The 2022 Oscars updates

What happens when you mix the woman who gave us "Lemonade" with the legendary tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams?

You get a full on performance of the Oscar nominated song "Be Alive" from the film "King Richard" brought to the world from the tennis courts in Compton, California where the Williams sisters honed their craft.

Bey, along with her dancers, backup singers and musicians got in "Formation" with the super tight choreography and top-tier vocals we have come to expect from the legendary artist.

"King Richard" tells the story of the Williams sisters father who helped to shape them into two of the most successful tennis stars in the history of the sport.

Will Smith is up for best actor for the role of Richard Williams.

Kristen Stewart arrived to the Academy Awards wearing shorts. The actress, who is nominated for role as Princess Diana in "Spencer" wore the black shorts, paired with a plunging white top and black tuxedo blazer, all designed by Chanel.

Stewart's nomination in the best actress category is her first Oscar nod. Twitter erupted with fans debating whether her look is too casual.

As for being nominated, Stewart recently told ET, "I am truly astounded and unbelievably moved and touched and just stunned," she said. 

We can now officially say that Hollywood is all the way back.

After two years of pandemic pause, Sunday night had a hot red carpet with plenty of stars, glam and excitement.

Check out some of the best looks of the night.

"Flee" was already an extraordinary film even before it became more meaningful because of current event.

The movie tells the story of Amin Nawabi (an alias to protect the actual person), who along with his family become refugees when they flee Afghanistan.

With the hundreds of thousands of Ukranians forced to leave their homeland because of the invasion by Russian forces, it’s a timely plot line (part of the film takes place in Russia).

The film, which also involves LGBTQ+ issues, is the first to be nominated for best documentary feature, best animated feature and best international feature film in the same year.

“It’s rare to get a film that is so timely and speaks so much to world events and the moment we’re living in right now,” actor Riz Ahmed, who served as an executive producer on the movie, told the Washington Post. 

Your inner Miranda Priestly might be sarcastically saying, "Red on the red carpet -- groundbreaking."

But, you know what? It's a timeless choice, as evident by all the dazzling ladies and gents who hit the red carpet looking radiant in red.

Hollywood loves a remake/reboot and nowhere is that more evident than in this year’s best picture nominees.

Four of the 10 films nominated are just such.

“Dune” derives from Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel and follows David Lynch’s 1984 version; “West Side Story” began as a beloved Broadway musical in 1957 before it became an even more beloved film in 1961 that starred Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno (the later of whom appears in the latest remake).

“CODA” is based on the 2014 French film “La Famille Bélier,” and “Nightmare Alley” is based on the 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham, which became a film noir the following year.

That means there is a 40% chance that this year’s winner will be a movie that you could potentially go and watch another version of, thus possibly doubling the viewing pleasure.

From skin care to makeup and showing off their final looks, the stars have been sharing on social media how they are getting ready for Hollywood's biggest night.

Co-host Amy Schumer thanked skin care expert Georgia Louise for getting her face camera ready with a photo of the two of them.

Likewise, reality star Kourtney Kardashian shared a video on Instagram showing her getting "a little Oscar's prep with 'The Beauty Sandwich,'" which is billed on its website as "a noninvasive, nontoxic alternative for the new age of skin care."

"Black-ish" star Tracee Ellis Ross posted her awards show look complete with a daring Carolina Herrera gown. In the caption, she wrote "Oscars, baby."

The women weren't the only one's to get in on the fun.

Marvel star Simu Liu shared a video of him getting some attention paid to his under eye area by a makeup artist as he got ready for the night.

The Academy Awards keeps a searchable database of more than 1,400 acceptance speeches delivered during the show’s 89-year history. A journey through this digital time machine will make two things clear: thanking your mom never goes out of style and there’s an art to finding words that will – unlike a statue – not lose their shine over time.

Back in 2017, I explored this topic in a story ahead of an Oscars that was capping off an award season that was full of political speeches. (See: Meryl Streep’s 6-minute speech at the Golden Globes. “Stranger Things” star David Harbour’s fiery SAG screed. Or Patton Oswalt’s entire performance as host at the Writer’s Guild of America awards.) 

The question going into Oscars night at the time was whether winners would continue the trend and, if they did, how they’d meet the challenge of finding something new to say. 

I appreciated then-host Jimmy Kimmel’s advice: “[I hope] people say what they want to say – whether it has to do with what’s going on in the country or the world, or maybe they just want to thank their mom and dad and their acting teacher,” he told me. “I just hope the speeches are sincere and in the moment.”

That remains good advice today and, as a viewer, my hope for tonight. Whether you look at current events through a global lens or domestically, there’s a lot of pain and hurt in this world. If that’s what someone chooses to speak about tonight or not, that is their choice, but whatever you do, do it with focus, clarity and heart. Nothing is more painful than a rambling speech that tries to do too much and ends up doing no subject service. 

Overall, however, when it comes to speeches, I will never forget the words of filmmaker Peter Davis. His arresting Vietnam documentary “Hearts and Minds” picked up an award in 1975, in a memorable and controversial Oscars speech moment. His advice for winners? “Say something they’re going to be proud of 34 years later.” 

The Oscars have lined up some major star power for this year’s ceremony – and yes, it includes Beyoncé.

The superstar singer, nominated for “Be Alive” from the film “King Richard,” was among the performers announced Tuesday by the Academy.

Others headed to the Oscars include...

ABC said in a release that Van Morrison, behind the fifth nominated song “Down to Joy,” was invited to perform but was unable to attend “due to his tour schedule.”

“Therefore ‘Down To Joy’ from ‘Belfast’ will not be performed on the broadcast,” the release said.