We’re less than 24 hours from Hollywood’s biggest night, and if you haven’t filled out your office or household Oscar pool, time is running out. But first — check out this week’s Variety Awards Circuit Podcast for some final analysis. Awards guru Clayton Davis, along with Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay and Michael Schneider recorded a Mega Roundtable edition this week to share their final thoughts on this year’s races. Listen below!
Will “Oppenheimer” clean up? Probably. But how much? In lead actress, who will win the battle of the stones: Lily Gladstone or Emma Stone? Will “Barbie” pick up anything besides best song?
So many categories to consider, and this week’s episode goes deep on the 23 categories, including the lesser-known ones that will be make or break in your pool.
Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster “Oppenheimer” has clinched every major guild and industry accolade — Golden Globes, Critics Choice, DGA, BAFTA, SAG and PGA — the first movie to have a “perfect season” since “Argo” (2012). The Universal Pictures biopic might match the record set by 1961’s “West Side Story,” which claimed 10 awards, the second most in history.
In the supporting acting categories, Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”) and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”) lead the pack. The lead acting races are a bit more uncertain: Cillian Murphy is the lead thanks to the “Oppenheimer” dominance, but don’t count out Paul Giamatti from “The Holdovers” and Jeffrey Wright from “American Fiction.”
In best actress, Emma Stone’s transformation into a woman with a child’s brain in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” has garnered substantial support, while Lily Gladstone’s groundbreaking win at the SAG Awards for Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” may bring enough momentum to clinch victory in the heat of voting. Don’t count out Sandra Hüller’s turn in French legal thriller “Anatomy of a Fall,” which split votes with Stone among international members, paving the way for Gladstone’s ascent.
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” drew a lukewarm reception at the guild awards, though it appears to be the frontrunner in the original song category, with Billie Eilish’s and Finneas’ Grammy-winning “What Was I Made For?” positioned to claim the prize.
Read Clayton Davis’ full Oscar predictions here. And listen above for everyone else’s! We’ll see you next week to see how right or wrong we really were.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 96th Oscars airs Sunday, March 10, live from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC.
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jenelle Riley, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week, “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post weekly.
