Even though the Oscar nominations were announced last week, actual voting for the Oscars doesn’t begin until February 12. The voting period starts two days after the BAFTAs and the Grammys. It lasts a week and ends the Tuesday before the Oscars. Which means there’s still a lot of time to campaign. And in a year when the races are so tight, when so many contenders still feel the hope, campaigning is obviously critical. 

We are all award season nerds here so we are excited. I love it when the Oscars aren’t a foregone conclusion. The only analogy that I can come up with right now is not finding out the sex of your baby until the baby is born. Take it easy, parents. I’m not saying it’s exactly the same. The point is the surprise. And it’s making everything that happens before February 24 that much more interesting. Like how all the contenders are managing their time. Some of them, over the last week or so, have pulled back, kept a lower profile. Because, of course, they’re worried about looking too thirsty. This is also a part of the game I love so much. WE ALL KNOW THEY’RE THIRSTY FOR OSCAR. So it’s about who’s best at pretending to not be as thirsty as someone else. This is how Hollywood mind-f-cks itself. Everyone spends so much time not wanting to seem like they want something, even though they all want the same thing.

Right now, in the Best Actor race, experts think that Rami Malek, off his SAG win, has a very slight edge over Christian Bale. Christian Bale, who is not high on the list of celebrities who get papped often, was papped on a bike ride with his wife Sibi earlier this week. Coincidence or conspiracy? Maybe they just happened to be photographed while they were out getting their exercise on their wedding anniversary? That photographer must have been so lucky, at the right place at the right time. 

Of course the biggest question mark is for the biggest prize – Best Picture. So far, a lot of A Star is Born fans are upset that ASIB hasn’t been much of a factor. It seems like a lock for Best Song (“Shallow”) but given its early lead in the race, coasting through the fall with so much momentum, some people expected it to pick up a lot more wins by now. That said, will Hollywood be able to resist a film about itself on Hollywood’s biggest night? Will stars be able to say no to a film that they think represents their artistic experience? As they watch and rewatch A Star is Born over and over again now that it’s available on digital? With bonus footage too. 

This was making the rounds yesterday – a screen test featuring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Holy sh-t he looks hot here. Like really, really f-cking hot. Way hotter than he looked in the movie, which I get it, was deliberate, because Jackson Maine was determined to self-harm. I’m not sure anymore that Coop has to go full Jackson for the Oscars. He can stop at Jackson during the screen test. Can he please look like this again as we approach the Oscars? It can’t hurt.