Oscars 2023 - live: Hollywood preps for Academy Awards as Michelle Yeoh, Austin Butler tipped for top prizes
Hollywood is gearing up for the Oscars with the 95th Academy Awards this Sunday 12 March at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Everything Everywhere All at Once has the most nominations and is considered the frontrunner for best picture having won a string of top prizes at the guild awards that precede the Oscars.
Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert are tipped for best director, and former child star Ke Huy Quan is expected to pick up best supporting actor. First-time nominee Michelle Yeoh could also become the first Asian best actress winner.
In a field of ten best picture nominees, Netflix’s German anti-war film All Quiet on the Western Front could sneak an upset having picked up the best film trophy at the BAFTAs.
Host Jimmy Kimmel has said that he will address last year’s “The Slap” incident involving Will Smith and Chris Rock, noting it would be “ridiculous” not to. The academy will have its first-ever “crisis team” in place to react to any similar surprises.
The Independent will have all the latest from the [champagne-coloured] red carpet to the final award, including a performance from Rihanna, nominated for best original song for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
What you need to know
Living writer Kazuo Ishiguro recalls ‘eureka’ Bill Nighy moment
21:27 , Tom Murray
Kazuo Ishiguro and his star Bill Nighy are both Oscar-nominated for Living.
The celebrated Japanese-British author wrote the script for the movie, which was adapted from Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese film Ikiru.
Ishiguro recently revealed that he had the brainwave to cast Nighy in the movie while sharing a taxi with the author.
Ishiguro’s wife, Lorna MacDougall, told her husband: “Just leave Bill alone – he’s got enough work.”
Read more:
Kazuo Ishiguro recalls ‘eureka’ Bill Nighy moment ahead of 2023 Oscars
Woman King director says she’ll ‘never get over’ Oscars snub
20:39 , Tom Murray
Among the biggest snubs at this year’s Oscars was that of The Woman King, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s historical drama starring Viola Davis.
The film follows an elite unit of all-female warriors active in the historical kingdom of Dahomey. Unlike the Golden Globes, Baftas and SAG Awards, Davis was not nominated in the Best Actress category for the Oscars. In fact, the film failed to pick up a single nod.
“I’ll never get over it, because what happened was egregious and... it speaks to such a bigger issue in our industry,” Prince-Bythewood said in a new interview.
Read more:
The Woman King director Gina Prince-Bythewood says she’ll ‘never get over’ Oscar snub
Why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock at the Oscars last year?
19:45 , Tom Murray
Last year was undoubtedly the craziest night in Oscars history. While no one could forget what happened, I’ve written a piece explaining *how* it happened and the ensuing aftermath.
Read more here:
Why did Will Smith slap Chris Rock at the Oscars last year?
Volodymyr Zelensky’s request to speak at this year’s ceremony denied by Oscar bosses: report
19:02 , Tom Murray
The Ukrainian president’s request to deliver an address at this year’s Oscars have reportedly been denied.
According to sources speaking to Variety, WME agent Mike Simpson appealed to the Academy to include Zelensky in its much-anticipated broadcast, but was denied.
The report also states that this is the second year in a row that the president, who was formerly a comedic actor, had made an unsuccessful request to speak at the Oscars.
Read more:
Oscars bosses ‘decline Zelensky’s request to speak at 2023 ceremony’
10 greatest Best Picture winners
18:30 , Oliver O'Connell
But hey, sometimes the academy nails it, and a truly great movie triumphs in the Best Picture category.
The Independent’s Geoffrey Macnab selects 10 films that are considered classic motion pictures to this day.
The best Best Picture winners at the Oscars
The 10 most baffling Oscar wins
18:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Speaking of snubs and surprises, there have been some truly baffling winners over the years.
Helen O’Harra catalogues some of the most bizarre victories and who got bested in each case.
The 10 most baffling wins in Oscars history
This year’s biggest snubs and surprises
17:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Now that we’ve seen who is nominated, who got snubbed and who got a surprise nod from the academy in their category?
Jacob Stolworthy and Louis Chilton take a look at the unexpected in this year’s nominations.
The 7 biggest snubs and surprises in the 2023 Oscar nominations
How is the academy going to handle the fallout from The Slap in 2022?
17:00 , Oliver O'Connell
The unfortunate headline-dominating moment from last year’s ceremony is back on people’s minds as the Oscars draws nearer.
How are organisers handling The Slap?
Annabel Nugent reports.
With Will Smith out, who will present the Oscar for Best Actress?
Who is hosting the ceremony?
16:30 , Oliver O'Connell
Jimmy Kimmel will be returning to front the 95th Oscars in 2023, marking the talk show host’s third time presenting the ceremony.
The late-night talk show host is considered a safe pair of hands to handle the movie industry’s biggest night, however, the first time he hosted is probably still firmly imprinted on the memories of some of Hollywood’s leading stars...
Elli Harrison explains.
Jimmy Kimmel to return as host for 2023 Oscars
Who is nominated in the 2023 Oscars?
16:00 , Oliver O'Connell
Nominations for all 23 categories were announced by Riz Ahmed and M3GAN star Alison Williams.
Leading this year’s pack is Everything Everywhere All at Once, with 11, and German film All Quiet on the Western Front, which follows close behind with 10.
Jacob Stolworthy guides you through the full list:
The 2023 Oscar nominations in full
First up - logistics: When and how to watch
15:43 , Oliver O'Connell
The 95th Academy Awards are on Sunday 12 March at 5pm PT (8pm ET), with the red carpet arrivals expected to begin from around 2pm PT.
As well as following along with us live, here’s how you can watch the entire show in the US and UK.
Welcome to our live coverage of the Oscars 2023
15:38 , Oliver O'Connell
Welcome to The Independent’s rolling coverage of the 95th Annual Academy Awards.
We’ll be taking you through the nominees in all the most-watched categories, priming you with the best in Oscars trivia, and keeping you up to date on the red carpet, controversies, celebrations, touching moments, and of course a full rundown of all the winners.
Stay tuned!
