Last year's Academy Awards were, by most measures, a real mess; overlong, unfunny and punctuated by The Slap, an unexpected event that had everyone talking about the Oscars for the wrong reasons. The show was a parade of bad decisions, particularly the choice to prioritize limp comedy sketches over actual Oscar presentations (eight categories were awarded in a pre-show, then clumsily edited into the live show). After this mess, there's nowhere to go but up, right?
I'm hopeful that the 2023 ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be less of a fiasco. Early signs are good: Academy CEO Bill Kramer told Time magazine that this year's show will be "much more immersive, much more nominee-focused, and much more focused on all of the disciplines of filmmaking," and confirmed that every category will be presented live. (That silly "fan favorite" Twitter poll? Kramer grimaced and made a cutting motion when it was mentioned. Good riddance.)
So let's be optimistic: The Oscars might be fun this year! (Yes, I say that every year; you have to be an optimist in this business.) Here's a look at which nominees might be taking home the little gold guys — and, fingers crossed, making acceptance speeches that we'll remember Monday morning, for all the right reasons.
