Brief: The Oscars in Depth

Monday, March 21, 2022

Long talking point:

• The 94th annual Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards, return this Sunday, March 27th, at 8 pm on ABC.
  • The Oscars will take place in Los Angeles, California, and will honor the best films released between March 1 and December 31, 2021. Typically the eligibility for the Oscars is for films that were released sometime in the previous calendar year, January 1 to December 31. However, due to Covid, last year’s eligibility period was extended to 14 months from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, and the award show was in April. Traditionally the awards are held in late Feb or early March.
  • The Oscars are just for films
  • This year the Oscars will be hosted by Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall.
  • The nominations were announced on February 8, 2022, by actors Tracee Elis Ross, from Blackish, and Leslie Jordan, the short old guy from The Cool Kids.
  • The Big 5 Oscar awards are Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. Each of the awards has 5 nominations, except for Best Picture, which has 10.
  • The Oscars are the big award show of the year. Rounding out the the other 3 of the 4 major shows (EGOT) being the Emmy’s (TV), Grammy’s (music), and Tony’s (Broadway).
  • The red carpet
    • A red carpet was originally used to show the path that heads of state needed to take on ceremonial and formal occasions, and has been copied by Hollywood and other formal events for VIPs and celebrities.
    • Walking the red carpet refers to the opportunity celebrities give photographers as they walk down the red carpet to take their picture on their way into an awards ceremony.
    • You’ve probably heard people say “roll out the red carpet.” This saying means to welcome someone with special treatment.
    • The iconic crimson red carpet signifies stratospheric style, status and affluence. It’s all about the glitz and glamour. It is the focus of the Oscars a mainstay of today’s awards ceremonies, premieres, and galas around the world.
      • A gala is a glamorous social event/party. An example of a gala is a fancy social event to raise funds.
      • One of the most popular gala’s in the world is the Met Gala. The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. It happens every year to open the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit.
    • Red carpet fashion refers to the outfits worn by celebrities on the red carpet. The clothes worn to award events such as the Oscars receive serious worldwide media scrutiny. Red carpets are an international product placement opportunity for fashion designers and it has a big impact on the global fashion industry.
    • Live From the Red Carpet is an pre-event television program on E!. It airs for a few hours prior to the major awards ceremonies, providing coverage for the arrival of stars outside the venue and as they walk down the red carpet. It also features interviews as well as fashion highlights. Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic were the hosts from 2006 to 2021. Laverne Cox will be the host starting in 2022.
      • The program airs the day of every major award show (Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG), and the Grammy Awards) and have three other programs that correspond with it:
        • Countdown to the Red Carpet: Commentary on nominees and coverage of behind-the-scenes preparations, expert predictions, and more
        • Live Post Show-E! After Party: E! praises the big winners of the night and highlights the interesting moments that happened
        • Fashion Police: Critiques the best dress and worst dressed of the night. It is hosted by Melissa Rivers.