Oscars 2019: live coverage, updates from the 91st Academy Awards
Experts and film buffs were surprised by Green Book’s victory. But the reason for its triumph could be simple | FULL LIST
Green Book shocked the world, taking best picture at the 91st Academy Awards. All the highlights from the red carpet and the ceremony below.
Oscars shock: How Green Book won best picture.
See the best pictures from the red carpet here.
See a complete list of the award winners here.
4.30pm: Green Book stuns as Colman, Malek win
The segregation-era road-trip drama Green Book was crowned best picture at the 91st Academy Awards, handing Hollywood’s top award to a film seen as a feel-good throwback by some and ridiculed as an outdated inversion of Driving Miss Daisy by others.
In a year where Hollywood could have made history by bestowing best-picture on Netflix (Roma) or Marvel (Black Panther) for the first time, the motion picture academy instead threw its fullest support behind a traditional interracial buddy tale that proved as popular as it was divisive. But Peter Farrelly’s Green Book weathered criticism that it was retrograde and in authentic to triumph over more acclaimed films and bigger box-office successes.
It was an unexpected finale to a brisk, hostless ceremony that was also awash in historic wins for diversity, including Spike Lee’s first competitive Oscar. More women and more individual black nominees won than ever before. Lee, whose Do the Right Thing came out the same year that Driving Miss Daisy won best picture, was among those most visibly upset by the award handed to Green Book. After presenter Julia Roberts announced it, Lee stood up, waved his hands in disgust and appeared to try to leave the Dolby Theatre before returning.
Green Book also won best supporting actor for Mahershala Ali and best original screenplay.
“The whole story is about love,” said Farrelly, a comedy veteran of broad comedies like Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary. “It’s about loving each other despite the differences and find out the truth about who we are. We’re the same people.”
The Oscars otherwise spread awards around for Ryan Coogler’s superhero sensation Black Panther, Alfonso Cuaron’s black-and-white personal epic Roma and the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Backstage, Lee clutched a glass of champagne while reflecting on the 30 years between Driving Miss Daisy and Green Book. “I’m snake bit,” he said, laughing. “Every time somebody’s driving somebody, I lose!” Lee’s win for best adapted screenplay for his white supremacist drama BlacKkKlansman, an award he shared with three co-writers, gave the ceremony its signature moment. The crowd rose in a standing ovation, Lee leapt into the arms of presenter Samuel L. Jackson and even the backstage press room burst into applause.
Lee, whose film including footage of US President Donald Trump following the violent white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, urged mobilisation for the upcoming election.
“Let’s be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love and hate,” said Lee, who was given an honorary Oscar in 2015. “Let’s do the right thing! You knew I had to get that in there.” One of the biggest surprises of the night was in the best actress category. Olivia Colman won for her Queen Anne in the royal romp The Favourite, denying Glenn Close her first Oscar. Close remains the most-nominated living actor never to win, with seven nominations.
“Ooo. It’s genuinely quite stressful,” said a staggered Colman, who later turned to Close to say she was her idol, “And this is not how I wanted it to be.” The night’s co-lead nominee Roma won best director and best cinematography for Cuaron, whose film also notched Mexico’s first foreign language film Oscar. Cuaron and his Three Amigos countrymen — Alejandro Inarritu and Guillermo del Toro, who presented Cuaron with best picture — have had a stranglehold on the category, winning five of the last six years.
Cuaron, who becoming the first director to ever win for serving as his own director of photography, referenced an especially international crop of nominees in one of his three acceptance speeches.
“When asked about the New Wave, Claude Chabrol said there are no waves, there is only the ocean,” said Cuaron, referring to the French filmmaker. “The nominees tonight have proven that we are a part of the same ocean.” The wins for Roma gave Netflix its most significant awards yet but Green Book denied the streaming giant the best-picture win it dearly sought. Netflix remains to some a contentious force in Hollywood, since it largely bypasses theatres. The wins for Black Panther — along with best animated film winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse — meant the first Academy Awards for Marvel, the most consistent blockbuster factor Hollywood has ever seen. The lush, big-budget craft of Black Panther won for Ruth Carter’s costume design, Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart’s production design, and Ludwig Goransson’s score. Beachler had been the first African-American to ever be nominated in the category. Beachler and Carter became just the second and third black women to win non-acting Oscars.
“It just means that we’ve opened the door,” Carter, a veteran costume designer, said backstage. “Finally, the door is wide open.” Two years after winning for his role in Moonlight, Mahershala Ali won again for his supporting performance in Green Book — a role many said was really a lead. Ali is the second black actor to win two Oscars following Denzel Washington, who won for Glory and Training Day. Ali dedicated the award to his grandmother.
Bohemian Rhapsody, which kicked off the ABC telecast with a performance by Queen, won four awards despite pans from many critics and sexual assault allegations against its director, Bryan Singer, who was fired in mid-production for not showing up. Its star, Rami Malek, won best actor for his full-bodied and prosthetic teeth-aided performance, and the film was honoured for editing, sound mixing and sound editing.
“We made a film about a gay man, an immigrant who lived his life unapologetically himself,” said Malek who after the ceremony collapsed and was attended to by medics. “We’re longing for stories like this. I am the son of immigrants from Egypt. I’m a first-generation American, and part of my story is being written right now.” Queen launched Sunday’s ceremony with a medley of hits that gave the awards a distinctly Grammy-like flavour, as Hollywood’s most prestigious ceremony sought to prove that it’s still “champion of the world” after last year’s record-low ratings.
To compensate for a lack of host, the motion picture academy leaned on its presenters, including an ornately outfitted Melissa McCarthy and David Tyree Henry and a Keegan-Michael Key who floated down like Mary Poppins. Following Queen, Tina Fey — alongside Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph — welcomed the Dolby Theatre audience to “the one-millionth Academy Awards.” Rudolph summarised a rocky Oscar preamble that featured numerous missteps and backtracks by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: “There is no host, there won’t be a popular movie category and Mexico is not paying for the wall.” The trio then presented best supporting actress to Regina King for her pained matriarch in Barry Jenkins’ James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk. The crowd gave King a standing ovation for her first Oscar. The inclusivity of the winners stood in stark contrast to the #OscarsSoWhite backlash that marked the 2016 and 2015 Oscars. Since then, the academy has worked to diversify its largely white and male membership, adding several thousand new members and opening the academy up internationally. Still, this year’s nominations were criticised for not including a female best director nominee or a best-picture nominee directed by a woman.
Though the once presumed frontrunner A Star Is Born saw its chances flamed out, it won, as expected, for the song Shallow, which Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performed during the ceremony. As she came off the stage, Cooper had his arm around Gaga as she asked, “Did I nail it?” Best documentary went to Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s Free Solo, which chronicles rock climber Alex Honnold’s famed, free solo ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan, a 3,000-foot wall of sheer granite, without ropes or climbing equipment. Free Solo was among a handful of hugely successful documentaries last year including the nominated Ruth Bader Ginsberg documentary RBG and the snubbed Fred Rogers doc Won’t You Be My Neighbor. “Thank you Alex Honnold for teaching us to believe in the impossible,” said Vasarhelyi. “This film is for everyone who believes in the impossible.” Adam McKay’s Dick Cheney biopic Vice won makeup and hairstyling for its extensive physical transformations. The category was one of the four that the academy initially planned to present during a commercial break and as its winners — Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney — dragged on in alitany of thank-yous, they were the first to have their microphone cut off. To turn around ratings, Oscar producers pledged a shorter show. In the academy’s favour was a popular crop of nominees: Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born and, most of all, Black Panther all amassed huge sums in ticket sales. Typically, when there are box-office hits (like Titanic), more people watch the Oscars.
3.41pm: And the 2019 Oscars go to …
Best actor, best picture, best screenplay. You name it. We have the full list of winners right here.
Glynis Traill-Nash 3.24pm:
And that is, as they say in showbiz, a wrap! I’d like to thank Stephen, and our dedicated digital team (Adrian), for helping to navigate this year’s event. And to Cheezels, for making me lose feeling in my gums.
Stephen Romei 3.18pm:
Thanks Glynis, a pleasure as always. And thanks to Adrian McMurray for putting our random thoughts out there for people to read.
Stephen Romei 3.15pm:
Green Book wins best picture. I suspect that is the preferential voting system coming to the fore. It was probably No 2 on the list of most voters.
They had to vote 1-8. If a movie got more than 50 per cent it would win. Clearly that didn’t happen so the film that came 8th overall got eliminated, from every voter’s list, even if they put it at No 1, and all the others moved up the ladder. So my guess, and that’s all it is, is Green Book was a solid No 2.
This is another Bruce Beresford/Driving Miss Daisy moment. The best picture that directed itself. Peter Farrelly was not nominated as best director yet his film wins best picture.
Green Book is a good movie but part of me can’t help but feel a foreign language film shot in black and white by a pay TV network had a few things against it in Hollywood.
Glynis Traill-Nash 3.14pm:
GREEN BOOK WINS BEST PICTURE! No-one saw that coming.
Glynis Traill-Nash 3.12pm:
Still hoping that Bohemian Rhapsody comes in from behind for a surprise win.
Julia Roberts presents best picture. And yes, she’s in PINK!
Stephen Romei 3.11pm:
Of the 90 movies that have won best picture, 63 also won best director. Good sign for Senor C.
Stephen Romei 3.08pm:
Best director: Cuaron takes Roma to four wins.
As artists our job is to look where others don’t. Very true, Alfonso.
Glynis Traill-Nash 3.03pm:
Ha! I even got teary with Olivia’s weepy hilarious speech. Also, she was bang on with that bow-backed gown. Big bows are a Thing. Big bows on backs are a Double Thing.
Well said, Olivia pic.twitter.com/f2OdGUTLrT
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 25, 2019
Stephen Romei 3.00pm:
Olivia Colman. Definitely the best performance of the nominees.
She’s going to ‘snog’ everyone. This is LA! They’ll think snog is a new designer drug.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.59pm:
OLIVIA WINS BEST ACTRESS!!
Stephen Romei 2.55pm:
Agree 100 per cent.
OK, boasting now. It is Oscars night after all. This, from November.
“When it comes to who will be named best actor at the 91st Academy Awards, put down the glasses. American actor Rami Malek must win for being Freddie Mercury in Bryan Singer’s outstanding rock biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.50pm:
Absolutely — pure, unapologetic, exulted, escapist filmmaking.
Rami also wins speech of the evening.
Stephen Romei 2.45pm:
It’s all Rami, as it should be.
But Willem Dafoe deserves mention for At Eternity’s Gate. A clear runner up I think.
Rami starts by telling his mum he loves her. Beautiful.
In my view Bohemian Rhapsody is the best example I’ve yet seen of critics forgetting why people go to the movies. It’s worth remembering the reviews were largely negative.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.42pm:
Grossly overlooked for her work in Meet the Fockers.
We’re up to the FINAL FOUR …
Stephen Romei 2.41pm:
Streisand two Oscars: Funny Girl, as an actor, and A Star is Born, for music.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.40pm:
First Bette. Now BARBRA!! I die. Barbra in beret, no less. One of the few slightly political speeches of the night. “Truth is especially precious these days,” she says.
Stephen Romei 2.39pm:
Black Panther is the first Marvel movie to win an Oscar. One way or another, this year looks set to make history.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.38pm:
And of course nominated for The Princess Bride. What a movie.
Stephen Romei 2.33pm:
Ah William Goldman. Two script Oscars. All the President’s Men and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.32pm:
RIP Bertolucci, Michel Legrand, Neil Simon, Margot Kidder, BURT, Penny Marshall, William Goldman, Albert Finney … and so many more.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.31pm:
In Memoriam coming up. I may get weepy. Also I have only consumed Cheezels & caffeine today. #emotional
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.30pm:
No Hugh or Margot either. The least Australian Oscars of the last 20 years?
Stephen Romei 2.29pm:
GTN, looking at the audience, can you see any Australians? Where’s Rusty, where’s Cate, where’s Nicole, and most importantly where is Ben Mendelsohn!
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.28pm:
Right? Such unity! Gaga gets her only win tonight (best actress possibility notwithstanding, unlikely). The Lady and her team win best original song with Shallow.
Stephen Romei 2.27pm:
Rare we agree so much GTN. I suspect this will lead to upsets.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.26pm:
Best actor: Rami Malek. Absolutely.
Best actress: Olivia Colman. Could be Glenn Close for the popular vote as she’s never won. But I’m sticking with Olivia.
Best director: Alfonso Cuaron.
Best film: Bohemian Rhapsody. (Although I agree, Roma will probably take it.)
Stephen Romei 2.25pm:
OK, pointy end GTN. Here are my tips:
Best Actor: Rami Malek, in the most deserved Oscar of the night.
Best Actress: Olivia Colman.
Best director: Alfonso Cuaron.
Best film: Roma … though I’m rooting for Bohemian Rhapsody.
Stephen Romei 2.23pm:
Black Panther back in the lead.
And the #Oscars winner is... pic.twitter.com/VzJZoRX3QA
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 25, 2019
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.22pm:
OK, I’ve already put my bids on best song. I’m going to go with Isle of Dogs for best Score, because Alexandre Desplat has serious form (The Shape of Water, The Grand Budapest Hotel). Alas, he won’t be attending this year due to throat surgery. Of course, Black Panther could yet take another one.
Stephen Romei 2.18pm:
Peter Farrelly, co-winner for adapted screenplay, is perhaps most remembered for writing the scene where Ben Stiller slicks his hair with …
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.16pm:
Blackkklansman wins best adapted screenplay. “Don’t turn that motherf*@$*&g clock on” — also don’t mess with Spike Lee.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.13pm:
Green Book takes out best original screenplay. No Aussie wins this year. We’ll get over it.
Stephen Romei 2.12pm:
Green Book does have good dialogue, which isn’t easy to do.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.11pm:
Wow — the team behind Skin for best live action short delivers the most enthused acceptance speech of the night.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.08pm:
OK. I’ll call the home (half) team on original screenplay: Tony McNamara and Deborah Davis for The Favourite. Adapted … I’ll say Can You Ever Forgive Me? — just as a point of difference.
Right? Too much hype, too soon.
Stephen Romei 2.05pm:
Screenplay Oscars coming up soon. Hard to pick. My guesses are Can You Ever Forgive Me? (adapted) and Vice (original). Aussie Tony McNamara in the running for The Favourite (original).
I agree GTN, best original song will deliver A Star is Born an Oscar. It’s suffered, I think, from being released so early.
Glynis Traill-Nash 2.03pm:
Another correct tip!
Bradley Cooper & Lady Gaga take to the stage for their duet. Gaga has changed into a second black frock … Are these two going to be first and only two allowed to perform a song in full? Bias much?
#Oscars https://t.co/zSrvQG8ZE6 pic.twitter.com/krC58i4HXw
— ABC News (@ABC) February 25, 2019
OK — very slightly abbreviated version. Still, longer than most. And a standing ovation. I’m calling “Shallow” for best original song.
We are heading into pointy end territory. So Stephen, your calls for the big ones?
Stephen Romei 1.57pm:
Visual effects: First Man maybe.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.56pm:
Well, coverage-wise, I’m a little underwhelmed. It is certainly moving swiftly, but not too many theatrics. I’m getting nostalgic for the big production numbers. They’re not even letting the song nominees get more than a verse out …
Stephen Romei 1.55pm:
What do you think of the coverage, GTN? I don’t mind it. Seems to be running quicker than usual.
Last year’s viewing number, 26m, was the lowest in a long time, and less than half that achieved in the Titanic year, 1998. Billy Crystal was host that year. He was one of the best hosts in Oscar history.
Stephen Romei 1.54pm:
Now they are movies.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.53pm:
Big year for movies, 1939. Gone with the Wind beat The Wizard of Oz, Goodbye Mr Chips and Wuthering Heights.
Stephen Romei 1.52pm:
If Roma wins best picture it will be the first black & white movie to do so since The Artist. Schindler’s List was another black and white winner in 1993.
The first colour film to win an Oscar was Gone With the Wind in 1939.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.51pm:
Perhaps more a #timesup moment. But a win for women!!
Stephen Romei 1.50pm:
Certainly a #MeToo moment.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.49pm:
Period. End of Sentence wins best doco short. “I can’t believe a film about menstruation just won an Oscar!” Co-creator Melissa Berton shares the joy.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.42pm:
In my defence, that was an uneducated guess. Bao takes it.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.41pm:
I haven’t seen any of the animated shorts, but on the bases of the snippets, I’d say One Small Step has the gong.
Stephen Romei 1.40pm:
I read that necklace is worth $40 million. To put that in a real world, down to earth perspective, that’s about 10 per cent of Lady Gaga’s net worth.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.38pm:
Word just through from Tiffany & Co with details of Lady Gaga’s whacking diamond necklace. It features the Tiffany Diamond — coming in at an impressive 128.54 carats.
Interestingly, it was last worn by Audrey Hepburn on a publicity shoot for Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Just in case you were wondering.
Stephen Romei 1.33pm:
I enjoyed Spider-Verse. Like the best Marvel movies, it takes the mickey out of itself.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.32pm:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse takes the statuette.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.31pm:
Totally. I’m going Incredibles 2. *crosses fingers extra tight*
Stephen Romei 1.30pm:
Animated feature. I suspect Isle of Dogs. I preferred Incredibles 2.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.27pm:
Well, it looks like a moulded beanie to me … I fear it holds some significance of which I am unaware.
Hiddleston I could tolerate. Would he be better than Daniel? Unlikely.
Oh, and of course, Mahershala wins best supporting actor! More on him here.
Animated feature — Incredibles 2 or Isle of Dogs? Tough call.
Stephen Romei 1.24pm:
Re the next 007: Tom Hiddleston is my No.1 pick.
GTN, in your expert analysis what’s that on Ali’s head?
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.23pm:
You would miss a few too many deadlines, it’s true. Gosh, Daniel is thankfully back for the next one, right? I know Idris Elba is a hot favourite, but is he young enough to last 10 years and multiple films? Also, I’m not entering gender wars on this one, despite my love for Gillian Anderson.
Stephen Romei 1.21pm:
Daniel Craig the best Bond. Yes, I have heard of Sean Connery.
Who should be the next Bond, GTN? I’d say yes but I’m too busy.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.20pm:
Daniel Craig! Also Charlize. “Seriously, Charlize Theron could kick my ass.” Touché, Bond. James Bond.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.19pm:
Three for Bohemian Rhapsody!! Film editing!
Stephen Romei 1.18pm:
Trevor Noah makes a joke about Mel Gibson. Come back to me Trev when you’ve made a film in Aramaic that makes $US300m.
Bohemian Rhapsody takes the lead! I’m liking this.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.16pm:
I’m with you on that one — Mahershala Ali all the way.
Stephen Romei 1.15pm:
Best supporting actor: Mahershala Ali to collect his second.
Glynis Trail-Nash 1.11pm:
Sorry, got a little excited there. Bette is singing, too. The theme song from Mary Poppins Returns: “The Place Where Lost Things Go”.
Stephen Romei 1.10pm:
Bette Midler twice nominated for acting Oscars. The Rose and For the Boys.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.09pm:
BETTE MIDLER!!
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.06pm:
Roma for best foreign film! (I am not doing well here: 5-2).
“Deal with.”
Stephen Romei 1.05pm:
Javier Bardem is so handsome I’ll let him get away with the predictable Mexican wall comment.
I rewatched No Country for Old Men at the weekend because I just needed to see Javier Bardem deal with people.
Glynis Traill-Nash 1.04pm:
I’m team Cold War. *crosses fingers*
Javier Bardem (swoon) opens in Spanish to denounce walls between cultures. Probably so that Trump couldn’t understand.
Stephen Romei 1.00pm:
Bohemian Rhapsody is the outside tip for best picture, due partly to the preferential voting system that applies only in that category.
Best foreign language film up next. Cold War v Roma. Would be very, very interesting if Cold War wins.
Last ‘foreign’ film to win best picture by the way was The Artist. But it was silent.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.59pm:
Double whammy!!
There is no beating the genius of Queen on a cinematic scale. And that goes for the sound too. (4-2)
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.58pm:
So, how about Bohemian Rhapsody for sound mixing, too?
Stephen Romei 12.57pm:
Sound mixing. Bohemian again.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.56pm:
HURRAH! Bohemian Rhapsody’s first win!! (3-1, the way of Stephen)
John Warhurst on accepting sound editing award: “I mean we got to work with Queen for our day job. Special nod to Freddy as well.”
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.55pm:
Sound editing up next: I’m going say Bohemian Rhapsody. Just because.
Stephen Romei 12.54pm:
James McAvoy should have been nominated for Glass.
Sound editing: Bohemian Rhapsody surely
Stephen Romei 12.51pm:
So Roma’s first win is a good time to remind ourselves that it’s a Netflix movie. If it goes all the way it will be the first TV movie to do so. Beasts of the Southern Wild fell short in 2012.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.49pm:
Jennifer Hudson stole Billy Porter’s look! Singing Diane Warren’s theme song from RGB, I’ll Fight. One more tux gown and it will be officially trending …
Also: fashion, like vegetables, knows no global boundaries.
#JenniferHudson (@IAMJHUD) has one of the most mesmerizing voices... wow. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/qBgEwNYMES
— Mike Adam (@MikeAdamOnAir) February 25, 2019
Stephen Romei 12.45pm:
OK, the Mexican film Roma revs up. Quite remarkable that he directed, wrote and filmed it.
The award is the first stone cast at the Trump wall.
We are in Australia, GTN! So it’s an eggplant tux.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.44pm:
Roma wins cinematography! Alfonso Cuaron takes to the stage in a chocolate-coloured Tux. Tyler Perry announcing him in aubergine tux. Not pushing the menswear boundaries as much as Billy Porter, but mixing it up nonetheless.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.40pm:
Wow — Black Panther takes production design. BLACK PANTHER LEADS THE WINS!!
Stephen Romei 12.38pm:
Black Panther the early leader! This could get very interesting.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.36pm:
So, cinematography? A couple of slow burns in there with Cold War and Roma. I think one of those might take it out. I’m going to say Cold War.
Production design — I’m for The Favourite.
Stephen Romei 12.34pm:
Best cinematography should be Cold War, but I suspect it will mark the start of the Roma run.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.33pm:
I also loved Cold War! I fear that Roma will win best foreign film, though, as I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it won’t win best picture.
Stephen Romei 12.32pm:
This could be the start of the end for The Favourite. I disliked the film, but I accept it’s one of those occasions where it just didn’t work for me. People I respect, such as David Stratton and more importantly my other half, liked it a lot.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.31pm:
Nul points for either of us — Black Panther wins best costume design!
We also missed the hair & make-up category, which went to Vice. Subtle work, always tricky to age people gracefully.
Stephen Romei 12.30pm:
The best film, of those nominated, across all categories, I think is the Polish film Cold War. But it’s not up for best picture.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.29pm:
My money is on The Favourite for costume design. Loving Melissa McCarthy’s rabbit-covered ensemble to announce.
Stephen Romei 12.28pm:
Costume design: The Favourite.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.26pm:
Well, Stephen, I am similarly underwhelmed. I confess I missed a couple of the best picture nominees as I was unmotivated. I am torn for best film, however, as I LOVED Bohemian Rhapsody and also The Favourite. A Star is Born left me mildly underwhelmed, I am sorry to say. A little self-indulgent on Bradley Cooper’s part?
Stephen Romei 12.24pm:
So what’s your overall view of these Oscars, GTN, film-wise? I think it’s the weakest year since Ben Affleck’s Argo won six or so years ago.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.21pm:
Cheezels know no age limit.
Stephen Romei 12.20pm:
Re: cheezels, um, I’m a bit older than 6.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.19pm:
Also, why am I the only one eating the Cheezels? Are you on a diet Stephen?
Stephen Romei 12.18pm:
Just remember, for later, what GTN designates.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.17pm:
We’re really not counting, are we Stephen? (2-0)
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.16pm:
Also first glimpse of Rachel Weisz in the audience — wearing Givenchy haute couture — with latex overlay bodice, no less. Added bonus: it won’t matter if anyone spills champagne on her top.
I haven’t seen all of them, but I LOVED RBG.
Stephen Romei 12.13pm:
Absolutely no scoreboard here GTN! So it’s 1-0, unofficially.
Best doco. Free Solo maybe.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.12pm:
First point to Romei. Not that we’re counting or anything.
Stephen Romei 12.11pm:
Regina King for supporting actress.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.10pm:
Who will it be? My money’s on either Rachel Weisz or Emma Stone …
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.09pm:
First strike for feminism: Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey & Amy Poehler take to the stage. Not that they’re hosting. They are keen to point this out. Genius. Also announcing best supporting actress award.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.05pm:
Thank you for that clarification, an important one to note.
Stephen Romei 12.03pm:
In case our global audience wonders, GTN, we should point out ‘bugger’ is an Australianism for ‘forget about’.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.02pm:
Please don’t spoil it — I still haven’t seen it!!
Stephen Romei 12.01pm:
Seriousness please, GTN. The use of ‘gravity’ only reminds me of that space movie with the bad ending.
Glynis Traill-Nash 12.00pm:
I’m glad you appreciated the gravity of the situation, Stephen.
And the show is GO!!
Bugger the presenter — Queen open the Oscars!!
Stephen Romei 11.59am:
I believe Oud is the most expensive wood on the planet, so yes please.
Thank heavens there’s been some Chanel. Don’t know about you GTN but I was close to mental collapse.
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.58am:
Well, Stephen, thank you for asking. It’s certainly good from a brand awareness perspective. If people are inspired by what they see on the red carpet, the name might stick and they might then buy some sunnies or lipstick. You may yet buy some Tom Ford Oud Wood for Men fragrance to match your sunnies.
Stephen Romei 11.57am:
GTN, a layman’s question: does being on — or not being on — the red carpet boost — or hurt — sales for a fashion house?
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.54am:
Snap! TF sunnies are the bomb.
Finally some Chanel! Tessa Thompson in a gorgeous black strapless dress with silver beaded strip detailing.
Stephen Romei 11.52am:
GTN, J-Lo is in Tom Ford. I have a pair of TF sunglasses. Will you let him know please.
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.48am:
Helen Mirren — legend. And she got the pink memo — with a little orangey layering in that skirt.
But Lady Gaga — that is some serious rockage around her neck. Where is security?
Stephen Romei 11.45am:
Helen Mirren. Say no more. A reminder I need to rewatch her 1969 film, opposite James Mason, shot in Australia, Age of Consent.
Stephen Romei 11.40am:
GTN, as you know the Oscars have no host this year after Kevin Hart landed in hot water. I reckon Tom Hardy should ‘act’ Kevin Hart and host the ceremony. He’d be so believable. He’s the right height for starters.
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.38am:
Further proof that it isn’t what you wear but how you wear it. Also: Sam Neill.
Stephen Romei 11.36am:
Re that sack, GTN, I recall John Clarke saying when he was young he would go out wearing a tux, accompanied by his mate Sam Neill wearing a garbage bag … and every time it was Sam who got the girls.
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.34am:
Emma Stone is back on form with this Louis Vuitton gown. Very futuristic, feature flyaway shoulders — which is also proving to be something of a trend. Oddly, as an LV spokesmodel, their looks aren’t always outstanding on her, but this is the bomb.
Stephen Romei 11.32am:
Hold the front page. Bradley Cooper just said he got a ‘deep’ question on the red carpet. That interviewer will never work again.
Please look at Bradley Cooper’s face during his interview. Oh man. Deep contemplation. #OscarRedCarpet pic.twitter.com/S6DXxDALFl
— Makho Ndlovu (@makhondlovu) February 25, 2019
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.31am:
Look, J.Lo would look good in the proverbial hemp sack. This is a little too “shattered mirror” for my liking, but nothing can bring her bad luck.
Stephen Romei 11.29am:
J-Lo. I’m no expert on fashion, GTN, but she looks good to me.
Stephen Romei 11.23am:
Yes Charlize Theron always cheers me up. Such a fine actor.
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.22am:
Settle.
But here is someone to cheer you up … Charlize Theron — a goddess in dove grey! And given her spokeswoman status for the house, it is, of course, Dior haute couture.
Still no Chanel to speak of on the carpet …
Stephen Romei 11.16am:
I don’t know about Porter but I need an attendant bucket holder. There’s Rami Malek. They should save time and hand him the Oscar now.
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.15am:
Hello, Mr Romei! It’s OK, I won’t continue with such formality, but welcome to the frock fray.
I love Billy Porter’s look! He needs two attendants à la Olivia Colman, no?
Stephen Romei 11.14am:
Glynis, I’m going to call you GTN today, as acronymically it reminds me of what I will need for the next four hours Gin&Tonic Now.
So Billy Porter’s dress? Is he auditioning for the sequel to The Favourite?
You can call me SSR. Serious Serotonin Reduction.
Glynis Traill-Nash 11.10am: Ruffles, pink and more
No only pink but RUFFLES also trending.
Country singer Kacey Musgraves is a vision in a pale pink Giambattista Valli confection.
And yet, sometimes a certain level of restraint can be called for, as Linda Cardellini’s dress demonstrates. Plunge or short skirt — not both.
Perhaps Glenn Close is preparing for a certain gold accessory for the night, looking statuesque herself in a tailored gold gown by Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera.
It’s no lightweight look — the actress said it weights “42 pounds”.
Glynis Traill-Nash 10.46am: Red carpet curve ball
Welcome to the Oscars 2019! The red carpet is already shaping up to be the pink carpet by early arrivals.
Gemma Chan wins the first fashion award for her stunning fuchsia gown by Valentino. Also: pockets. She will be the one still smiling at the end of the night without a corset in sight.
One welcome curve ball is Billy Porter’s tux-gown hybrid.
And fair call frankly. Women have been co-opting the tuxedo since Yves Saint Laurent first spearheaded the trend in the 1960s. So why shouldn’t it work the other way?
Of course, what will be of particular interest will be how many women wear Chanel, which will be the last pieces with the hand of the late Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away just last week. The red carpet won’t be the same without him.
10.00am: Red carpet gallery
All the best shots from the red carpet, as they come through, here.
9.30am: Our experts’ predictions
Our film experts — David Stratton, Stephen Romei and Philippa Hawker — have shared their tips on the four main categories.
9.00am: Bumpy road to Oscars could end in triumph for Netflix
The most tumultuous Oscar season in memory might pale in comparison to the aftermath.
The best picture race to Sunday’s 91st Academy Awards remains unpredictable, but odds makers peg Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma as the film most likely to triumph at the end of the night. That would hand Netflix, the insurgent streaming service, the most prestigious honour in a movie business it has thoroughly disrupted. Change is everywhere at this year’s Academy Awards, from the nominees to the show, itself. For the second time in 30 years, there will be no host at Sunday’s show, which begins at 12pm AEDT. The lead-up to the Oscars has been dominated by dispute over the academy’s own attempts at innovation to counter last year’s record-low ratings. But after uproar from academy members, those plans — not showing some awards live, introducing a “best popular film” category — were abandoned.
Even if the Oscars end up proceeding more conventionally, the winners promise to be untraditional. Marvel stands to win its first Oscar for either Black Panther (up for six Oscars including best picture) or the animated favourite, Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse. Spike Lee, aiming for his first competitive Oscar, could become the first black filmmaker to win best director. Roma, which comes in with a co-leading 10 nominations, is favoured to win best picture, best director, best cinematography and best foreign language film. If Roma won best picture, it would be the first foreign language movie ever to do so.
For Hollywood, the most significant milestone would be Netflix triumphing at the Academy Awards, an achievement the streaming giant has fervently pursued. Netflix, which has previously only won one feature-length film Oscar (in 2018 for the documentary Icarus), has spent more than $25 million on a lavish campaign to propel Roma. It hired veteran Oscar campaign strategist Lisa Taback. It even purchased a Los Angeles billboard company to help promote its many films and series, including “for your consideration” ads along the Sunset Strip for Roma. “I’m very grateful for Netflix,” Cuaron said in an interview ahead of the Oscars. “On paper, this is a film that wouldn’t have this life. It’s a Mexican film in Spanish and Mixtec with no recognisable actors when it was done. Black and white. A drama. What I’m so appreciative is that they saw through all those filters to the core of what the film was about and they saw the potential and they really believed in the film.”
Cuaron noted that Roma has played for months in theatres, longer than it might otherwise have done. Major theatre chains, however, have refused to screen Netflix releases since the company won’t adhere to the traditional 90-day theatrical exclusivity window. Netflix altered its own policies for Roma, playing it exclusively in theatres in limited release for three weeks before streaming it. The company declined to release box-office results. Roma would be the first best picture winner ever to be primarily streamed, something some in Hollywood vehemently oppose. Steven Spielberg has said Netflix movies are really “TV movies” that should be eligible for Emmys, not Oscars. After Roma won best picture at the British Academy Film Awards, J. Timothy Richards, the founder and chief executive of Vue, one of Europe’s largest theatre chains, criticised the British film academy for “choosing to endorse and promote a ‘made for TV’ film.” France’s Cannes Film Festival, where Roma was set to make its world premiere, also refused to enter any film without theatrical distribution into competition, causing Netflix to pull Roma from the festival.
“I think this kind of exclusivity for the theatre and theatrical experience is actually disconnecting people from movies, in a way,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer said in December. “I have not found it to be very consumer-friendly that consumers who live nowhere near a theatre are waiting … to see a movie so that the theatre can have it exclusively for a period of time — a movie that they paid to produce with their subscription money.” Winning best picture would prove to the filmmakers Netflix is trying to attract that their releases can garner just as much respect as traditional ones. Netflix, which last year spent $12 billion on original content for its 139 million subscribers, will this year release (among many other films) Martin Scorsese’s much-anticipated The Irishman. Oscar producers, though, are looking to emphasise box-office hits like Black Panther and Bohemian Rhapsody. The show will start with a performance by Queen and Adam Lambert.
“(The nominations) kind of go to the heart of what we were trying to do with this show, which was put a spotlight on films with worldwide success that have had a cultural impact,” Oscars co-producer Donna Gigliotti said Thursday, citing best-picture nominees Black Panther, Bohemian Rhapsody, BlacKkKlansman and Green Book. More streaming services are coming. Disney, Warner Media and Apple are all set to launch their own streaming platforms this year. In some ways, Netflix has already been welcomed into the fold. On the same day of Oscar nominations, Netflix became the first streaming service to join the industry lobbying group the Motion Picture Association of America. The only other members of the MPAA are the six major studios, soon to be five when Disney absorbs 20th Century Fox. “The platforms are part of our conversation but soon they’re not going to be part of the conversation,” said Cuaron, “because it’s going to be the norm.”
AP
John Jurgensen 8.30am: Best picture about more than the movie
In the 2019 Oscar race for best picture, a vote for a film has become a vote for a cause.
Black Panther fans say the Marvel movie deserves to win because of its cultural impact and the diversity of its cast and creators. Champions of director Spike Lee and his BlacKkKlansman, a drama set in the 1970s — and ending with real-life footage from the violent 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville — want to spotlight his commentary on racial hatred.
A vote for Green Book can be seen as supporting interracial harmony, fans of the buddy movie say, while detractors call it one-sided, tone deaf, and clouded by behind-the-scenes controversies. Supporters of Bohemian Rhapsody celebrate its upbeat themes of creative expression and rock and roll. But critics of the Queen biopic say it mishandles the sexuality of its gay lead character and is plagued by accusations of sexual misconduct by its director.
Philippa Hawker 8.00am: Aussie designer ‘favourite’ to win an Oscar
For Australian production designer Fiona Crombie, who usually works her magic behind the scenes, an Oscar nomination has meant a new level of visibility.
“It’s been tricky to have to present yourself in a completely exposing way,” she said of the Oscar publicity.
“It’s not just about the work: you have to stand up and talk and worry about your shoes. It’s been wonderful to be part of a film that has struck a chord.”
7.30am: The case for Roma
This year’s field for best picture is certainly unique, but according to Peter Craven, there’s one film that stands head and shoulders above the rest.
Roma, he argues, should not only win best picture, but pick up other categories, including lead actress.
“Roma is in a category all of its own,” he writes. “Cuaron — who shot the film himself, in colour, and then bled it back to an extraordinarily beautiful, silver-edged black-and-white — has taken the period of his own childhood (the setting is 1970-71) to present with an extraordinary panoramic credibility and compassion the story of a Mexican Indian servant girl and her life looking after an upper-middle-class family.
“We see Yalitza Aparicio as Cleo in all her hesitation and warmth and desolation. We see her taking on a family she comes to adore, we see her with a man who does not know her worth, we see her in childbirth, we see her in the vicinity of the threat of the waves of the sea.
It is the grandest, the most moving and humanly true performance in a film that creates a wholly believable world from the reconstructed memory of one.”
Fair argument.
Read his full Oscars preview here
7.00am: Who are the nominees?
With the nominations released over a month ago, it’s easy to forget who exactly is vying for each category. Refresh your memory here, with a full list ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night of the year.
Exotic coming-of-age story explores link between beauty and unhappiness
Parthenope is a university student living a complicated life but although she is a ‘goddess’, the film built around her lacks depth.
A school holidays movie that will keep young viewers in their seats
Two young lions are at loggerheads, with a young lionness between them, and the baddies are on the trail and out for blood. If this sounds like a similar story, it’s because it is.