It’s the biggest night in the film calendar, full of Hollywood glamour, endless celebrities, and of course a whole haul of little gold men.
It’s been a year of two halves – with months-long industry strikes followed by the viral phenomenon that was Barbenheimer re-invigorating the movie world.
Image: The little gold men. Pic: Reuters
Now, as we approach the 96th Annual Academy Awards, all eyes are on the films and stars who could be taking home a prize. Here’s everything you can expect from the night.
When and where?
The Oscars – showbiz’s biggest night of the year – takes place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles tonight.
The red carpet kicks off at 7.30pm UK time followed by the celebrity-packed ceremony from 11pm UK time.
The whole event will be liveblogged here at Sky News – so you can follow every moment, from the run up to the red carpet, the stars arrival right up to the ceremony and into the Vanity Fair after party.
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The ceremony will air in the UK on ITV.
Is there a theme?
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This year, organisers say the show’s all about human connection, with a focus on emotion and creativity.
Image: Oscars red carpet is rolled out in Hollywood ahead of Sunday’s ceremony
They have promised “something special and beautiful” during the In Memoriam section, which will honour stars of the industry – both in front of and behind the camera – we have lost in the last year.
They also hinted at some unexpected guests on the night, advising fans to look out for “reunions, acknowledgements of the past and surprise cameos”.
Who’s hosting?
The ceremony’s hosted for the fourth time by late-night, US talk show host Jimmy Kimmel.
Image: Jimmy Kimmel at the 95th Academy Awards. Pic: Reuters/Carlos Barria
Academy Award bosses have described him as “relaxed and comfortable” in the role (as well he should be after three previous outings). They also said he gets involved with the whole process of the show, “working for months” and even helping choose presenters.
The 56-year-old previously hosted in 2017, 2018 and 2023 – so he should be prepped and ready for any unexpected events, having made it through 2017’s infamous La La Land and Moonlight best picture announcement mix-up.
He wasn’t there to witness Will Smith’s equally infamous slapping of comedian Chris Rock in 2022, with the show hosted by Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes that year.
What films are up for awards?
Oppenheimer leads the nominations pack with 13; Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things has 11; Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon has 10 and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has eight.
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1:29
Oppenheimer is favourite to win best picture
Of course, last summer was really a tale of just two films – thanks to Oppenheimer and Barbie’s same-day release the unexpected portmanteau “Barbenheimer” became a thing and provided a welcome boost to the summer box office after months of industry strikes.
While Barbie won the box office battle with $1.4bn (£1.1bn) in global ticket sales, Oppenheimer is the clear leader for the best picture trophy.
The movie about the race to build the atomic bomb has taken the top prizes at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards and BAFTAs.
Could there be any upsets on the night?
Could anything actually derail Oppenheimer from being the big winner of the night?
Image: Christopher Nolan. Pic: Kate Green/BAFTA/Getty
Christopher Nolan – who is one of Britain’s most commercially successful filmmakers – has never won an Oscar, despite being nominated for best picture twice before (for Inception and Dunkirk).
It’s definitely unlikely, but if Martin Scorsese, who’s 81, pipped him to it for Killers Of A Flower Moon he’d make history as the oldest best director winner.
In the best actor race it’s Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy in the lead, with The Holdovers leading actor Paul Giamatti also in with a (small) chance.
Neither have won this award before, both give great performances, and both are known for being all-round good guys. However, Murphy’s wins at the SAGS, Globes and BAFTAs mean he’ll probably get it.
Image: Lily Gladstone winning her Golden Globe. Pic: Reuters
Perhaps the only nail-biter of the evening is in the best actress category, where it’s Emma Stone versus Lily Gladstone.
Stone will probably take the prize on the night, but if Gladstone pulls it out of the bag she’d become the first person of Native American heritage to ever win an acting Oscar.
Meanwhile, if Sandra Huller wins instead, and she’s well-deserving after appearing in two of the films up for best picture (Anatomy Of A Fall and Zone Of Interest), she would be the first German-born actor to win the category in more than 60 years.
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Da’Vine Joy Randolph on awards buzz
In the best supporting actress category, Da’Vine Joy Randolph is a shoo-in, while if the Oppenheimer charm holds Robert Downey Jr will take best supporting actor (his closest competition is Barbie’s Ryan Gosling).
Both Randolph and Downey Jr would be first-time Oscar winners.
And while Oppenheimer will almost certainly bag best picture, should Anatomy Of A Fall, Zone Of Interest or Past Lives get the gong, it would mark only the second time ever that a non-English language film has won a feat first achieved by Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite in 2020.
Any snubs we should know about?
Barbie may have got eight nods, but it’s star – Margot Robbie – and director – Greta Gerwig – were left out in the cold when it came to nominations in the best actress and best director categories.
Image: Gosling, Robbie, and Gerwig on the set of Barbie. Pic: Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros via AP
The omissions led some to claim it’s a case of life imitating art, with the misogyny of the movie mirrored in the industry snub.
Their Barbie co-star Gosling called it “disappointing,” adding that while he was “honoured” to be nominated for best supporting actor for “portraying a plastic doll named Ken, there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie”.
Who’s presenting the awards?
Dune star Zendaya will join Academy Award-winner Al Pacino and three-time nominee Michelle Pfeiffer as presenters on the night (not together).
Image: Zendaya. Pic: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
And as tradition dictates, last year’s four acting winners will also come back to present at the show: Brendan Fraser from The Whale, and Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis from Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Other celebrities set to grace the Dolby stage include Bad Bunny, Rita Moreno, Matthew McConaughey, Chris Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Keaton, Regina King, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate McKinnon, John Mulaney, Catherine O’Hara, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Lange, Nicolas Cage, Mahershala Ali, Sam Rockwell, Lupita Nyong’o and Ramy Youssef.
Will there be live performances?
There most certainly will. All five original song nominees will be performed on the show, which means we can look forward to Ryan Gosling singing power ballad I’m Just Ken and Billie Eilish singing What Was I Made For, which she co-wrote with her brother Finneas.
Image: Ryan Gosling. Pic: AP
The other nominated songs include Diane Warren’s The Fire Inside, from Flamin’ Hot, which will be performed by Becky G, Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson’s It Never Went Away from American Symphony, and Scott George’s Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) from Killers Of The Flower Moon.
Check back on the Sky News website from around 4pm on Sunday night to follow the entire event on the Oscars liveblog.
The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo will be among the stars headlining Glastonbury Festival this year, it has been announced.
Glastonbury organisers have revealed the line-up for this summer’s event, taking place between 25 June and 29 June, after months of speculation.
The 1975 will take to the iconic Pyramid Stage on the Friday to headline, then Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young will perform on Saturday and Olivia Rodrigo on the Sunday.
Other big names performing include British pop sensation Charli XCX, rapper Loyle Carner electronic group The Prodigy.
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Young’s announcement in January came amid some confusion, as he had days before told fans he was pulling out of the festival because the BBC’s involvement was a “corporate turn-off”.
The Canadian singer-songwriter later said this decision was down to “an error in the information I received”.
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The 1975 will be headlining for the first time, having made their Glastonbury debut in 2014.
The Cheshire band, known for hits such as Somebody Else and Chocolate, have regularly made headlines due to the antics of frontman Matty Healy.
Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the summer, has worked closely with the BBC – its exclusive broadcast partner – since 1997.
Image: Neil Young performing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival last May. Pic: Amy Harris/Invision/AP
Appetite for the esteemed festival saw standard tickets sell out in 35 minutes in November.
They cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, up £18.50 from the price from the 2024 festival, and were sold exclusively through the See Tickets website.
The date for the resale – where tickets not fully paid for are put back up for purchase – is set for some time in spring.
The headliners last summer on the iconic Pyramid Stage were Dua Lipa, SZA and Coldplay, who made history as the first act to headline the festival five times.
2026 is likely to be a year off for Glastonbury, with the festival traditionally taking place four out of every five years, and the fifth year reserved for rehabilitation of the land.
Ofcom received 825 complaints over the Brit Awards, with the majority relating to Sabrina Carpenter’s raunchy performance and Charli XCX’s outfit, the media watchdog says.
US pop star Carpenter, 25, sported a red sparkly military-style blazer dress for her performance at the awards show on Saturday night, paired with stockings and suspenders for a rendition of Espresso.
The song was mixed with a Rule Britannia mash-up, as dancers in military parade dress followed her.
She then switched to a red sparkly bra and shorts for her next song, Bad Chem, which she performed alongside dancers in bras and shorts while sitting suggestively on a large bed.
Image: Sabrina Carpenter performing her second song. Pic: Reuters
Carpenter later received the global success award at the ceremony, and was also nominated in the international artist and international song of the year categories.
But much of the buzz on social media surrounded her performance, which took place before the 9pm watershed.
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The singer addressed the concerns during her acceptance speech for artist of the year, saying: “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples. I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”
Carpenter paid tribute to the UK in her acceptance speech, saying: “The Brits have given me this award, and this feels like such an insane honour in a very primarily tea-drinking country… you really understood my dry sense of humour because your sense of humour is so, so dry. So I love y’all more than you even understand.”
Actor Noel Clarke begins his High Court libel case against The Guardian’s publisher today.
Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over a series of articles it published about him in April 2021.
They were based on the claims of 20 women Clarke knew “in a professional capacity” who allege his behaviour towards them amounted to sexual misconduct.
Clarke, known for his roles in the Kidulthood trilogy and Dr Who, “vehemently” denies “any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing”.
What will the trial cover?
Clarke is suing GNM for libel, sometimes also referred to as defamation.
It’s a civil tort – not a criminal offence – defined as false written statements that have damaged the person’s reputation. This means Clarke can seek redress or damages but no one will face charges or prison.
Clarke claims the articles The Guardian published in 2021 altered public opinion of him, damaged his reputation, and lost him work.
He said after the allegations emerged: “In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.
“If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.”
The Guardian is defending the claim on the basis of truth and public interest.
It said in its statement: “Our reporting on Noel Clarke in 2021 was based on the accounts of 20 brave women. After we published our first article, more women came forward.
“At trial, 32 witnesses are set to testify against Mr Clarke under oath. We look forward to a judge hearing the evidence.”
The trial will only focus on liability – not the amount of damages to be paid if Clarke is successful.
The actor tried and failed to get the case struck out in January, with his legal team saying it had “overwhelming evidence” of “perversion of the course of justice”.
His lawyers told the High Court three of the journalists involved in the articles had “deliberately and permanently” deleted messages, which meant he could not get a fair trial.
Lawyers for GNM told the court there was “no adequate evidential basis” for Clarke’s application for a strike out and said it sought “to smear Guardian journalists and editors without any proper justification”.
The trial, which will be presided over by judge Mrs Justice Steyn, is expected to last between four and six weeks.
Image: In July 2015. Pic: PA
What has happened since the articles were published?
A month before the articles about him were published in April 2021, Clarke received BAFTA’s outstanding contribution to British cinema award.
However, once the allegations against him emerged, he was suspended by the organisation and the prize rescinded.
His management and production company 42M&P told Sky News they were no longer representing him and Sky cancelled its TV show Bulletproof, starring Clarke and Top Boy actor Ashley Walters as the lead roles.
ITV also decided to pull the finale of another of his dramas, Viewpoint, following the Guardian articles.
The Met Police looked into the allegations against Clarke for any potential criminal wrongdoing, but in March 2022 announced they “did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation”.
Clarke filed the libel claim the following month and has attended several of the preliminary hearings in person.
He says he has faced a “trial by media” – and that the ordeal has left him suicidal and in need of professional help.
Image: At the UK premiere of Kidulthood in London’s Leicester Square in 2006. Pic: PA
‘Rising star’
Clarke made his TV debut in a revived version of Auf Wiedersehen Pet in 2002.
Soon after he played Mickey Smith in Dr Who and Kwame in the six-part Channel 4 series Metrosexuality.
He wrote and starred in the film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood, and Brotherhood, which were based in west London, where he grew up, and explored the lives of a group of teenagers given time off school after a bullied classmate takes their own life.
It was a box office success and eventually saw Clarke given BAFTA’s rising star prize in 2009.
Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.