Academy Awards (Oscars)

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      Will Smith Hits Chris Rock at the Oscars. Here’s What We Know.

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      In an apparently unscripted moment that stunned viewers and audience members alike, Will Smith strode onstage and hit Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about the actor’s wife while presenting the best documentary award at the Oscars.Rock joked that Smith’s wife, the actress Jada Pinkett Smith, was in “G.I. Jane 2,” seemingly a reference to her short-cropped hair. Pinkett Smith has said she has alopecia, a condition that leads to hair loss.Smith yelled and cursed at Rock after returning to his seat, demanding that Rock not speak about his wife.During the heated exchange, the telecast went silent on many screens, leaving confusion about what had happened and what had been said.Rock, a presenter at the show, had been firing off jokes during a mini-monologue when he got around to actors and their spouses.“Javier Bardem and his wife are both nominated,” Rock said. “Now, if she loses, he can’t win.”“He is praying that Will Smith wins, like, please, lord,” Rock continued. “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it, all right?”The camera panned to Smith, who appeared initially to be smiling. But the joke drew a lukewarm reception, prompting Rock to add: “That was a nice one!”Jada Pinkett Smith immediately rolled her eyes at the joke. Pinkett Smith has been open about her alopecia, posting a video on Instagram last year to explain how the hair loss had progressed. She first shared the diagnosis in 2018 on an episode of her talk show, when she said she had decided to cut her hair short after handfuls of it came out in the shower. On Sunday, after Rock spoke, her husband was soon out of his seat. Smith walked down the runway toward the stage.“Uh-oh,” Rock said. Smith approached, and hit Rock; the impact could be heard through his microphone.Uncensored broadcasts of the telecast outside the United States showed that after being struck, Rock, trying to keep the mood light, acknowledged that Smith had “smacked” him, using an expletive to describe how hard he had been hit.Back in his seat, Smith told Rock: “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth!”Rock responded, “Wow dude, it was a ‘G.I. Jane’ joke.”Smith then repeated his demand.Looking shocked, Rock said, “That was the greatest night in the history of television,” then moved on to awarding the Oscar for documentary feature to “Summer of Soul.”Soon after, Smith won the Oscar for best actor, and he gave an emotional speech in which he said: “I want to apologize to the academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees.”At the end of his speech, Will Smith added: “Thank you. I hope the academy invites me back.”The academy later issued a statement on Twitter that mentioned neither Smith nor Rock, but said “The academy does not condone violence of any form.”In a statement after the evening’s telecast had concluded, the Los Angeles Police Department said it was aware of what it said was an incident involving “one individual slapping another” at the Oscars. The police said the person involved had “declined to file a police report.”“If the involved party desires a police report at a later date,” the police said, they would move forward and “complete an investigative report.” More

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      Inside the 2022 Oscar Governors Ball

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      Ariana DeBose with her Oscar for best supporting actress.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesJessica Chastain with her best actress award.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesThe stars of ”CODA,” which won best picture, from left: Amy Forsyth, Daniel Durant, Eugenio Derbez, Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesThe Governors Ball is the first stop of the final night of an exhausting and bitter award season, where nominees, both winners and losers, can finally breathe, thankful that their months of staying on brand and on message has come to a close.It takes place just a few escalators up from the Ray Dolby Ballroom itself, a short ride that in most years helps give the party a rarefied feel. Not this year, when all anyone could talk about was the slap seen around the world. It was top of mind for most conversations.“It hijacked the night,” “It was like watching a car crash in real time,” were just some comments uttered by guests.Yet not all of the ball’s attendees let the incident ruin their celebration. Anthony Hopkins, who had the dubious honor of winning best actor in 2020 when everyone thought it was going to Chadwick Boseman, took to a relatively empty dance floor with his wife for an energetic salsa.The scene at the Governors Ball. Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesQueen Latifah and Regina Hall, right, who hosted this year’s Oscars.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesJacob Elordi of “Euphoria.”Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesIt was a stark contrast to the Apple team, who skedaddled before you could say “truffle mac ‘n’ cheese.” Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, the Apple executives who oversaw the release of “CODA,” which won for best picture, left early with Tim Cook, the Apple chief executive who attended the ceremony for the first time.The team at Netflix, which was nominated for 27 Oscars and won only one, partied like they were the belles of the ball. Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive of Netflix, belted out the lyrics to “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” while his marketing associate Albert Tello mugged with Jane Campion’s best director Oscar for “The Power of the Dog.” Ms. Campion swayed with Lisa Nishimura, another Netflix executive, while D.J. D-Nice kept the tunes going.Ari Wegner, who lost out on making history as the first female cinematographer to win an Oscar, didn’t appear worse for wear, thrilled that Ms. Campion nabbed the prize. “All of our nominations are her,” Ms. Wegner said, adding that if it weren’t for Ms. Campion, none of them would have been in that room. “I have nothing at all to complain about.”Kenneth Branagh, left, and Francis Ford Coppola.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesJane Campion with her Oscar for best director.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesBenedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesMs. Wegner, who had been in the United States for over a month campaigning, was eager to get back to her home in Australia, comparing the campaign season to being on a movie shoot. “You have no agency over your life for a bit,” she said with a pause. “I would happily do it again.”D-Nice’s tunes got the cast of “Power of the Dog” onto the dance floor, including Kodi Smit-McPhee, who was holding a rose — either a deliberate or inadvertent nod to his character.Benedict Cumberbatch found his parents on a couple of high-backed stools, gave them a kiss and escorted them out. It may have served as the cue to leave.Moments later Ms. Campion began her exit, parting the dance floors with people on either side chanting “Jane, Jane, Jane.” She held up her Oscar in triumph and waltzed out the door.From left: Maya Rudolph, Renate Reinsve and Bill Murray.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesTed Sarandos, the chief executive of Netflix.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesFrom left: Billie Eilish, Questlove and Finneas O’Connell.Krista Schlueter for The New York Times More

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      Billie Eilish and Her Brother Finneas Win Oscar for Best Song

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      “No Time to Die,” from the James Bond film of the same name, took home the Oscar for best song. The accolade is the first Oscar win for Billie Eilish and Finneas, the brother and sister team who co-wrote the track. The song made Eilish the youngest artist ever to record a Bond theme.“This is the first song I know Daniel’s opinion of, of ours,” Finneas told the BBC, referring to the movie’s star, Daniel Craig, who has said this is his last turn in the role. “If Daniel doesn’t like it, you don’t get the job.”The previous two Bond themes also won Oscars, for Adele (“Skyfall”) and Sam Smith (“Writing’s on the Wall,” from “Spectre”).Last fall, Finneas spoke to The New York Times about recording the Bond theme with Eilish, the composers Hans Zimmer and Johnny Marr, and others at Air Studios, a 19th-century former church, in London. After he and his sister wrote the song, Finneas said they linked up with Zimmer, who has two Oscars (including one he earned on Sunday for “Dune”), to produce it.“I was very prepared for him to go, ‘I’ve scored every movie ever made, I know exactly what to do — shut up, listen to me.’ You know, I would’ve been really understanding,” Finneas said. “I would’ve been like, ‘Yeah, he knows more than me, of course.’”Instead, he recounted, Zimmer welcomed their musical ideas. “What do you guys want? I’ll tell you what I think, I think what’s great is how intimate Billie’s voice sounds, and I definitely don’t want to get in the way of that,” Finneas recalled Zimmer telling them. “‘Maybe it should build at the end. What do you guys think?’”Zimmer’s openness and the deep relationship he has with his orchestra members — some of whom have played with him for decades — impressed Finneas. “I was like, man, I hope if I get to have a career as long as Hans, I am the way he is when I’m his age,” said Finneas, who is 24. To be “deep into your illustrious, successful career, and have these brand-new kids come in and show as much deference as he did — I was really floored by that.” More

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      Will Smith’s Full Oscars Speech for Best Actor 

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      Will Smith, who started his acting career in 1990 in an after-school special on ABC and became one of Hollywood’s most bankable and prolific action stars and producers, finally achieved the one thing that had always eluded him: He won an Oscar.Moments earlier, Smith had brought the ceremony to an awkward standstill by striding onstage from his seat and — in what at first seemed like a preplanned bit — hitting Chris Rock, who had just cracked a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. (“Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait,” Rock had said, an apparent reference to her short-cropped hair.)Smith then returned to his seat and angrily shouted twice at Rock to not utter his wife’s name, using an expletive that was bleeped by ABC. A rattled Rock tried to regain his composure, and a stunned audience, both in the theater and at home, tried to figure out what happened. “Right now, we’re moving on with love,” Sean Combs said, arriving onstage soon afterward to introduce a celebratory montage from “The Godfather.”Smith was celebrated for his performance in “King Richard” as the fiery, flawed coach and father of the tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams — mirroring best actor wins at major film awards ceremonies this year, including the Critics Choice Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” an emotional Smith said in his acceptance speech. “In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world.”He went on to apologize to the academy and to his fellow nominees, but not to Rock. “This is a beautiful moment,” Smith said. “And I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me, it’s about being able to shine a light on all of the people.”Smith was previously nominated for best actor in 2007 for “The Pursuit of Happyness” and in 2002 for “Ali.” Rather incredibly, given the lack of diversity in the movie business, he lost to a Black actor in both instances: first to Denzel Washington and then to Forest Whitaker.In 2016, however, Smith became part of the #OscarsSoWhite movement. After nominating only white actors and actresses for its awards in 2015, drawing widespread criticism, the academy did it again the next year — overlooking performances like the one Smith gave in “Concussion.” Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, was outspoken about what many people saw as an urgent need for the academy to become more inclusive. Smith was less pointed in his criticism, but joined her in a boycott of the ceremony. In the years since, the academy has dramatically expanded its voting membership.Also nominated for best actor on Sunday were Washington (“The Tragedy of Macbeth”), Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”) and a hard-campaigning Andrew Garfield (“Tick, Tick … Boom!”).Here is Smith’s entire acceptance speech:Oh, man. Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family. In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world. Making this film, I got to protect Aunjanue Ellis, who is one of the most strongest, most delicate people I’ve ever met. I got to protect Saniyya [Sidney] and Demi [Singleton], the two actresses that played Venus and Serena.I’m being called on in my life to love people and to protect people and to be a river to my people. I know to do what we do, you got to be able to take abuse, you got to be able to have people talk crazy about you. In this business you got to be able to have people disrespecting you, and you got to smile and pretend like that’s OK. But Richard Williams, and what I loved — thank you, D. — Denzel [Washington] said to me a few minutes ago, he said, “At your highest moment, be careful. That’s when the devil comes for you.”It’s like, I want to be a vessel for love. I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena — I just spit, I hope they didn’t see that on TV — I want to say thank you to Venus and Serena and the entire Williams family for entrusting me with your story. That’s what I want to do. I want to be an ambassador for that kind of love and care and concern.I want to apologize to the Academy. I want to apologize to all my fellow nominees. This is a beautiful moment, and I’m not crying for winning an award. It’s not about winning an award for me. It’s about being able to shine light on all of the people: Tim [White] and Trevor [White] and Zach [Baylin] and Saniyya and Demi and Aunjanue and the entire cast and crew of “King Richard” and Venus and Serena, the entire Williams family. Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father, just like they said. I look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams. But love will make you do crazy things.To my mother, a lot of this moment is really complicated for me, but to my mother — she didn’t want to come out; she has her knitting friends, she has a knitting crew that she’s in Philly watching with. Being able to love and care for my mother and my family and my wife. I’m taking up too much time. Thank you for this honor. Thank you for this moment. And thank you on behalf of Richard and Oracene [Price] and the entire Williams family. Thank you. I hope the Academy invites me back. Thank you.Nancy Coleman More

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      Troy Kotsur Becomes First Deaf Man to Win an Acting Oscar

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      In an important step for representation in Hollywood, Troy Kotsur became the first deaf man in academy history to win an Oscar for acting. Voters honored his heartstring-tugging supporting performance in “CODA” as a fisherman struggling to relate to his hearing daughter.“My dad, he was the best signer in our family, but he was in a car accident and he became paralyzed from the neck down, and he no longer was able to sign,” Kotsur said in his acceptance speech, delivered in American Sign Language. “Dad, I learned so much from you. I’ll always love you. You are my hero.”He dedicated his win to the deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community. “This is our moment,” he said.Kotsur had been the favorite to win the supporting actor Oscar after receiving similar honors from more than a dozen awards groups. (One exception: Golden Globe voters instead gave their supporting actor trophy to Kodi Smit-McPhee from “The Power of the Dog.”) On Sunday, Kotsur beat Smit-McPhee, Jesse Plemons (“The Power of the Dog”), Ciaran Hinds (“Belfast”) and J.K. Simmons (“Being the Ricardos”).Until tonight, Kotsur’s “CODA” co-star, Marlee Matlin, was the only deaf person to win an acting Oscar. She received her gold-plated best actress statuette in 1987 for “Children of a Lesser God.”Seeing her in that film, when he was 17 and growing up in Arizona the son of a police officer, is what gave Kotsur the confidence to pursue a career in acting, he has said interviews. His career has not been easy. Kotsur has flourished on the stage, but his pre-“CODA” television and film credits have been slight, with a guest role in a TV series here and an indie film there. (Fun fact: He helped create the sign language that Tusken Raiders use in “The Mandalorian.”)Here is Kotsur’s full acceptance speech:This is amazing to be here on this journey. I cannot believe I’m here. Thank you so much to all the members of the Academy for recognizing my work. It’s really amazing that our film “CODA” has reached out worldwide; it even reached all the way to the White House. And they invited the cast of “CODA” to visit and have a tour of the White House. We met our president, Joe, and Dr. Jill, and I was planning on teaching them some dirty sign language, but Marlee Matlin told me to behave myself. So don’t worry, Marlee; I won’t drop any F-bombs in my speech today. Instead, I really want to thank all of the wonderful Deaf theater stages where I was allowed and given the opportunity to develop my craft as an actor. Thank you.I read one of [Steven] Spielberg’s books recently, and he said that the best director, the definition of the best director was a skilled communicator. Sian Heder, you are the best communicator. And the reason why is you brought the Deaf world and the hearing world together, and you are our bridge. And your name will forever be on that bridge, Sian Heder Bridge, here in Hollywood. And that was supported by Apple, Sundance, all of our cast, our crew, our producers and the community of Gloucester, Mass. So I just want to say: Hey, fishermen! Hey, Popeyes! Don’t forget to eat your spinach.My dad, he was the best signer in our family. But he was in a car accident, and he became paralyzed from the neck down, and he no longer was able to sign. Dad, I learned so much from you. I’ll always love you. You are my hero. Thank you to my biggest fans, my wife and my daughter, Kyra, and my hometown of Mesa, Ariz., and Mark Finley, my manager, and our team.I just wanted to say that this is dedicated to the Deaf community, the CODA community and the disabled community. This is our moment. To my mom, my dad and my brother Mark, they’re not here today. But look at me now. I did it. I love you. Thank you.Nancy Coleman More

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      Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes Full Oscars Monologue

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      After several years without a single host, the Oscars got going Sunday night with three of them.The comic actresses Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes were not, as it turned out, the first three people viewers saw at the top of the telecast. That honor went to Venus and Serena Williams and then to Beyoncé, who offered a performance of the Oscar-nominated song “Be Alive,” from “King Richard.”But soon after, the three hosts emerged, with a little help from DJ Khaled, who introduced them.“This year, the academy hired three women to host because its cheaper than hiring one man,” Schumer said.Her quip was among the first of several in an opening monologue that toggled between all three women. It was a fast-paced avalanche of witty snipes, rapid-fire roasts and a sprinkle of Hollywood pomp and circumstance as the hosts began their evening-long quest to reverse the Oscars rating slide. Among their early targets were the length of “Power of the Dog,” Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill and the Golden Globes.It had not been entirely clear before the show began how the three hosts would share time and responsibilities. At a news conference on Thursday, Hall and Sykes said that all three would be onstage together to open the show and that at other points in the program, they would split up.“It might be one of us, it might be two of us, we all might be drunk, so it might be nobody,” Sykes said. “We all get our moment together, and we get our moments alone.”Sykes also said she did not want to fire off meanspirited jokes, but in an interview with The New York Times later Thursday, added that nothing was off-limits.The opening minutes of the telecast Sunday offered some early hints at their approach, suggesting that each of the hosts would enjoy solo time in which they play to their professional strengths and personal brands.Schumer, a self-professed “meanspirited” comedian, returned to the stage by herself after the opening three-person monologue and fired off a scathing one of her own. (Among the people and movies she jabbed at: Aaron Sorkin, Nicole Kidman, and “King Richard.”Hall later called up male actors up to the stage for so called emergency Covid tests and joked about her need to swab and inspect them.Here’s what Hall, Schumer and Sykes had to say in the opening monologue.Regina Hall: We are here at the Oscars.Wanda Sykes: That’s right. Where movie lovers unite and watch TV.Amy Schumer: This year, the academy hired three women to host because it’s cheaper than hiring one man.Hall: But I’m still excited to be hosting, representing Black women who are standing proud.Sykes: Yes, and living out loud.Schumer: Yes, yes. And I am representing unbearable white women who call the cops when you get a little too loud.Hall: You know, we’ve been dealing with Covid for two years. It’s been really hard on people.Schumer: Yeah. I mean, just look at Timothée Chalamet.Sykes: Oh God. What happened?Schumer: I don’t know. It’s not good. It’s not good.Hall: You know what? I’d still smash.Schumer: As many of you know, a decision was made to present some behind-the-scenes awards in the first hour.Sykes: It was a controversial and difficult decision, but you know, I think we’ve moved on. [Lights flicker.]Hall: Uh-oh, wait a minute.Sykes: Look, we’re all union.Schumer: It’s not our decision.Sykes: You know, there was a lot of snubs this year. Rachel Zegler for “West Side Story.” Jennifer Hudson for “Respect.” And Lady Gaga and Jared Leto for “House of Random Accents.”Schumer: This is kind of sad; you know what’s in the In Memoriam package this year? The Golden Globes. They didn’t have any Black people. They didn’t have any Black members. They had to go.Hall: You know, I was very disappointed that “Space Jam” 2 did not get nominated in the special effects category for that hairline they gave LeBron James.Sykes: Oh my god, amazing.Hall: It was really good. It was really good.Sykes: Black Twitter is going to love that one.Hall: I think so.Schumer: Yeah, what is that?Hall and Sykes: No no, not for you, not for you.Schumer: OK, I’ll stay away.Hall: You know, this year we saw a frightening display of how toxic masculinity turns into cruelty towards women and children.Sykes: Damn that Mitch McConnell.Hall: I know. I know. But, you know, I was actually talking about “The Power of the Dog.”Sykes: Oh, yes. You know, I watched that movie three times, and I’m halfway through it.Schumer: You’re at the best part. The best.Hall: One more week, and you’re in there.Sykes: Stay with it.Schumer: Stay with it.Hall: You know, Samuel L. Jackson is here. Yes, there he is. He just got the Governor’s Award for his lifetime body of work.Sykes: Eh!Schumer: Did You just “eh” Samuel L. Jackson?Sykes: I mean, I love him. You know, he’s my guy. But I’ll be honest, there’s a few holes in his résumé. No, for real. Like where’s the Sam Jackson rom-com? Like where’s Sam Jackson and Jennifer Lewis in “When This Mo-fo Met That Mo-fo,” you know, or the sequel “Bitch, I said I love you.”Schumer: He likes that. He likes it. [Looking at Jackson.]Hall: And where’s his musical? “Rent”! “Ho, I Said Where’s My Rent”!Schumer: I’d stream that. I’d stream it.Sykes: Well, we’re going to have a great night tonight. And for you people in Florida, we’re going to have a gay night.Together: Gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay.Sykes: We’re your Oscar hosts. I’m Wanda Sykes.Schumer: I’m Amy Schumer.Hall: And I’m single.Sykes: Oh, boy.Schumer: Regina, I mean, it’s not the time for that. And providing the soundtrack for the next hour, give it up for the incomparable D-Nice.Together: Welcome, everybody, to the Oscars!Nancy Coleman More

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      Ariana DeBose Becomes the Second Latina to Win an Acting Oscar

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      Ariana DeBose won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of “West Side Story.” It is her first Academy Award. The outcome was expected but historic nonetheless as the 31-year-old actress becomes only the second Latina to nab an Oscar. The first one was Rita Moreno, who won in 1962 for the same role in the original film version. DeBose is also the first openly queer star to win an acting Oscar.DeBose beat out Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”), Judi Dench (“Belfast”), Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”) and Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”). In accepting the award, DeBose made reference to being a queer woman of color and said:Imagine this little girl in the back seat of a white Ford Focus. Look into her eyes. You see a queer — openly queer — woman of color, an Afro-Latina, who found her strength in life through art, and that’s what I believe we are here to celebrate. So to anybody who has ever questioned your identity — ever, ever, ever, — or you find yourself living in the gray spaces, I promise you this: There is indeed a place for us.DeBose also nabbed statues at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the British Academy Film Awards for her magnetic performance as an America-loving seamstress who adores both Bernardo and his younger sister, Maria. The actress-singer-dancer has also been nominated for a Tony for her role as Donna Summer in the short-lived musical “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.”DeBose will next be seen in Matthew Vaughn’s spy movie, “Argylle,” for Apple TV+. More

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      Nicole Kidman and Sophia Loren at Armani Pre-Oscars Party

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      BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — At the culmination of an intense and monthslong Oscars awards season, Hollywood took up where it left off before the pandemic and became a maskless, glittering free-for-all.Fashion labels like Saint Laurent, Chanel and Gucci and powerhouse talent agencies like CAA competed with tech Goliaths like Apple to score the best restaurants, most elegant party spaces and the rarest specimens from among the celebrity coterie.The consensus is not yet in on who won the race for best wingding. Some parties were so scrupulously private — like CAA’s at the San Vicente Bungalows club on Friday — that only megacelebrities like Elon Musk, Leonardo DiCaprio and Taylor Swift were invited to graze a buffet of roast salmon, pulled pork, chicken curry and mini meringues.But Hollywood also hungrily eats its own history, as the writer and producer Mitch Glazer once wrote, and often upstages the talent itself.Sophia Loren was at the Giorgio Armani party celebrating Nicole Kidman. Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesSofia Pernas and Justin Hartley.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesBarbara PalvinKrista Schlueter for The New York TimesA case in point was Saturday’s party for the reopening of the Giorgio Armani flagship on Rodeo Drive, a glamorous mosh pit in which hundreds of those from the Juvéderm and micro-mini face-lift set jostled for breathing space.They sipped Veuve Clicquot Champagne or iced Limoncello and ogled the assorted show people — Adrien Brody, Mira Sorvino, Annabelle Wallis, Miles Teller and Dylan Sprouse — who came out on a cool California evening. No matter whom anyone was talking to, all eyes were on the front door awaiting the arrival of Nicole Kidman, the evening’s honored guest.A ripple ran through the room when Ms. Kidman — an Oscar nominee for her role as Lucille Ball in “Being the Ricardos” — swept in at 5:52 p.m., surrounded by a security phalanx and Kevin Huvane, the co-chair of CAA, in fullback form at the lead.Alan KimKrista Schlueter for The New York TimesRegé-Jean PageKrista Schlueter for The New York TimesAdrien BrodyKrista Schlueter for The New York TimesDressed in a black Armani pantsuit, a décolleté embroidered bustier and flats (“I wanted to wear man’s clothes,” she told this reporter) to offset her commanding height, Ms. Kidman immediately sequestered herself in a corner wedged between a case of velvet clutches and a rack of beaded frocks.With her unlined and poreless, bisque-doll complexion and her startled Dresden-blue eyes, she seemed too preternaturally glamorous to fit her characterization of herself, in a recent Vanity Fair article, as an “oddball.”Explore the 2022 Academy AwardsThe 94th Academy Awards will be held on March 27 in Los Angeles.Oscars Preview: Looking to catch up quickly on all the basics ahead of the event? This guide can help. The Hosts: Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes plan to keep the show moving and make it funny, though they will acknowledge the war in Ukraine.A Win for Streaming: A streaming service film could win the Oscar for best picture for the first time. A few years ago, it would have been hard to imagine.‘Seen That Before?’: Four of the best picture nominees this year are remakes or reboots of earlier films.Best Actress Race: Who will win? There are cases to be made for and against each contender, and no one has an obvious advantage.“Oh, I am an oddball,” Ms. Kidman said flatly, when asked about her self-assessment. “I’m an introvert. I think laterally — always have and always will.”Ms. Kidman is 54 and first starred as a leading actress in a film 33 years ago. Such a feat of show-business survival would seem hard to surpass. Yet 20 minutes after she arrived, the crowd parted again, this time for the arrival of Sophia Loren, who made her first cinematic appearance seven decades ago.From left: Thuso Mbedu, Justice Smith and Cameo Adele.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesKathy HiltonKrista Schlueter for The New York TimesChampagne and merch.Krista Schlueter for The New York TimesNo matter what doomsayers may say about a crumbling dream machine, the impress of these luminous beings on our cultural consciousness is forever. Sure, shifting technologies will alter how fantasy is delivered. The appetite for it will always remain.Consider a spontaneous scene that erupted when the mob clamoring outside the Armani party spotted a tuxedo two-tone convertible Rolls-Royce cruising up Rodeo Drive, top down and Mark Wahlberg behind the wheel. Suddenly those in the crowd surged into the street to surround the vehicle, “The Day of the Locust”-style, with smartphone cameras hungrily fixing him in their sights.Mr. Wahlberg grinned like a tanned and benevolent deity accepting tribute, as the street echoed with the cries of strangers shouting his name: “Mark! Mark! Mark!’’Exotic Creatures at ChanelAt the Chanel dinner: Charles Finch greeting Joan Collins, as Taika Waititi took a sip.Hunter Abrams for The New York TimesHarvey Keitel, center, and Paolo Sorrentino.Hunter Abrams for The New York TimesKristen Stewart, center.Hunter Abrams for The New York TimesDepending on one’s vantage point, women either have all the fun or are stuck with the heavy lifting when it comes to Oscars dressing.Harvey Keitel was fine cruising into Chanel’s annual pre-Oscars dinner on Saturday, held in the gardens of the Beverly Hills Hotel and its storied Polo Lounge, wearing a basic black jacket and sandals. It was socially acceptable for both Charles Finch, the co-host of the starry, hot-ticket evening, and Jamie Dornan to wear white shirts with the collars left deeply unbuttoned. Chris Pine elicited oohs and aahs in nothing more special than a rumpled linen suit out of Don Johnson’s “Miami Vice” closet.Women don’t have it nearly so easy, even with Chanel munificently providing some of them with their party glad rags.Our Reviews of the 10 Best-Picture Oscar NomineesCard 1 of 10“Belfast.” More