Hollywood's big night
• Academy Awards: The 2026 Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood tonight, with late night legend Conan O’Brien returning as host.
• Wide open races: After a wild award season, it’s anybody’s guess who will take home the prize in several top categories, including the best picture race headlined by “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners.” You can fill out your own Oscars ballot here.
• Red carpet: Arrivals are underway on an unseasonably hot day in Los Angeles. You can watch CNN and Variety’s live red carpet coverage in the video player above.
• Safety measures: Law enforcement and Oscars organizers are assuring visitors that security is tight surrounding this year’s event, in light of the war with Iran and recent terror attacks.
Ken Jeong gave us a rendition of "Golden" on the red carpet
CNN talks to “KPop Demon Hunters” voice actor Ken Jeong on the Oscars red carpet. Jeong said he’s been pleasantly surprised that the movie has become a pop cultural phenomenon — and he showed off his singing voice:
Joel Edgerton of “Train Dreams” on who he’s rooting for tonight and his belief in aliens
Australian actor Joel Edgerton has a theory when it comes to aliens: They are already living among humans.
As for who the “Train Dreams” actor is rooting for tonight, he told Setoodeh “us,” including filmmaker Clint Bentley, who’s up for best adapted screenplay.
When asked by CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister what being nominated for best picture tonight means, Bentley said “it’s insane.”
You can watch the CNN and Variety pre-show in the video player at the top of this page.
Lewis Pullman says filming "Spaceballs 2" was the "most fun" he's ever had
Lewis Pullman, the son of Hollywood vet Bill Pullman, had the time of his life appearing in the long-awaited sequel to 1987’s “Spaceballs,” in which his father starred.
Working on the film was “some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a film set,” Lewis Pullman told CNN, adding that it was “the hardest I’ve ever laughed.”
The movie, he said, “injected the truth” of the original film thanks to director Josh Greenbaum. “There’s nobody who could have done it better,” he said of Greenbaum.
“It’s very exciting,” he also said. “I think it’s going to be as fun to watch as it was to make.”
The cult film also starred ’80s icon Rick Moranis, who – along with Bill Pullman – is also returning for “Spaceballs 2,” something Lewis Pullman is proud to witness, saying, “We got him out of his woodshed and into the sun and he’s better than ever.”
Pullman is at the Oscars on Sunday to present with his father, an experience he said is “really special for us.”
Shaboozey pairs pearls with a Campillo tuxedo
Shaboozey has gone bold for each of his red carpet debuts, and his first appearance at the Oscars does not disappoint.
The genre-bending musical artist — who will perform as part of a tribute to the “Sinners” soundtrack — is wearing a tuxedo by the Mexico City-based label Campillo, which previously dressed him for the 2024 BET Awards, among other events. However, it’s also an Oscars red carpet debut for the designer Patricio Campillo, according to his Instagram.
Shaboozey has finished off the ensemble with a spate of accessories including pearl drop earrings and glittering brooches.
Timothée Chalamet had an “accidentally positive” effect on ballet, opera, Josh Groban says
As Timothée Chalamet faces criticism for saying “no one cares” about ballet and opera, Josh Groban told CNN and Variety the uproar had an “accidentally positive” effect, galvanizing people to talk about and celebrate the arts:
Best actress hopeful Rose Byrne wears an elegant floral Dior gown
Rose Byrne, nominated for best actress tonight, is elevating the black red carpet gown with this striking floral detailing from Dior. Her curvilinear necklace complementing the swoop of the top bloom is particularly lovely.
Byrne is nominated for her role in “If I Had Legs I’d Kick you,” a portrait of an overextended mother whose life is falling apart.
CNN’s Dan Heching contributed to this report.
It's unseasonably warm on the red carpet. CNN is here to help
Celebrities are arriving to an unseasonably warm red carpet, as Southern California experiences a heat wave this weekend.
We’re doing our part to keep the stars cool when they appear on CNN’s live pre-show with Variety: Host Elizabeth Wagmeister has been giving interviewees including Shaboozey and Felicity Jones a cool breeze with her trusty portable fan.
More on the forecast: The heat comes courtesy of a strong area of high pressure, or ridge, in the upper atmosphere — also known as a heat dome. This weather feature is likely to park over the West without moving much for up to two weeks.
The National Weather Service warned that Southern California is predicted to experience temperatures as much as 20 to 30 degrees above average for this time of year during the course of the next two weeks.
Photos: Inside the making of an Oscar statuette
It’s one of the most famous trophies in the world.
The Oscar statuette has been honoring the best in film since 1929. But its production — and materials — have changed over the years.
Photographer Christopher Payne went behind the scenes to see how each statuette is made.
How Timothée Chalamet landed himself in "balletgate" controversy
In mid-February, Timothée Chalamet was asked about efforts to keep movie theaters in business, and ended up taking a dismissive swipe at opera and ballet.
Chalamet said he similarly wasn’t interested in choosing film projects based on calls to preserve the struggling movie theater model.
The reaction, while not swift, was eventually severe, even though Chalamet had expressed the sentiment — repeatedly — before. Soon enough, AI creations of Chalamet performing opera were making the rounds and everyone from Karla Sofia Gascón to Chalamet’s high school principal to ballerina extraordinaire Misty Copeland were weighing in.
Both the Seattle Opera and the Music Center in Los Angeles launched discount codes like “TIMOTHEE” and “CHALAMET” for their upcoming fine arts performances.
This puts Chalamet, who has publicly professed his desire for greatness on award show stages in the past, in a tricky situation come Oscar night. Once considered the favorite for his title role in “Marty Supreme,” things are looking less, well, supreme for him at the moment, even if Oscar voting closed on March 5, before “balletgate” reached fever pitch.
Read more: The Chalamet situation is just one chapter in what has been a wild award season.
A peek inside Oscars rehearsals and the "Bridesmaids" reunion everyone wants to see
As press were filing into the theater on the eve of the Academy Awards on Saturday afternoon, last year‘s best actor winner Adrien Brody sauntered out on stage to go through the motions of his presenter moment, taking some time to consult with a director of the show about how to best land one of his beats.
A lot of what viewers see on Sunday’s telecast may seem improvised yet polished, but like anything in showbiz, it will be the product of quite a bit of rehearsing. CNN was invited inside to get a preview of the show, which will include a much-talked- about reunion of the cast of “Bridesmaids.”
Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne and Ellie Kemper ran through their bit, which included briefly marking the 15th anniversary of their groundbreaking women’s buddy comedy. The quintet will be presenting two awards.
After mentioning how they are lacking their sixth bridesmaid Wendi McLendon-Covey (who wasn’t able to make it), the group of actresses — three of whom are Oscar nominees, including Byrne tonight for her lead role in “If I Had Kegs I’d Kick You” — launched into a bit that gamely teased various famous audience members, who like every year were represented by cardboard signs leaned against seatbacks in the surprisingly small Dolby auditorium.
A side note about those giant face cards: The press entered the theater in the middle of the floor, thereby hindering any view of how exactly the front rows will be laid out and which of the starriest stars will be seated next to each other. No spoilers, apparently.
One person who will be in attendance had some studying to do before Sunday evening: “No Country for Old Men” Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, who after running through his portion came down to the audience area and promised AMPAS CEO Bill Kramer and others he would learn his lines by showtime.
Earlier, Kramer talked up this year’s set design, which he called “Zen and calm.” The vibe onstage indeed feels organic, with plants and parchment-like backdrops.
Even in a room only a quarter full with many technicians going through their myriad processes to ensure a smooth show, the commitment to getting things just right was impressive.
With each segment rehearsal, a fake winner was announced, and actual freshly polished Oscars were then handed out to folks who came up to the stage and delivered faux acceptance speeches.
Most of them sounded gracious and all too real, and in just a matter of hours, they will be.
Security is tight at the Oscars at a time of heightened anxiety for many Americans
The law enforcement presence is heightened in Los Angeles this weekend as a massive influx of stars and other visitors attend the Academy Awards.
Some context: While it’s typical for officials to ramp up security around major events, organizers are working in particular this year to reassure the public amid a heightened sense of tension given world events.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that there is no “imminent threat” to California following reports that federal authorities had alerted state officials of unverified claims that Iranian-affiliated actors may want to conduct drone attacks on the state.
Federal officials have emphasized since news of the memo surfaced last week that it was based on an unverified tip.
Investigators often share information of questionable credibility with local law enforcement out of an abundance of caution. And CNN spoke with security experts this week who emphasized that US officials are always monitoring for potential threats — and have a layered system of defenses to counter them.
But news of the drone memo added to a sense of general unease that has gripped the nation, with terror attacks at a Michigan synagogue and Virginia university last week punctuating anxieties surrounding the war in the Middle East.
CNN’s Emma Tucker, Elizabeth Wolfe and Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.
It's a hot one today down on the red carpet
As stars begin to trickle in on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, we’ll be keeping an eye on how everyone’s holding up in the heat.
Check out this report from CNN’s Stephanie Elam, who was walking the carpet last week during final preparations:
CNN correspondent Stephanie Elam gives a preview of just how hot the Oscars will be on Sunday.
We could be in for an unpredictable night at the Oscars
With Oscars night upon us, it’s difficult to remember another year when so many races felt wide open.
With the Golden Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTA and Actor Awards firmly in the rearview mirror, some elements have come into sharper focus — it’s “Hamnet” star Jessie Buckley’s best actress Oscar to lose, for instance — but many other aspects remain foggy to predict at best.
You can dive deeper into our Academy Awards preview here, but this is a glance at some key categories that feel up for grabs:
• Best picture: Critical darlings “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” look poised for a clash at the top. While Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Battle” seemed like the one to beat a few months ago, Ryan Coogler’s genre-blending vampire thriller has picked up more than a little renewed steam, mainly after a decisive ensemble win for “Sinners” at the Actor Awards.
• Best actor: Early momentum went to Timothée Chalamet, who clinched the Golden Globe, comedy lead actor award, as well as the Critics Choice Award. But both the BAFTAs and Actor Awards threw a bit of a wrench in things, with the Brits awarding non-Oscar nominee Robert Aramayo for “I Swear,” and the Screen Actors Guild bestowing best actor honors on Michael B. Jordan for his twin roles of Smoke and Stack in “Sinners.” We also can’t forget “Narcos” actor Wagner Moura, who made waves for his work in the Brazilian film “The Secret Agent.”
• Supporting roles: We have seemingly wide-open fields in both races. Teyana Taylor’s visceral performance in “One Battle After Another” was the early favorite for best supporting actress after her Golden Globe win, but Amy Madigan of “Weapons” and Wunmi Mosaku of “Sinners” have each earned plaudits, as well. On the best supporting actor side, a newbie in Jacob Elordi is facing off against industry vets Sean Penn, Stellan Skarsgård and Delroy Lindo. The latest word in Hollywood is that this gong is going to Penn, which would make him a three-time Oscar winner.
Ready to try your hand at some predictions? Fill out an Oscars ballot here.
How to watch tonight's show and red carpet coverage
You’ve seen the films — or maybe you’re getting a crash course — and you’ve filled out your ballot. Now, where to turn for this evening’s 98th Academy Awards?
The main event starts at 7 p.m. ET, airing on ABC and available for streaming live on Hulu for the first time. You can also watch on ABC.com or the network’s app by authenticating with your TV provider.
But the fun starts well before the ceremony. CNN & Variety’s live red carpet coverage is already streaming at the top of this page and airing on CNN and TBS.
Our show ends at 6:30 p.m. ET, when ABC begins its official 30-minute red carpet special, which leads directly into the Oscars telecast.
Streaming now: We also have a feed where you can watch celebrities arrive on the red carpet.
Go deeper: Take a look back through the Oscars’ most shocking snubs and surprises ahead of tonight’s show.
Conan O’Brien returns to host the Oscars for second year in a row
Conan O’Brien was so nice as last year’s Oscars host, he gets to do it twice: The former late night host will be your emcee at the 98th Academy Awards tonight.
O’Brien is best known for hosting “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and “Conan.” Before his more than two-decade hosting career, the Emmy winner served as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” and “The Simpsons.”
Last year at the Oscars: With a special mix of ridiculousness and realness, O’Brien knew the order for the 2025 Academy Awards — and he delivered it.
The host fit in plenty of quippy one-liners, delivered an entire song-and-dance routine dedicated to not wasting time, and generally kept things moving at a brisk and friendly pace.
O’Brien also took on a few tough topics, like the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles last year, and took a moment to touch on how the “seemingly absurd ritual” of award shows brings people together during moments of adversity.
He earned largely positive reviews, with critics and viewers complimenting the tightrope walk he managed. It’s one of the toughest hosting jobs in the business, so it was no big surprise that his winning performance earned him an encore.
The Oscars are in just a few hours. Here's a quick crash course
Welcome to our live coverage of the 98th Academy Awards. Don’t worry if you’ve been out of the loop — we’ll get you up to speed before the show kicks off at 7 p.m. ET.
Watch the video below to get acquainted with some of the top films. When you’re ready to make some predictions, you can fill out an Oscars ballot here.
