make it happen.’”

Scarcely two decades after that preteen declaration, the 34-year-old is an Emmy- and Grammy-nominated composer whose resume could fill pages. He’s created moving compositions for prominent filmmakers, including Ava DuVernay and Justin Simien, and Oscar-winning films like “King Richard” and “Green Book.”

▶ Read more from our profile of Kris Bowers, who co-directed the Oscar-nominated documentary short “The Last Repair Shop.”

Colman Domingo matched his custom Louis Vuitton suit with cowboy boots.

Describing his fashion sense, Washington said he lives somewhere between “Cary Grant and Teddy Pendergrass.”

He says tonight, he feels like the “whole party.”

Domingo plays Bayard Rustin, a gay Black socialist and pacifist activist, who was the master strategist of the 1963 civil rights March on Washington.

He’s up for an acting Oscar. He called the role one of the “gifts” of his lifetime.

But he didn’t sound too tense about winning, saying he just feels like he’s here with colleagues and friends.

Stars weren’t the only ones shining bright on the Oscars red carpet. After many days of gray skies and unusual rain, the weather this Sunday in Hollywood is perfect: 69 degrees Fahrenheit (20 Celsius) with tons of sunshine.

Apologies to the Grammys, where the rain-soaked carpet inspired more than a few memes.

The Oscars red carpet is tented, though, giving photographs more of a “night” feel.

AP photographer Chris Pizzello is a veteran of awards shows — and their red carpets. Here’s how he gets the shot amid fierce competition:

I am a naturally quiet person, so I’ve never been a yeller. Even when I do yell, everyone complains that they can’t hear me! So I try to concentrate on capturing what red carpet photographers call “moments.” A wave. A wink. A spontaneous burst of laughter. Or maybe a look back over the shoulder as the celebrity is walking away. It’s just a matter of always being attentive. I also occasionally like to focus on interesting details, like shoes or necklaces.

At one of her Sundance premieres this year, Kristen Stewart was dressed down (for her) but still was the coolest-looking person in the room, the ultimate hipster. She was wearing these dice rings on one hand, one white and one black. I shot a tight detail shot of them and put it up on my Instagram — I couldn’t believe how many likes that shot got.

Emma Stone went for a soft pastel strapless look in mint with a wide peplum at the waist. It was Louis Vuitton.

Mel Brooks received his second Oscar back in January at a private dinner in the heart of Hollywood. The event, the 14th Governors Awards, was untelevised but the crowd was as starry as they come with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Penélope Cruz, Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper and Jon Batiste in the audience.

“I promise not to sell this one,” Brooks said.

Hollywood’s awards season can start to feel a little gratuitously self-congratulatory, but the Governors Awards is a bit of a respite from the horse race and a chance to celebrate some of the industry’s living legends, including Brooks, Angela Bassett and film editor Carol Littleton, who all collected honorary Oscars at the Ray Dolby Ballroom, just steps from where the Academy Awards will be broadcast today. Michelle Satter, a founding director of the Sundance Institute, also received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

▶ Read more about the Governors Awards.

Many men stuck to black in tuxedos and other looks, including a fashion star of the awards season, Colman Domingo in a double-breasted tuxedo look, a custom Louis Vuitton, paired with western boots. “I wanted to shine like a diamond″ he told E! “I’m having a great time.”

Among the men who opted out of black was Taylor Zakhar Perez in powder blue.

Simu Liu of “Barbie” brought the Kenergy. He rocked a black Fendi look with a wrap-around jacket closed with a brooch.

“It’s a fun situation, and I like brooches,” he said.

Emma Stone’s third collaboration with director Yorgos Lanthimos is “Poor Things.” The 35-year-old star spoke about her trust in Lanthimos, his treatment of nudity in film, surrealism — and whether she’d ever become a director.

Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons made a beeline to Cord Jefferson to say hello.

“Great to see you, man,” Plemons said giving a handshake and a hug. Soon others started swarming Dunst, asking for photos and all chatted about whether or not everyone was late.

The lack of the evening’s biggest stars on the carpet with only an hour until showtime has started to become the topic of the carpet.

Nearby, best actor nominee Paul Giamatti paused to pose next to an oversized Oscar statuette.

Protesters against the war in Gaza have shut down a major traffic artery in Hollywood about a mile from where the Oscars will be held.

America Ferrera stopped to post for a few selfies and even sign an autograph for a fan on the red carpet. She’s nominated for best supporting performance for “Barbie,” which none of the fans forgot shouting, “Hi Barbie! I love you!”

As she breezed by, the fans got even more excited as Nicolas Cage appeared.

Kingsley Ben-Adir shares his thoughts on ‘Bob Marley: One Love’ on the Oscars red carpet.

Issa Rae, a red carpet standout, stunned in plunging deep green. The top sparkled with sequins.

“I am wearing green for good luck,” she said. “I wanted to feel old Hollywood.”

The night before the Oscars isn’t a time to rest in Hollywood. For quite a few nominees, including “Barbie” star Margot Robbie, it meant a stop at the historic Beverly Hills Hotel for the 15th annual Chanel and Charles Finch pre-Oscar dinner.

Robbie was in very good company, with other Oscar nominees including best supporting actress frontrunner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, as well as America Ferrera, Sandra Hüller, Justine Triet, Cord Jefferson, Jonathan Glazer and Celine Song, who all are expected at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday evening.

They packed into the picturesque patio of the storied Polo Lounge for cocktails before the private dinner on a clear, chilly night in Beverly Hills. Robert De Niro was among the earliest arrivals, but within no time the space was full of stars.

▶ Read more from our recap of the pre-Oscar dinner.

Colman Domingo, nominated for his role in “Rustin,” arrives on the Oscars red carpet.

Porché Brinker of “The Last Repair Shop” was in ethereal soft blue. Juliet Donenfeld of “Red, White and Blue” looked all-the-way grown up in a blinged-out strapless dress.

Not just any pretzels — Philadelphia-style soft pretzels, provided by actors and married couple Adam Shapiro and Katie Lowes. Shapiro is a Philly-area native and told Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate that he made 5,000 pretzels for the show.

Host Jimmy Kimmel arranged for the pretzels to be under the seats of the Dolby Theatre last year, telling the audience midway through the show that they were there.

“In the acting world, it’s all about a callback. This is a good callback,” Shapiro said.

Cord Jefferson’s first feature is up for best picture at the Academy Awards. Even surrounded by stars at the recent Oscar nominees luncheon, he still couldn’t believe it. Jefferson — who wrote, directed and produced the satire starring Jeffrey Wright — spoke with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz about the Hollywood awards circuit, insecurity and the significance of a third grade writing project.

FanDuel Sportsbook has odds posted on many categories, and all signs point to a big “Oppenheimer” night.

“Oppenheimer” is a massive favorite to win best picture and is the pick to win at least seven other statuettes — Cillian Murphy (best actor), Robert Downey Jr. (best supporting actor), Christopher Nolan (best director), Ludwig Göransson (best original score), best cinematography, best sound, and best film editing.

Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) is a slight favorite over Emma Stone (“Poor Things”) for best actress, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (“Barbie”) are favored for best original song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”) is the pick for best supporting actress.

Here’s how big a favorite “Oppenheimer” is for best picture. If someone bet $100 on Sunday morning, the odds were so low at that point that they would win … $1.25.

Rita Moreno wore a huge smile and a statement black gown, and Brittany Snow popped in bright yellow on the Oscars red carpet.

Moreno, at 92, waved to photographers as she showed off her look.

Snow offered a refreshing show of color in a bright strapless custom Monot dress paired with a statement choker.

Martin Scorsese’s says his epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” is “an internal spectacle.” The movie about the systematic killing of Osage Nation members for their oil-rich land in the 1920s also demonstrates his continued dedication to ambitious filmmaking. The legendary 80-year-old director sat down with The Associated Press to talk about staying focused and curious, the future of cinema and pushing boundaries: “There is no limit. The limit is in yourself.”

Brendan Fraser made a triumphant return to the red carpet after his best actor win last year, bypassing reporters and pausing only to say hello to Marlee Matlin.

He also ran into “The Whale” cinematographer Matthew Libatique (nominated this year for “Maestro”).

“We both wore blue!” Fraser said. He’s presenting an award at the show later.

Christopher Nolan celebrated the home video release of “Oppenheimer” by looking back at the film’s surprisingly successful theatrical run — and what it may mean for Hollywood. No one in the industry expected that a long, talky, R-rated drama released at the height of the summer movie season would earn over $900 million at the box office. Nolan deflected Bond rumors, called the Hollywood strikes “a very necessary realignment” — and considered the future of artificial intelligence in filmmaking.

Protesters against the war in Gaza — wearing black-and-white keffiyehs, watermelon yarmulkes, suits and ties, some splattered with fake blood — have shut down a major traffic artery in Hollywood about a mile (1.6 km) from the Dolby Theatre.

Flanked by palm trees along Sunset Boulevard, demonstrators are holding signs reading “While you’re watching, bombs are dropping” and “Eyes on Rafah,” a city on southern Gaza’s border with more than 1 million displaced residents.

The coalition of activist groups, including Jewish Voice for Peace and SAG-AFTRA Members for Ceasefire, drew attention to the ongoing violence at the start of Ramadan.

Many surprises await during the show including some special guests during the in memoriam.

Also lips are sealed on specifics around Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” performance but a person close to production who requested anonymity said “it’s a lot of people to fit on that stage.” Elsewhere Simu Liu made way down the carpet as fans in the bleachers shouted “Hi, Ken!”

Director Wim Wenders of “Perfect Days” arrived with his wife, Donata Wenders, who is wearing a dress made of VHS videotape of some of his movies.

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor and senior vice president, is attending the Oscars for the first time in support of the nominated “20 Days in Mariupol.” She will be providing occasional updates from a guest’s perspective:

Behind the red carpet you see celebrities and nominees walking on television is the secondary red carpet for, well, everyone else.

It’s a lower-stakes situation. No photographers, no reporters asking what you’re wearing — and no accessing the main carpet!

Associated Press journalist Mstyslav Chernov is in Los Angeles as the movie he risked his life to produce is up for an Academy Award — but he says his heart is in Ukraine with other cities being bombed.

“20 Days in Mariupol” is being honored in the documentary category. Chernov says it’s a movie about “tough things” but it’s also “important to show the real picture” of life in Ukraine. He says it’s been inspiring to meet the other nominees in the documentary category.

Laverne Cox, working the carpet for E!, is the epitome of Old Hollywood glam in an hourglass look of black and low-plunging gold, her hair piled high as she flutters a feather-light neck piece that trails behind. Her look is vintage Mugler.

Last year’s best picture and director winners Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” are getting quite the different Oscar experience this year and finding it’s kind of nice.

“We’re back on the circuit,” Scheinert said. “It’s really chill to be here and not have anything at stake.”

Kwan meanwhile was taking in the spectacle and appreciating the “Godzilla Minus One” team’s mini monster toys.

“Oppenheimer” actor Jack Quaid (and proud member of the Oppenhomie group chat) decided to bypass interviews but still have a nice shoutout to some fawning fans in the bleachers.

“Jack, we love you!” one shouted.

“Thank you, you’re the best,” Quaid, who co-presented the nominees, responded.

Red, an “It” color of the awards season, has some early enthusiasts as arrivals are heating up.

The braintrust behind “Bobi Wine: The People’s President” took to the red carpet obviously unsure if they’d win the Oscar for best documentary feature film.

They were already happy, though. Simply telling the story of Wine — a popular Ugandan singer who ran unsuccessfully for president in 2021, losing to President Yoweri Museveni in an election Wine claimed was rigged against him — was reason enough to celebrate.

“Needless to say, being nominated for an Oscar is the highest accolade possible,” producer John Battsek said. “It brings this story to the world’s gaze, and that’s what we want.”

Erika Alexander of “American Fiction” is wearing a white strapless gown with a black skirt trimmed in pastel tulle. The designer, Christian Siriano, said it was made in a miraculous four days.

Filmmaker David Leitch doesn’t have a movie at the Oscars this year, but he was invited to attend for a very special reason: During the show, there is going to be a special celebration of the art of stunts.

He and many others have been long lobbying for a stunt award to be added to the Oscars. Though this isn’t quite a golden statuette, it is a gesture to one of filmmaking’s most essential crafts.

In Leitch’s upcoming film “The Fall Guy,” Ryan Gosling plays a stuntman.

The carpet has only been open for about an hour, but it’s already star-studded. Stay tuned for more photos of the night’s best looks.

More than 1,000 costumes went into the period drama “Oppenheimer,” which details the making of the first nuclear weapons.

The movie’s costume designer Ellen Mirojnick told the AP on the red carpet ahead of the awards ceremony that the costumes were sourced from across the U.S. and Europe. She’s nominated in the costume design category.

She made her own fashion statement with long black leather gloves that went over her elbows and had gold nails for fingers.

The AP team has arrived at the Oscars.

American Fiction” composer Laura Karpman, head to toe in silver sequins, got the fan section especially excited, tossing Cadbury eggs to several lucky onlookers. Nominated this year for original score, Karpman last year wore a dress with Christine Blasey Ford’s congressional testimony.

Elsewhere, “Oppenheimer” cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema made a quiet entrance in some comfortable but festive silver sneakers. He’s expected to win in his category later.

Throughout the billion-dollar “Barbie,” an instrumental version of Billie Eilish’s hit “What Was I Made For?” weaves in and out, soundtracking the famous doll’s existential crisis. In the final scene — no spoilers! — Eilish’s falsetto is finally heard atop the familiar piano. Cue the waterworks. It is one of many standout musical moments in a movie stacked with them: The music of “Barbie” has become its own blockbuster, selling 126,000 copies in its first week and debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 200 albums chart.

“Barbie” music has also earned three Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe and two Academy Award nominations in the original song category – more than any other film. So, is “Barbie” an exception? Or are soundtracks back? It’s … debatable. Read what experts have to say here.

TikTok star Reece Feldman is feeling good on the red carpet at his third Oscars Sunday, but things were a little dicier a few hours ago.

“They couldn’t find my suit,” he said. “I was just sitting there in a robe.”

The wardrobe disaster was soon resolved though and his black, sleeveless Saint Laurent materialized just in time.

Also known as “guywithamoviecamera,” Feldman has over 2.3 million followers on TikTok.

Mark Ruffalo’s fourth Oscar nomination in the supporting actor category comes for “Poor Things.” The 56-year-old star spoke with the AP about passion projects, breaking out of boxes as an actor, and why the Yiddish theatre informed his blending of art and political activism.

The event at the Beverly Hilton is a warm, feel-good affair where nominees in categories like best animated short get to rub shoulders and share tables with acting nominees like Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

Casts gather alongside dozens of the famous and less so for handshakes, hugs, a huge group picture and instructions on nailing an acceptance speech. They also do interviews with attending press.

▶ Read more from last month’s luncheon.

Take a look at some of the most talked about omissions from this year’s Oscar nominations — and the surprises:

• The bar for “Barbie”: Greta Gerwig was shut out of best director, though she has a shot at the adapted screenplay Oscar. Margot Robbie was left out of best actress, though she’ll get an Oscar if her production wins best picture. Ryan Gosling, who did make the cut for supporting actor, criticized their snubs.
• Academy still disappoints with Black women: Ava DuVernay’s “Origin” was completely overlooked. Halle Berry will continue to be the only Black woman to win best actress after “The Color Purple’s” Fantasia Barrino also missed out on a nomination.
• The “May December” gap: The lone nomination for Todd Haynes’ critically lauded movie was for Samy Burch’s original screenplay. Charles Melton won many accolades for his heartbreaking performance as the victim of an older woman’s grooming, but missed out on an Oscar nod.
  ▶ Read more about Melton’s breakthrough year.
• Farewell foreign features: The international feature category always has some heartbreakers: This year, Aki Kaurismäki’s acclaimed deadpan romantic comedy “Fallen Leaves” looked like it could have been a shoo-in for the Oscars, but it and France’s selection “The Taste of Things,” were shut out.

▶ See more snubs and surprises.

The Oscars are kicking off an hour earlier this year. The ceremony starts at 7 p.m. Eastern — but make sure those clocks are set right. Daylight saving time starts Sunday.

One of the show’s executive producers tells the AP that the earlier start time means people won’t be forced to stay up so late to find out the best picture winner, traditionally the last award given out.

Julie Pace, AP’s executive editor and senior vice president, is attending the Oscars for the first time in support of the nominated “20 Days in Mariupol.” She will be providing occasional updates from a guest’s perspective:

Two years ago, a team of AP journalists was in Mariupol documenting Russia’s siege of the Ukrainian port city. Today, they’re at the Oscars, where their film “20 Days in Mariupol” is nominated for best documentary. The film was a collaboration between AP and PBS’ “Frontline.”

This is our first Oscar nomination in the AP’s 178-year history, and the cap to an incredible run of awards for the film. It’s always a bit surreal for the team to be at these celebrations, given the serious nature of the film and the ongoing war in Ukraine, their home country. But they hope it’s an occasion to draw attention to the people of Ukraine and the war.

With an earlier start time for the telecast, the Oscars red carpet will begin at 3:30 p.m. Eastern/12:30 p.m. Pacific.

The Associated Press will have a livestream of stars’ arrivals and interviews in a pair of livestreams available on APNews.com and YouTube.

ABC will air its “Countdown to Oscars: On the Red Carpet Live!” beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern on ABC News Live.

Just before 10 a.m. PDT, a small group of demonstrators were chanting “Free Palestine” a block north of the Dolby Theatre, on Franklin Street.

While anti-war protests have been muted during this awards season, organizers have called a rally for 1 p.m. near the site of the Oscars, too.

The Osage singers and dancers made a grand entrance down the steps of the Dolby Theatre red carpet, posing solemnly for a photos, bedecked in colorful, traditional garb.

Onlookers could be heard saying “Wow” in awe. Their departure back up the stairs was just as musical, with bells wrapped around their knees. They’re performing the nominated song from “Killers of the Flower Moon” live on the show.

The long, textiled stretch upon which celebrities trod is colloquially known as a “red carpet,” but lately not all have actually been … red.

Earlier this year, the Emmys opted for a gray — or silver, if you’d prefer — carpet. And last year, the Oscars bucked decades of tradition by unfurling a champagne carpet.

This year, though, it’s back to tradition. Red, it is.

Watch what it’s like to walk the red carpet at the 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

With four hours until the Oscars telecast kicks off, you have time to watch at least one Oscar nominee — yes, even “Killers of the Flower Moon.” (It’s only 3 hours and 26 minutes.) Here’s our guide on how and where to find the Oscar-nominated films.

Danielle Brooks wants to “change the game.” Her performance in Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple” wowed critics and earned a best supporting actress nod from Academy Awards voters. Now the 34-year-old actor is basking in the glow of Hollywood’s awards season — and preparing for the Oscars ceremony on March 10. (Feb. 23)

Trick question! While the Oscars announced they’d be adding an award for casting directors last month, the first statuette won’t be handed out until 2026.

▶ Read more about the casting Oscar.

Old age may be debated as a liability on the presidential campaign trail, but not at this year’s Oscars.

Hayao Miyazaki, 83, who fought through his concerns to make “The Boy and the Heron,” is the oldest director ever nominated for best animated film. If he wins, he’ll be the oldest winner by more than two decades. “Napoleon,” nominated for visual effects and production design, is the latest from 86-year-old workaholic Ridley Scott. Wim Wenders, 78, put out one of his very best films in “Perfect Days” (nominated for best international film).

And, of course, Martin Scorsese, 81, had the Osage epic “Killers of the Flower Moon,” up for 10 Oscars. Scorsese is the oldest filmmaker ever nominated for best director. At the recent Producers Guild Awards, where he was given a lifetime achievement award, Scorsese recalled seeing Alfred Hitchcock accept the same honor in 1965.

Is “Killers of the Flower Moon” as good as “Taxi Driver” or “Goodfellas”? That’s a hard question to answer and maybe not the right one to ask. Is it essential? Unquestionably.

▶ Read more from our feature on the renaissance of older filmmakers.

“Barbie” director Greta Gerwig spoke with The Associated Press about the unexpected emotional punch of the movie, her roots in theatre and her sets using using all of the pink paint. (July 10)

As 2023 drew to a close, no one sounded the death knell of the superhero movie. The Walt Disney Co.’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” made $845.6 million worldwide and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” ($691 million) was one of the most acclaimed films of the year. Marvel is still mightier than any other brand in the business.

But more than ever before, there are chinks in the armor of the superhero movie. Its dominance in popular culture is no longer quite so assured. A cycle may be turning, and a new one dawning.

For the first time in more than two decades, the top three movies at the box office didn’t include one sequel or remake: “Barbie,” “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Oppenheimer.” The last time that happened was 2001, when “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Shrek” and “Monsters, Inc.” topped the box office.

No, it’s not exactly a lineup of originality like, say, 1973, when “The Exorcist, “The Sting” and “American Graffiti” led all movies in ticket sales. “Barbie” and “The Super Mario Bros.,” based on some of the most familiar brands in the world, will generate spinoffs and sequels of their own.

But it’s hard not to sense a shift in moviegoing, one that might have reverberations for years to come for Hollywood.

▶ Read more about what the success of “Barbie” and the struggles of Marvel say about the state of cinema and the box office.

The casts of many Oscar-nominated films, from “Barbie” to “Oppenheimer,” gathered Monday for the annual Academy Award nominees luncheon. Oscar hopefuls came together for hugs, congratulations and a class photo. (Feb. 13)

The Associated Press’ Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle’s picked the best movies of 2023. How did they stack up against the 10 nominees for the best picture Oscar?

Lindsey’s picks:

1. “Oppenheimer” ✅
2. “The Zone of Interest” ✅
3. “Priscilla”
4. “Asteroid City”
5. “May December”
6. “Fallen Leaves”
7. “The Holdovers” ✅
8. “Poor Things” ✅
9. “A Thousand and One”
10. “Bottoms”

Jake’s picks:

1. “Fallen Leaves”
2. “The Holdovers” ✅
3. “The Eight Mountains”
4. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”
5. “Perfect Days”
6. “Origin”
7. “Barbie” ✅
8. “La Chimera”
9. “All of Us Strangers”
10. “Tótem”

▶ Read more about Jake and Lindsey’s methods for picking AP’s top films of 2023.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, nominated for “The Holdovers,” is widely considered the frontrunner in the supporting actress category.

The holiday season might be behind us, but it’s never too late to get the movie buffs in your life a present — or to treat yourself.

Among our recommendations:

• A 479-page book by Sofia Coppola
• Artistic interpretations of Hollywood marketing materials from Polish Film Posters
• A Criterion Channel subscription
• The Cinephile card game
• “Oppenheimer” in 4K

▶ Find more recommendations and details in our gift guide.

Need help filling out your Oscars ballot? With the 96th Academy Awards nigh, check out The Associated Press’ predictions on who and which films will win at this year’s ceremony.

Steven Spielberg may be an Oscars veteran but that doesn’t mean he’s not superstitious about some things.

At rehearsals for presenters on Saturday, Spielberg went “off script” and announced a winner for a 1976 film. (While we can’t reveal what he said exactly, it was a real nominee at the 49th Academy Awards, but it did not win.)

When a stage manager told him that he needed to read the “for this rehearsal only” winners card, Spielberg shook his head: “No, because it’s bad luck.”

Oscars organizers have rolled out the red carpet in Hollywood ahead of Sunday’s ceremony. Jimmy Kimmel is hosting the 96th Academy Awards, which will air live on ABC in the U.S. (March 6)

The very online showdown between Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” all started with a date: July 21.

It’s not uncommon for studios to counterprogram films in different genres on a big weekend, but the stark differences between an intense, serious-minded picture about the man who oversaw the development of the atomic bomb and a lighthearted, candy-colored anthropomorphizing of a childhood doll quickly became the stuff of viral fodder.

There’s even some disagreement over whether it’s “Barbieheimer” or “Barbenheimer” or “Boppenheimer” or yet another tortured portmanteau — a phenomenon on which the AP Stylebook has yet to offer guidance.

▶ Read more about the marketing behind the Barbenheimer phenomenon.

Tonight’s Oscars cap the story of 2023, at the movies. It was the year of “Barbenheimer,” the dual Hollywood strikes, and some unexpected hits at the box office.