94th Academy Awards Livewire

The event less than one one-hundredth of one percent of the world has been waiting for is finally here. The 94th Academy Awards is underway at 8 p.m. Eastern live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Host-less no more, the three-hour ABC broadcast will be emcee’ed by not one but three left-wing celebrities: Actress-comedians Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes and Nine Perfect Strangers star Regina Hall. Like seemingly every Oscars over the last decade, this one is steeped in controversy. Cutting eight awards and acceptance speeches — like hairstyling and makeup — from the live broadcast kicked off backlash with more than 70 Oscar winners, including James Cameron, Kathleen Kennedy, and Guillermo del Toro, warning that the change would turn some nominees into “second-class citizens.”

Those presentations started at 7:00 p.m. and will be edited into a broadcast that producer Will Packer has promised will be a tight three hours.

There were reports that host Amy Schumer lobbied to land a speaking segment to feature Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It’s unclear if that will happen but actor Sean Penn called for a broadcast boycott if Zelenskyy doesn’t make an appearance. Show producer Will Packer has said the war in Ukraine will be respectfully acknowledged during the broadcast.

Sean Penn called for a boycott of the Oscars and promised to publicly melt his statuette if Zelenskyy was not allowed to speak at the ceremony. pic.twitter.com/Jfpdx9idIE

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 27, 2022

As the night’s biggest expected winners, Netflix’s The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion’s gothic western, comes in with a leading 12 nominations and a good chance of snagging the top award. But all the momentum is with Sian Heder’s deaf family drama CODA, which, despite boasting just three nods, is considered the favorite. A win would be a triumph for Apple TV+, which acquired the movie out of the Sundance Film Festival last year and has spent big promoting it to academy members.

But expect the most awards on the night to go to Dune, Denis Villeneuve’s sweeping science fiction epic. It’s the odds-on-favorite to clean up in the technical categories.

One of the biggest questions is how the broadcast will command worldwide attention for a night of Hollywood self-congratulation after two years of a pandemic and while Russia’s war ravages Ukraine. The broadcast — like other awards shows — has seen its ratings fall off a cliff. A decade ago, close to 40 million people were tuning in to watch. In recent years, a broadcast known for sappy speeches soaked in self-obsession has revved up political preaching and elebrity virtue signaling from the awards stage. Last year’s show garnered less the 10 million viewers, a stunning decline from the more than 23 million who watched just a year earlier.

Producers are pulling out all the stops. A throng of Instagram influencers have been brought in to help goad younger viewers to watch ABC’s live telecast. Producers have also lined up a star-studded group of performers including Billie Eilish and Beyoncé to sing nominated songs, while the “Encanto” cast will perform Lin-Manuel Miranda’s breakout hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”

Another ratings Hail Mary: The addition of a new “fan favorite” prize voted for by the public — introduced after popular blockbusters such as Spider Man: No Way Home and Bond flick No Time To Die received only a handful of nominations.

Will any of it work? Only time will tell.

All times Eastern. Latest updates at the top.

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8:00 p.m. — Showtime 

7:58 p.m. — Celebrities are pouring into the Dolby Theater just moments before the show begins.

Últimos detalhes antes de começar a transmissão ao vivo da 94a cerimônia dos prêmios #Oscars @AFPBrasil pic.twitter.com/77xZrbr4Oh

— Paula Ramón (@paulacramon) March 27, 2022

7:07 p.m. — King Richard star Will Smith and his wife actress Jada Pinkett Smith were greeted with screams as they arrived on the red carpet. Will Smith is the strong favorite for best actor for his turn as the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard.”

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have arrived at the #Oscars https://t.co/5EGH4HFqoo pic.twitter.com/bwyLI3ooK5

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 27, 2022

6:44 p.m. — Host Wanda Sykes to expect some “love taps” during her hosting bit. 

@iamwandasykes gives us a sneak peek about what she has in store for us tonight! ὄ #Oscars #OnTheRedCarpet #OscarsRedCarpet pic.twitter.com/vX6eU8PvJj

— On The Red Carpet (@OnTheRedCarpet) March 27, 2022

6:21 p.m. — Halloween star Jamie Lee Curtis hit the red carpet early wearing blue ribbon show says is a way of standing in solidarity with the refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Jamie Lee Curtis explained the meaning behind the blue ribbon she wore on the #Oscars red carpet – “it’s a way of standing with solidarity with the displaced people of the world right now” pic.twitter.com/PQweMW3dst

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 27, 2022

Among the early red carpet arrivals are 94th annual Academy Awards producer Will Packer, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and director Jane Campion, whose Netflix drama The Power of the Dog has a leading 12 nominations, the cast of Best Picture favorite CODA, Dune star Timothée Chalamet, and Jessica Chastain, a nominee for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

Red Carpet — 4:30p.m. — With most COVID-19 restrictions rolled back, the Academy Awards are rolling out the red carpet at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre for the first time since 2019.

Watch below: 

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