Finally, voting for the 91st Academy Awards has come to a merciful end. Six months of screenings, Q&As, bus shelter ads, talk show appearances, cocktail parties and controversies (oh, so many controversies) have all led to this: a week of everyone overthinking their Oscar predictions. But, before we consider whose dreams will come true and whose dreams will be shattered let’s take a look at some of the exciting things we can look forward to on Sunday and in the weeks to come.
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are finally singing “Shallow” live
Sure, they had a dress rehearsal at Gaga’s Vegas residency, but the Best Actress nominee avoided singing songs from the show during the film’s promotional tour or phase one Oscar campaign (cough, a mistake). Moreover, her Grammy performance last week was clearly an interpretation of Gaga singing her monster hit and not her character from the film, Ally. Frankly, there hasn’t been a musical performance this anticipated since Adele sang “Skyfall.” Let’s hope they don’t screw up the mic this time around.
History will be made somewhere, somehow
Whether “Roma” becomes the first Foreign Language Film to win Best Picture or Glenn Close finally gets an Oscar or “Bohemian Rhapsody” becomes the first Best Picture winner who fired their director, it’s likely history will be made in a number of categories. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” could be Sony Animation’s first Best Animated Feature winner. “Green Book” could become just the fifth film to win Best Picture without a Directing nomination (“Argo” was the last). “Black Panther” could be the first superhero movie to win Best Picture. And considering how crazy this season has ended up there’s got to be a tie somewhere right?
Are we finally getting Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph on the Oscar stage together?
No, they aren’t hosting, but the Golden Globes favorites (actually all three kill wherever they present) have all been announced as presenters. Producers Donna Gigliotti and Glenn Weiss wouldn’t tease us by having them present separately or with other talent, would they? (Wait, don’t answer that).
Emmy season is right around the corner which means…so is “Game of Thrones”
Sure, “Big Little Lies,” “Stranger Things,” “The Crown” and “Handmaid’s Tale” won’t qualify this year, but they all got out of the way for the final season of “Game of Thrones.” Plus, it’s “Veep’s” final season. “Barry” is back this month and another season of “Fleabag” is on the way. And FX’s “Fosse Verdon” looks stellar. “Legion” is wrapping up oh and season 2 of “Killing Eve” too. And have you seen “Russian Doll” yet?
Good movies are coming and quickly
No matter how upset you might be at who wins or loses just realize there are some great movies on the way to make you forget about all that energy you invested on social media for Academy members to ultimately ignore you. The fun as hell thriller “Greta” with Isabelle Huppert having the time of her life opens March 1. “Climax,” my no. 2 film of 2018, finally hits the U.S. on March 1 in limited release. “Captain Marvel” opens on March 8. Julianne Moore is fantastic in “Gloria Bell,” hits in limited release on March 8. Jordan Peele returns with “Us” on Feb. 22 and Tim Burton might redeem himself with “Dumbo” on Feb. 28.
SXSW and Cannes aren’t that far away
Honestly, the non-studio movie premieres at South by Southwest haven’t added up to much over the past couple of years, but the Austin landmark will make some noise for its speakers and it can claim the world premiere of “Us.” Cannes has the opportunity to once again be the kickoff point for awards season with a laundry list of auteurs ready to debut new films in 2019. And, happily, it’s only three months away.
AMPAS will get a new president
That’s right. John Bailey is termed out. And if you want to see some excellent reporting of him getting thrown under the bus by someone in the Academy check out this piece from my friend Anne Thompson. Not only is Bailey gone, but members who weren’t engaged with the organization now want to run for Board of Governors seats or produce the show because they are furious about the Popular Film and telecast controversies. Let’s hope the next Academy president learns to listen to the membership and, most importantly, knows how to communicate with them.
Disney and Fox are finally merging
Yes, it’s actually happening. They swear. Very soon. Actually, as soon as Brazillian regulators give their stamp of approval (or that’s the word). It was possible the announcement was going to come before the Academy Awards, but it looks like it will now take place after. For fans, there is excitement over the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises coming under the Marvel Studios umbrella. And how all of Fox’s franchises can work in the Disney theme park and content landscape could be fun to watch. The bad news is a lot of people will likely lose their jobs. A lot of talented people at that. But, Netflix and Amazon keep hiring so fingers crossed they all land somewhere safe.
And last, but not least…after Monday never seeing these Best Picture movie stills again
Unless there’s a sequel which only one nominee could likely have. Happily, no more of the same three “Roma” shots every site uses (honestly, they were the only ones that worked). No more of Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz or Olivia Coleman starring off into the distance. No more of Viggo Mortensen having to be in almost every single Mahershala Ali from “Green Book.” No more images of Rami Malek and his fake, buck teeth. No more shots of Christian Bale looking eerily like Dick Cheney. No more shots of Adam Driver looking perplexed in “BlacKkKlansman.” Oh, but “Black Panther”? Yeah, sorry. We got sequels coming. You’re gonna see those images used again and again for years. But, that’s cool, right?