Preview of 98th Annual Academy Awards
LOS ANGELES (CBS, KYMA) - Hollywood's biggest night is shaping up to be a blockbuster showdown. This year's Oscars aim to make movie history, as two powerhouse films lead the pack.
The road to gold continues as the Oscar's red carpet is officially rolled out.
Conan O'Brien looks forward to returning as the show's host.
"My old rule is that if it's fun for me to do it, it might be fun for people to watch it," O'Brien shared.
Warner Bros.' "Sinners" leads the night with the most nominations ever. 16, including for Best Picture, while another Warner Bros. film, "One Battle After Another" follows with 13 nominations.
Variety's Clayton Davis weighs in on the movie matchup.
"This is the great, pun intended, battle of our time. It's going to be one battle after another in every category between 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another'...I don't know which one is going to come up on top," Davis expressed.
Three-time nominee Timothee Chalamet shares the Best Actor stage with Ethan Hawke, Michael B. Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Wagner Moura.
Despite Chalamet's Golden Globe win for "Marty Supreme," Davis doesn't expect the 30-year-old actor to take home an Oscar.
"They made Leonardo DiCaprio wait till he was 41-years-old and climbed into a dead carcass before they gave him an Academy Award. To me, they're going to make him wait some time," Davis explained.
Best Actress nominees include Hamnet's Jessie Buckley, If I Had Legs, I'd Kick You's Rose Byrne, Song Sung Blue's Kate Hudson, Sentimental Value's Renate Reinsve, and Bugonia's Emma Stone.
"I don't like to use the word lock very often, but I sat there and I went, 'Oh, Best Actress is over. We know Jessie Buckley is going to win an Oscar this year,'" Davis remarked.
Something notable this year: 76 women are nominated in Oscar categories, marking a show record.
"Sinners" director Ryan Coogler also aims to make history this year, with a win for Best Director, a category that's never been won by a black director.
The 98th Annual Academy Awards airs this Sunday, March 15 on ABC and streaming on Hulu. For a complete list of nominees, click here.
