Oscars 2019: Two Aussies up for an Academy Award on a night which is set to be the weirdest yet

The Oscars will get underway after months of setbacks and scandals, and there are two Australians who are hoping to get an Academy Award.

The Oscars will get underway today (MONDAY) after months of controversy, and there are two Australians who are hoping to get an Academy Award.

They’re not actors — they’re some of the key players behind the scenes of the film The Favourite, which has received 10 nominations.

Sydney-born, Adelaide-raised production designer Fiona Crombie is nominated for the film in the Production Design category.

Since being nominated, she has just signed a deal to work on a major upcoming Hollywood studio film.

“It is massive,” Crombie, discussing her next project with AAP in Los Angeles.

“It’s my first big studio film.”

The deal is so fresh Crombie couldn’t reveal the film’s title, but felt sure it was her Oscar nomination for The Favourite that put her on Hollywood’s radar.

The London-based mother-of-two is using her days in LA ahead of the Oscars to meet with other Hollywood powerbrokers, with other films in the works.

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Winners of the Production Design award, Alice Felton and Fiona Crombie pose in the press room during the EE British Academy Film Awards. Picture: Getty

“Yes, it absolutely has paid off, that’s for sure,” Crombie laughed when asked if an Oscar nomination was a good career move.

Crombie and English set decorator Alice Felton are favourites to claim the production design Oscar. They recently took out a BAFTA for production design.

Australia’s other contender is Victorian-born Tony McNamara, the screenwriter for The Favourite.

McNamara who is Crombie’s good friend, is a frontrunner for an Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay.

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge meets Olivia Colman, and director Yorgas Lanthimos, 2nd right, and writer Tony McNamara, right, at the EE British Academy Film Awards. Picture: Getty

In Australia, his television writing credits include The Secret Life of Us, Love My Way, Spirited, Offspring, Tangle and Puberty Blues.

The Favourite centres on the relationship between two cousins, played by Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, competing for Queen Anne’s affections.

Since McNamara was hired to work on Deborah Davis‘s draft of the script, they have recently won the BAFTA Award for their original script and The Favourite also won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film.

Last month they also earned nominations at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards.

Winners of Original Screenplay award for The Favourite, Tony McNamara and Deborah Davis pose in the press room during the EE British Academy Film Awards. Picture: Getty

WACKIEST OSCARS EVER

Awards show watchers say the ceremony may not only have endured one of the event’s most shambolic lead-ups, it’s also the most wide open field in recent memory.

“This is the most beat-up Oscar show that’s not even been done yet,” Pete Hammond, awards editor for Deadline Hollywood tells News Corp Australia.

“Usually they wait until the show runs and then they beat it up, but this is sort of a switch, with one kind of a mistake after another the Academy’s made in losing control of the messaging of this show.”

The first fumble for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences came last August, with the announcement of a popular film category in an effort to boost ratings, which was scrapped after filmmakers complained.

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A scene from Marvel Studios' "Black Panther." The film is nominated for an Oscar for best picture. Picture: AP

In the end, several blockbusters have been nominated as best film this year.

“They didn’t need that popular movie category. They’ve got Black Panther and A Star Is Born, and Bohemian Rhapsody and really well liked movies like Green Book (nominated),” says Hammond.

US actor/comedian Kevin Hart. Picture: Getty

The ceremony is also now hostless, after the months-long search for a compere ended with actor Kevin Hart pulling out when historic homophobic tweets and stand-up material emerged.

While nobody else had stepped forward at the time of writing to take up the role, there were whispers former, well-received host Whoopi Goldberg might make a return to the stage at the Dolby Theatre.

Whoopi Goldberg is not returning to host the Oscars, contrary to rumours. Picture: Supplied

In another snafu, best actress nominee Lady Gaga reportedly said she wouldn’t turn up to sing her Grammy and Emmy award-winning single Shallow with A Star Is Born director and co-star Bradley Cooper, after organisers announced plans to only let the most high profile best-song nominees perform instead of the five nominees.

Lady Gaga will be raising eyebrows on the day. Picture: Getty

Oscars bosses backflipped on that decision — all five will now perform — as well as another controversial call to cut four technical awards from the telecast and edit them back into other parts live show, which drew broad industry criticism.

The song and technical awards calls were made in an effort to shorten the meandering telecast, which organisers had hoped to get down from four to three hours in an attempt to arrest a 19 per cent fall in ratings last year.

“In my opinion, the Academy wrongly reacts to all of the talk about declining ratings,” said Hammond.

Rami Malek in a scene from "Bohemian Rhapsody." Malek is nominated for an Oscar for best actor for his role in the film. Picture: AP

“They shouldn’t panic, sure the ratings are down, but it’s still the highest rated entertainment show of the year, no matter how far the ratings fall down.”

The most recent misstep came earlier this month, when reports emerged that 2018’s acting winners, Allison Janney, Frances McDormand, Gary Oldman, and Sam Rockwell, would not perform the traditional role of handing out awards to this year’s winners.

Like all the other mistakes: “The change wasn’t communicated properly, turning into a PR disaster that burgeoned out of control,” wrote IndieWire’s Anne Thompson.

Actress Allison Janney was caught up in another rumour about the Oscars. Picture: AFP

But with mere hours until the main event, Hammond said it was time to focus on the winners, and that Oscar retained its lustre as Hollywood’s biggest gong.

“It’s been pretty much of a debacle before we see the show, but I have high hopes that the show itself will be good,” said Hammond, who has covered the event since the 1980s.

“If you win the Oscar, it’s the only thing that’s going to be in the headline of your obit. That becomes part of your name. It’s a very prestigious thing to get.”

Originally published as Oscars 2019: Two Aussies up for an Academy Award on a night which is set to be the weirdest yet