The Oscars are in town.

This year the Oscars — the 96th Academy Awards to be specific (almost at 100!) — will be held on Sunday 10 March and hosted by American TV host, comedian, writer and producer, Jimmy Kimmel.

And I can’t wait!

It might not be the most popular view, but I’ve always LOVED the Oscars. It’s my favourite time of the year. The glitz and glam, the celebration … I love it all.

I love it so much that I’ve been known to take days off from work just to stay home to watch the Oscars live. AND when I won the award for “person who studied the most” at our Year 12 Formal, I got up and made an Oscar-esque speech. *Obsessed much!

But I can’t help it.

Ever since my mum took me to see Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in 1991, I’ve been captivated by the magical, mystical world of the cinema.

The bright lights, big screens playing movie previews, the smell of the popcorn wafting through the air … I was hooked from the moment we walked into the movie theatre.

So, naturally, I’ve always been captivated by the Oscars — the Academy Awards — the awards that celebrate all things movies — acting, directing, writing … the music that makes the movies … costume and set design … all of it!

From Céline Dion’s performance of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ in 1998 when she won the Oscar for ‘Best Original Song’ …

Oof, the moment in her performance when she punched her chest and THAT heart diamond necklace … we had a great time laughing at that the next day at school!

Gwyneth Paltrow’s infamous — and yes, a little cringeworthy and unfortunate in that she mentions the disgraced Harvey Weinstein in her opening sentence — acceptance speech for her controversial ‘Best Actress’ Oscar win for her role in 1999’s ‘Shakespeare in Love’ …

Still love Gwyneth and loved her entire look — dress, hair, make up — that year!

That time the wrong film — ‘La La Land’ — was announced for Best Picture (in 2017) … Big oops!

To that ‘Oscars slap’ in 2022 …

One minute Will Smith is seen to be laughing along with Chris Rock’s joke … nek minnit … BAM!

That moment certainly woke me up from my 2AM stupor! I was wide awake after that. (And yes, I got up and ridiculous o’clock that year to view the awards show live!)

I love it all!

So, naturally, this year is no exception.

Although, one thing different this year compared to previous years is that this year I’ve watched most of the Best Picture nominees (I’ve seen 5 of the 10 movies nominated).

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what i think of the best picture nominations

Of the nominated films I’ve seen, my thoughts are:

• ‘Barbie’ – I actually didn’t really rate it (Gasp! I know). Sure, it was fun but it was a little ‘meh’ in my view. And despite popular opinion, I don’t think Margot Robbie should have been nominated for Best Actress (which she wasn’t but there was an uproar about her snub when the nominations were announced). I don’t think her performance was as strong as some of the other actresses in the category, namely Lily Gladstone’s performance in ‘Killer’s of the Flower Moon’. BUT in saying that perhaps Margot could have replaced Annette Bening (‘Nyad’) …? I watched ‘Nyad‘ and I’m not sure it’s Oscar-worthy. Anyhoo! Also, while I didn’t really rate ‘Barbie’, I loved America Ferrar’s monologue: “It is literally impossible to be a woman …” (Ahead of International Woman’s Day, 8 March, let’s raise a glass to that!).

• ‘The Holdovers’ – Sweet, made me cry at the end.
• ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ – Gripping! Great movie — loved the performances and feel Leonardo DiCaprio should have been nominated for Best Actor (that was a bigger Oscars snub than the Barbie fiasco … full list of snubs can be viewed here). Loved the ending during which the film’s director, Martin Scorsese acts in the final radio scene.
• ‘Maestro’ – Found it hard to get into at first … had to watch it in parts because I kept falling asleep … and not because the movie is boring but because I watched it in the first few weeks of bringing Little Miss A home (hello, sleep blinks and sleep deprivation).
• ‘Oppenheimer’ – Loved it! I think this one should will take out ‘Best Picture’. It was a standout! Cillian Murphy should win Best Actor for his role in this film. He was fantastic! … AND I think (given the rest of the award season so far) Robert Downey Jr. will probably take home Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in film, too.

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who i think should win a gold statue …

My picks for this year’s Oscars?

• Best Picture: Oppenheimer (closest contender, Killers of the Flower Moon … the two biggest movies of 2024).
• Best Director: It’ll be between Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon and Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer, I’d say.
• Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer (Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers, was great, too, but Bradley Cooper, Maestro, is the closest contender here, in my view).
• Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer (closest contender, Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon).
• Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon – outstanding! (closest contender, Carey Mulligan, Maestro).
• Best Supporting Actress: Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer (closest contender probably Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers … although, I haven’t seen The Colour Purple, so can’t comment on Danielle Brooks).

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So, roll out the red carpet, open the champagne (sans alcohol for me), slide on the stilettos … the Oscars are in town!

With the time difference, the Oscars will be streamed live in our area at around 2AM Monday morning.

Perfect, given we wake up around 1AM for a nappy change/feed/burp/sleep session with Little Miss A … mummy might stay up to watch the Oscars stream after that …

Well, we’ll see. It’s highly likely I’ll be asleep before the end of the opening mono… zzz!

Whether I stay awake or catch up later that same day, I can’t wait to be swept up by the magic of the Oscars — the glitz and glam, the celebration of arts, creativity and talent — to see who ends up taking home a gold statue, and to see how many of my predictions were correct.

For the full list of Oscars 2024 nominees, click here.

x G.