A Star is Born just crossed the $100 million mark at the box office after twelve days. And, as we’ve been saying, it’s one of those movies that has been able to sustain its earnings weekend after weekend as people go back to see it again and again or as other people, through word of mouth, go to see it because others can’t stop talking about it. The soundtrack too is topping the charts. “Shallow” is becoming a hit song rising quickly on the singles charts. There’s no doubt then that this movie is going to the Oscars. The only question is how many it will get nominated for and how many it will win. 

There’s still a lot to unpack where ASIB is concerned. Duana and I discussed the work of the film, that it’s a film about work, on this week’s episode of Show Your Work and we have months and months to go to fill the time so we don’t have to blow our entire load now, not until the Oscar race becomes a lot clearer. That said, one of my favourite things on the internet right now is how obsessed Vulture’s Hunter Harris is with Jackson and Ally. She just wrote a piece this week about how hot she thinks Bradley Cooper looks in the movie. Last week she counted how many times Coop says “F-ck” in the movie. So when I think about ASIB at the Oscars, and the presence it will have at the Oscars, I’m also wondering how Hunter will react to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga being at the Oscars. 

It’s a given that “Shallow” will be nominated for Best Original Song, right? Best Original Song nominees are almost always performed during the telecast. Will Coop and Gaga get up on stage to sing it at the Oscars? A couple of years ago, when “Audition” and “City of Stars” were both nominated off the La La Land soundtrack, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling did not perform them during the show. John Legend filled in for them instead. Since John was also in the film, it made sense, I guess. With “Shallow” though, I mean, there really is no other option. It’s Coop and Gaga …or nothing. 

So…? 

Will he grow out his hair again? Get a spray-tan, throw his guitar over his shoulder, take the stage first… “tell me something, girl”… before Gaga rushes out, just like it is in the movie? 

Every year after the Oscars, there’s always all kinds of handwringing and angsting about the ratings. This year there are potentially two very popular movies contending for Best Picture: Black Panther and A Star is Born. Seems like a no-brainer for drawing in more viewers – Kendrick Lamar and SZA performing “All the Stars” from the Black Panther soundtrack and Coop and Gaga performing “Shallow”. I mean, if I’m on the production team for the Oscars, I am pushing for this…HARD. Getting Gaga to do it probably won’t be a problem. But would Bradley Cooper do it? It’s one thing to perform live on a movie set that you’re in charge of, when you get to edit the footage later. It’s another do it in front a live television audience in front of, literally, millions of people worldwide and an audience of your peers, most of them assholes. God I want this to happen so bad. DO IT, Bradley Cooper. ASIB is currently the frontrunner for Best Picture (although that means there’s a target on its back). The Academy just might crown the first movie you ever directed on Hollywood’s biggest night – if there’s ever a night to go for broke, wouldn’t it be that one?