Ten keys to enjoy the Oscars and forget Will Smith’s slap

The Oscar celebrate their 95th edition at the Dolby Theater in The Angels this Sunday and, although many still remember Will Smith’s famous slap in the face, there are plenty of reasons to think that the Hollywood Academy has turned the page and that this installment will shine by itself.

These are the ten keys to enjoying the Oscars 2023:

1. SLAP WHAT SLAP?

The organizing entity of the Oscars has done everything possible to leave behind the episode of the slap and, in order to prevent the same thing from happening again at a gala, it has created for the first time in its history an acting team to solve crisis or similar unforeseen events, although it has not provided details on how it will work.

For now, Smith will not be at the gala this year or the next after the Hollywood Academy banned him from any of its events in the next decade.

Smith’s slap to comedian Chris Rock for joking about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith’s alopecia, overshadowed last year’s ceremony, with gala officials acknowledging that “The management of the situation was not up to the task.”

2. FROM BIG BUDGET FILMS TO AUTHOR CINEMA

This year’s best film category reveals a heterogeneous panorama in which big-budget films (“Avatar”), indie hits (“Everything Everywhere All At Once”), films by cult directors (“The Fabelmans”) coexist. and author productions available on platforms (“The Banshees of Inisherin”).

3. AN EDITION MARKED BY RETURNS

How can we not remember the clumsy Brendan Fraser from “George of the Jungle” or the likeable Ke Huy Quan from “The Goonies”? The most nostalgic are in luck because they both come out of ostracism and return to Hollywood.

The former returns thanks to his best actor nomination for “The Whale,” while the latter does the same in the supporting actor category for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”

In addition, the iconic Jamie Lee Curtis, who is nominated for best supporting actress for her role in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”, also returns to the spotlight.

4. FIVE DEBUTANTS IN THE BEST ACTOR CATEGORY

For the first time since 1935, all five Best Actor finalists are newcomers: Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Bill Nighy (“Living”), Paul Mescal (“Aftersun ”) and the aforementioned Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) debut at the Oscars.

5. DISCREET LATINO REPRESENTATION

Latino representation this year is reduced to the Spanish-Cuban Ana de Armas (“Blonde”) in the best actress category; the Mexican Guillermo del Toro, with his adaptation of “Pinocchio”, nominated for best animated film; and his compatriot Alfonso Cuarón, with “Le Pupille”, a candidate for best short film.

Likewise, the film “Argentina, 1985″, by Santiago Mitre, will compete in the category of best international film.

6. KIDMAN, BANDERAS, HAYEK… AND JIMMY KIMMEL AS A PRESENTER

This installment will be presented by established stars in Hollywood such as Nicole Kidman, Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek or Glenn Close, as well as figures who have become more important in the last decade, such as Ariana DeBose, Andrew Garfield or Jessica Chastain, among others.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel returns to emcee after taking over the role in the 2017 and 2018 installments.

7. RIHANNA, LEADING MUSICAL PERFORMANCES

Rihanna, who returned to perform at the break of the last Super BowAfter six years without offering live shows, he will also be at the Oscars performing the song “Lift Me Up” of the movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”nominated this year.

Lenny Kravitz will also participate in the musical part of the ceremony, with a tribute to the members of the film industry who died this year; pop artist Sofia Carson; the singer and guitarist David Byrne, or the singer-songwriter and composer Diane Warren.

8. MICHAEL J. FOX AND PETER WEIR, AMONG THE 2023 HONORARY AWARDS

Warren herself has been one of the personalities chosen to receive the honorary golden statuette -Governors Awards- for her contributions to the film industry.

These awards were presented at a previous gala held in November and were also awarded to filmmakers Peter Weir and Euzhan Palcy, and actor Michael J. Fox, who received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Governors Awards.

9. A CHAMPAGNE CARPET AND NOT RED

For the first time in more than sixty years, the stars invited to the gala will walk a champagne-colored carpet, and not red, before entering the Dolby Theater.

10. IMPROVING AUDIENCE RECORDS, A FUNDAMENTAL TASK

The 95th edition of the Oscars will begin at 5:00 p.m. local time on Sunday (1:00 GMT on Monday) and will be broadcast for another year in the US by ABC, a chain that has seen audience numbers plummet in recent Two decades.

After reaching 28.9% of American households in 2014, the gala gradually lost interest until reaching bottom in 2021, with a 1.9% audience share, and timidly rising last year, when it reached 3 .8% audience rating.

Source: EFE