3 things to know before the 2025 Oscars
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Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:
- An Oscar season filled with historic firsts and controversy wraps up Sunday.
- They voted for Trump, but now they’re losing their U.S. government jobs.
- A trial unravels why the Aryan Brotherhood wanted a Hollywood pimp dead.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper
3 things to know before the 2025 Oscars
The 97th Academy Awards airs Sunday, wrapping up an Oscars season filled with historic firsts and controversy.
Netflix’s Spanish-language crime musical “Emilia Pérez” broke the record for most nominations (13!) earned by an international film, and its star Karla Sofía Gascón became the first out trans woman to be nominated for an acting Oscar.
It was an obvious favorite among academy voters until Gascón’s racist social media posts resurfaced, upending the film’s Oscar campaign.
“Emilia Pérez” wasn’t the only Oscar-nominated film causing a PR nightmare this year. “The Brutalist” came under fire over artificial intelligence, Fernanda Torres of “I’m Still Here” apologized for appearing in blackface in 2008 and the team behind “Anora” received backlash for not having intimacy coordinators on set.
Here’s more on the drama surrounding one of this year’s top films, who’s slated to win at the Oscars and what to expect during the show.
A historic Oscars first turned into a nightmare
By the time “Emilia Pérez” had garnered 13 Oscar nominations, the authenticity of the Spanish-language musical had already come into question. It was criticized by LGBTQ viewers for its depiction of the trans experience and by Mexican viewers for a stereotypical portrait of the country.
Then old social media posts resurfaced in which Gascón maligned Muslims, George Floyd and diversity, and seemed to body-shame singer Adele.
Gascón apologized, deactivated her X account and then went on the defensive in an interview with CNN en Español, on her Instagram account and in a letter to the Hollywood Reporter where she denounced “this campaign of hate.”
Ultimately, the social media storm distracted from the film and sidelined Gascón from awards season.
What’s new at the Oscars
For the first time ever, the Oscars will stream live on Hulu and comedian and TV host Conan O’Brien will emcee.
Breaking from tradition, this year’s telecast will not feature live performances of all the original song nominees. Instead, there will be performances from “Wicked” duo Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Lisa of K-pop group Blackpink and “The White Lotus,” Doja Cat, Queen Latifah and Raye.
What and who will likely win
Despite all the nods for “Emilia Pérez,” my colleagues predict wins for other films. While columnist Glenn Whipp foresees “Anora” winning best picture, film critic Amy Nicholson predicts “Dune: Part Two” taking home the gold.
Both are great contenders, but “Anora” took home top prizes at the Writers Guild Awards, Directors Guild Awards and Producers Guild Awards. Only one movie has taken those three guilds and not won the Oscar — “Brokeback Mountain.”
When it comes to best actress, Whipp and Nicholson are on the same page: Demi Moore in “The Substance.”
Nicholson didn’t love the “proud mess” of the film, but believes that Moore deserves every ounce of the award. Whipp says that based on his gut and conversations with voters, there’s a lot of sentiment behind the well-liked industry veteran “who won a role that fit her like a glove…and is the best thing she’s ever done.”
And that’s just a few of their predictions.
Ahead of Sunday’s show, let us guide you on all things Oscars:
How to watch the 2025 Oscars and everything else you need to know
Beyond ‘Emilia Pérez’: Inside 7 of the nastiest Oscar campaigns in history
Oscars 2025: Final predictions for all 23 categories
Forget the pundits — here’s what ought to win. And what should have gotten a chance
‘Due’ for an Oscar? Take a number
The week’s biggest stories
Elon Musk’s federal job cuts hit the National Weather Service, NOAA and Trump voters
- Scientists and environmental advocates denounced the cuts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service, saying they could cause real harm to Americans.
- Meanwhile, these government workers voted for President Trump and are now losing their jobs.
Trump and congressional Republicans seek to block California’s 2035 ban on gas-powered vehicles
- The president and his allies may pull California’s ability to set its own fuel-efficiency rules, a move that could derail the state’s shift toward electric vehicles.
- For decades, automakers have bent their car production lines to meet California mileage standards, in part due to the size of the California market and power changes in Washington.
USC scrubbed references to DEI from some webpages
- References to DEI mission statements, diversity programming or DEI staff positions have been changed or eliminated on university websites.
- The moves come as the Department of Education set a Friday deadline for all schools to remove race-specific programs or face federal funding cuts.
What we know about Gene Hackman’s death
- Authorities believe the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, are “suspicious enough in nature to require a thorough search and investigation,” according to a warrant.
- The Oscar-winning actor brought a flinty menace to films such as “Bonnie and Clyde,” “The French Connection” and “Unforgiven.”
- “There was no finer actor than Gene,” actor and director Clint Eastwood said in a statement to The Times.
More big stories
- Former Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley took the extraordinary step of appealing Mayor Karen Bass’ decision to dismiss her.
- Federal immigration agents are setting their sights on Los Angeles. Here’s what employers need to know.
- Changing tastes, cheap imports and a looming Canadian boycott have created a “perfect storm” for California’s wine industry.
- For years she was a perfect wife. Then he learned of her arrest in a deadly dating app scheme.
- It’s been a warm winter, and California’s snowpack shows it.
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This week’s must reads
Inside the mysterious slaying of a Hollywood pimp with Russian mob tattoos: Allan Roshanski and Ruslan Magomedgadzhiev were gunned down in Lomita in 2020. A witness revealed why the Aryan Brotherhood wanted them dead.
More must reads
- A Kern County immigration raid offers a glimpse into a new reality for California farmworkers.
- Park rangers are battling an Australian company that is seeking rare earth minerals in an old Mojave gold mine.
- A “Simpsons” producer’s epic tree house may get the ax after an “absurd” fight with the city.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your weekend
Going out
- 🏟️ Who’s still playing “Pokémon Go”? Ask any of the 48,000 people at this Rose Bowl event.
- 🎼 Here’s a look into how exuberant, ambitious operas in L.A. score big despite small casts and modest budgets.
- 🧘 Need a reset? Try these six spiritual spots in Ojai to chill out and recharge.
Staying in
- 📷 A new photo project with work from Sofia Coppola, Jack Antonoff and more is raising money for wildfire victims.
- 📺 “Running Point” on Netflix is a cozy comedy that’s “Ted Lasso” meets “Succession,” our critic writes.
- 📚 A cookbook that celebrates California’s bounty is among the 10 books to read this month.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for coffee-infused duck breast with French lentil salad.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search and arcade games.
How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.
Producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson recently struck a deal to give creative control over which long-running spy-film franchise to Amazon MGM Studios? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
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