Everything you need to know about the 2023 Oscars

ITV News arts editor Nina Nannar is in Hollywood, where the stars are gearing up to hit the champagne carpet - and organisers are hoping for no scandals this year

Hollywood is gearing up for the 95th Academy Awards, where Everything Everywhere All at Once is leading nominations.

The organisers are rolling out the champagne carpet - and hoping to move past “the slap” from last year’s ceremony.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 Oscars, including when they are, where to watch the live show, and the latest controversies to envelop the 95th annual Academy Awards.

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When are the Oscars? The Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 12, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set to begin at 8 pm EST (1am GMT) and be broadcast live on the ABC. How can you watch the Oscars?

You can watch the Oscars ceremony live on Sky Showcase and streaming service NOW on Monday, 13 March from midnight-3am (GMT).

Who's hosting?

Late night host Jimmy Kimmel will host for the third time, since he first fronted the awards show in 2018.

That was also the last Oscars to feature a solo host. The show went hostless for several years after Kimmel’s last outing.

Last year, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes hosted as a trio.

In an ad for this year’s show, styled after “Top Gun: Maverick,” Kimmel made his humble case for being the right person for the job while noting he can’t get slapped because “I cry a lot”. Which movies are nominated for Best Picture?

  • All Quiet on the Western Front

  • Avatar: The Way of Water

  • The Banshees of Inisherin

  • Elvis

  • Everything Everywhere All at Once

  • The Fabelmans

  • Tár

  • Top Gun: Maverick

  • Triangle of Sadness

  • Women Talking

Jimmy Kimmel is scheduled to host the 95th Oscars this weekend. Credit: AP

What else is in store for the show?

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has said that winners to all categories will be announced live on the show. (Last year, some categories were taped in a pre-show, something that caused an uproar among academy members.)

All signs point to a full slate of musical performances, with Rihanna performing Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Kala Bhairava singing M.M. Keeravaani’s Naatu Naatu from RRR.

No official word yet on whether Lady Gaga will sing Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick during the show.

On Monday, show producers announced that Lenny Kravitz will deliver the In Memoriam performance. Who are the favourites?

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s indie sci-fi hit Everything Everywhere All at Once comes in with a leading 11 nominations. Close on its heels, though, is the Irish dark comedy The Banshees of Inisherin with nine nods, a total matched by Netflix’s WWI film All Quiet on the Western Front.

Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) may have a slight edge on Cate Blanchett (Tár) for best actress. Best actor is harder to call, with Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Austin Butler (Elvis) in the mix.

In the supporting categories, Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once) are the frontrunners, though Jamie Lee Curtis’ Screen Actors Guild Awards win may have thrown a wrench into the supporting actress category.

Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) may win his third best director Oscar, though the Daniels may have emerged as the frontrunners.

Will Smith hit presenter Chris Rock on stage while the latter was presenting the award for best documentary feature at the Oscars last year. Credit: AP

Which British stars should you be watching?

Brits are poorly represented in the major categories, but Andrea Riseborough is up for best actress for her performance in To Leslie, while best film nominee All Quiet On The Western Front was written by a Scottish former triathlete.

Suffolk's Charlie Mackesy is in the running for best short film - his book The Boy, The Mole, the Fox and the Horse was adapted into an animation featuring Tom Hollander and Idris Elba.Sir Roger Deakins could win best cinematography for Empire Of Light while Jenny Beavan is up for costume design for Mrs Harris Goes To Paris. What has been causing controversy this awards season?

Aside from the usual snubs and surprises, this year’s biggest to-do has been the debate surrounding Andrea Riseborough’s unexpected nomination for best actress.

Riseborough was nominated for the little-seen Texas-set drama To Leslie” after many A-list stars rallied around her performance. When two other best-actress contenders - Danielle Deadwyler (“Till”) and Viola Davis (“Woman King”) - were snubbed, some saw that as a reflection of racial bias in the film industry.

The academy launched an inquiry into the star-studded, grassroots campaign for Riseborough but found no reason to rescind her nomination.

Andrea Riseborough emerged as a late contender after a host of celebrities rallied around her performance in the little-seen To Leslie. Credit: PA

What else should you look out for?

John Williams (The Fabelmans), up for best score, is the oldest nominee ever, at 90 years old. After historic back-to-back best-director wins by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) and Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), no women were nominated this year for best director.

Also don’t expect to see Will Smith at the Oscars anytime soon. After striking Chris Rock at last year’s ceremony, Smith was banned by the film academy from attending for 10 years.

In a live Netflix special on Saturday, Rock finally punched back at Smith with a blistering stand-up set about the incident.

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