The Culture

The Culture

January 22, 2025

Oscar Predictions: Will 'Wicked' Soar? Can 'Emilia Pérez' Make History?

Who will be nominated for this year's Oscars? Well, the nominations for the 96th Academy Awards are being announced Thursday, January 23 in Hollywood, and after a long campaign–and a slight delay because of the wildfires–there are a few films guaranteed to be in the mix.

From The Brutalist to Wicked, there are some movies that have picked up so many awards this season that it would be a shock if they weren't among the nominations announced. That said, there isn't really a frontrunner, so there are bound to be some surprises.

Here are my educated guesses–after chatting with a ton of the potential nominees on the Parting Shot podcast–on who will be nominated for the major categories at the Academy Awards this year. Click here for the full list.

Expect The Brutalist, Conclave, Wicked and Emilia Pérez to dominate in most categories. The two most exciting categories are Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress because they're so up in the air, so if you're looking for surprises, watch those two races. The other thing to look out for is all the love The Substance is bound to get. Demi Moore is having a moment and that excitement for her and the film will likely spill over into other categories, including Best Picture.

Of course, we'll be going over all the nominations this Friday! In the meantime, keep scrolling for more entertainment news. Have a great one!

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Culture Spotlight
Kavin Becon

Black-ish's Kenya Barris' Unlikely Friendship with Malcolm Gladwell

By H. Alan Scott

Kenya Barris, the Emmy-nominated creator of Black-ish, knows that teaming up with Malcolm Gladwell for the new Audible series The Unusual Suspects is a bit of an odd pairing. "We're actually not as odd, but it's an interesting combination." And their guest list is just as diverse, from entertainment figures like Jimmy Kimmel and Ava DuVernay to renowned chef David Chang. "We want people who are at the top of their [field]. [We] ask, 'What was the thing behind the thing? What was the thing that you didn't see?'"

And if the caliber of their first guests is any indication, there will be lots more to come. "I hope that people will receive it, because there's so many people who I'd love to talk to that I think are culturally zeitgeist-defining characters that people may not know about." And he's eager to work more with Gladwell, especially because of his voice. "He's so good at understanding his audible power, his sonic power.... I always look at my [nasally] voice like, 'This is the voice you give me, God, to talk to women? Thank you, I appreciate you.'" [laughs]

Listen to the latest episode of The Parting Shot HERE

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